Peavey Bandit 112 TransTube Solid State 80-Watt Guitar Amplifier

Submitted by Mason Hoberg on May. 20, 2019..

90

GEARANK

90 out of 100. Incorporating 500+ ratings and reviews.

Overview

In many circles, Peavey has an underserved reputation as being a budget brand. While they may not have the illustrious reputation of Fender or Marshall, Peavey turns out some great sounding pieces of equipment. The amps produced by the company are also famed for being some of the most durable available.

Just about every company has an amp that they say sounds just like a genuine tube amplifier, and they’re all wrong. No one has really nailed the feel of a tube amp yet, but with that being said Peavey’s Bandit series has arguably come the closest in this price tier.

The technology that powers the Bandit series is called “TransTube” circuitry. This circuitry emulates not just the sound of a tube amp but the response and feel as well. It still doesn’t quite feel like a tube amp, but it’s in the right ball park. In all honesty, in a live setting the difference between a Peavey Bandit and a genuine tube amp probably isn’t going to be that noticeable to your audience. It may become more apparent in a recording studio, but your experience is going to vary depending on the gear used and what you’re trying to accomplish with the amp.

The Peavey Bandit 112 TransTube amplifer comes with foot-switchable clean and distortion channels, both of which have a 3-band EQ and a 3-position EQ sweep. The sweep switch on the clean channel allows you to switch between a modern and clean voicing, with the middle position being the middle ground between the two. The sweep switch on the lead channel allows you to switch between classic, modern, and high gain. The amp also has a foot-switchable boost control, which allows you to pump up the gain even further.