Peavey Solo Series Bandit (early 80's)

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oni1345
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Peavey Solo Series Bandit (early 80's)

Post by oni1345 » Fri Sep 23, 2022 1:49 pm

Hey there everyone I want to collect some thoughts on a project I am undertaking. I have an early 80's Bandit and want to replace the speaker. The contenders are:

Boss WAZA Speaker G12W-8 12 inch 100-watt
Celestion G-12 Neo V-Type 12 inch 70-watt
Celestion Classic Lead 80 12 inch 80-watt

I acquired this amp at work very cheap and am looking to do this and re-tolex it with a fun color scheme. The ultimate goal is to make this amp a versatile and eye catching power house.

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dak
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Re: Peavey Solo Series Bandit (early 80's)

Post by dak » Fri Sep 23, 2022 4:32 pm

Well, of course the standard question to be asked here is what kind of sound you are aiming for with your speaker replacement.
Last edited by dak on Fri Sep 23, 2022 5:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Pappy B
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Re: Peavey Solo Series Bandit (early 80's)

Post by Pappy B » Fri Sep 23, 2022 5:04 pm

Previous to the Transtube series all Bandits where Solo series and almost all of them made in the 80's. Out of curiosity which one do you have?

If this is a relatively new amp to you, get to know it pretty well before replacing a speaker. If it has any problems address them 1st. Knowing what tone control the amp is capable of may make it easier to decide on a replacement speaker.
The more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know.

oni1345
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Re: Peavey Solo Series Bandit (early 80's)

Post by oni1345 » Sat Sep 24, 2022 12:46 pm

The bandit I have is not the very first model with the smokey text but the one immediatly after it. I believe it was the 81-83 model.

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Re: Peavey Solo Series Bandit (early 80's)

Post by oni1345 » Sat Sep 24, 2022 12:51 pm

The sound I would like is a stereotypical greenback but I ran into two issues with that. Most greenbacks are rather low wattage. The second is I am not 100% on how compatible this amp will be with a greenback. The Boss Wazacraft speaker was the only one with high enough wattage but thats an investment.

Also I have taken it apart already and shot it out with contact cleaner. Its sounds great but the speaker in it (Peavey Scorpion) has its limits.

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dak
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Re: Peavey Solo Series Bandit (early 80's)

Post by dak » Sat Sep 24, 2022 5:14 pm

Well, at lower wattage the speaker has a different excursion layout. The Bandit is supposed to emulate a tube amp but at significantly higher power than common tube amps. So a fitting speaker will have a larger linear excursion range than a greenback, meaning that you get an equivalently compact sound quality only at significantly larger volumes. A Scorpion is actually a pretty solid speaker if its suspension is not suffering from old age fatigue (meaning boomy easily overdriven lows and mushy middles).

So I am not sure you'll get a lot of return value from replacing the speaker. It's the kind of situation where it might be a good idea looking for a place/shop having various different speakers lying around that you can drop in and test without committing.

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Re: Peavey Solo Series Bandit (early 80's)

Post by Pappy B » Sun Sep 25, 2022 12:33 am

Something else you can do in the mean time is pull the magnet off of the Scorpion and clean the voice coil groove. There are some videos on you tube.

I've had 2 over the years that sounded bad when I got them but was surprised how much better they sounded after cleaning them.
The more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know.

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Re: Peavey Solo Series Bandit (early 80's)

Post by dak » Sun Sep 25, 2022 6:34 am

Pappy B wrote:
Sun Sep 25, 2022 12:33 am
Something else you can do in the mean time is pull the magnet off of the Scorpion and clean the voice coil groove. There are some videos on you tube.

I've had 2 over the years that sounded bad when I got them but was surprised how much better they sounded after cleaning them.
Semi-relatedly I cleaned out the ferrofluid from a KB/A 50 tweeter and found that (new) velcro cable fasteners were the right thickness, with a scratchy and a felty side, and unlikely to leave residue. And you can still use them as intended afterwards if you are not dealing with ferrofluid...

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Re: Peavey Solo Series Bandit (early 80's)

Post by oni1345 » Fri Sep 30, 2022 12:47 pm

dak wrote:
Sat Sep 24, 2022 5:14 pm
Well, at lower wattage the speaker has a different excursion layout. The Bandit is supposed to emulate a tube amp but at significantly higher power than common tube amps. So a fitting speaker will have a larger linear excursion range than a greenback, meaning that you get an equivalently compact sound quality only at significantly larger volumes. A Scorpion is actually a pretty solid speaker if its suspension is not suffering from old age fatigue (meaning boomy easily overdriven lows and mushy middles).

So I am not sure you'll get a lot of return value from replacing the speaker. It's the kind of situation where it might be a good idea looking for a place/shop having various different speakers lying around that you can drop in and test without committing.
This is exactly the info I needed for my choice. I am also not very worried about return on value its just a project of mine since I got the amp dirt cheap. Sadly I don't have a shop like that where I live. I live in a small town and we have one real music store and they are more concerned with selling new music gear then upkeep and upgrading old stuff.

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Re: Peavey Solo Series Bandit (early 80's)

Post by oni1345 » Fri Sep 30, 2022 12:49 pm

Pappy B wrote:
Sun Sep 25, 2022 12:33 am
Something else you can do in the mean time is pull the magnet off of the Scorpion and clean the voice coil groove. There are some videos on you tube.

I've had 2 over the years that sounded bad when I got them but was surprised how much better they sounded after cleaning them.
Solid suggestion I am going to have to try this. Because saving the speaker would be nice as well. The main reason I am looking to swap it out is cause I got it dirt cheap and want it to be the best version I can make it. Plus its a fun project to keep me occupied in free time.

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Re: Peavey Solo Series Bandit (early 80's)

Post by Pappy B » Fri Sep 30, 2022 3:38 pm

Over the years quite a bit of debris can build up in the voice coil gap. Some of the Scorpions had a layer foam built into the vent hole in the magnet. It crumbles and some of it ends up in the groove and the voice coil moving back and forth compacts it and restricts coil/cone movement. Even if it didn't have foam in it junk can still accumulate in there.

It will be nice if you can end up with a good Scorpion. I once bought an amp just to get the speaker because it was cheaper than buying a Scorpion alone. Even if you go with another speaker it's good to have a spare on hand.
The more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know.

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Re: Peavey Solo Series Bandit (early 80's)

Post by BillH62 » Fri Oct 14, 2022 11:11 am

Oni, I have to weigh in: it's very surprising about a failed Scorpion speaker. I bought a Bandit 65 in 1984 with a Scorpion and put hundreds, probably thousands of hours on it through the years and never had an ounce of trouble.

My point is I recommend you try another Scorpion. The one in your amp has been wet at some point, I'd say.

Of course this is just from.my own experience. Best of luck to you, Brother,

Bill

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