Roland Cube 60 vs. Peavey Bandit 112

As I attempt to focus my search for a good clean amp for playing my Tele in our church's praise and worship band, I've read up (on the TDPRI, of course) about the Cube 60 and the Bandit. It'd be great if some TDPRIers chimed in about which of the two they prefer. They're in my price range, but I can't get an example of either to try out, so it's a shot in the dark.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Never played a cube 60 but I own a bandit and it is a heck of an amp for the money used or new. I prefer tube amps but I do not feel it is lacking if I need it for a back up amp.

If volume is not your primary concern, the Roland wins. Though not as loud, it's much smaller than the Bandit, and has some other selling points like effects. It sounds great. I like the Bandit all right, but it's still kinda big. Not huge nor heavy, but still sizable. If it were staying there, I might pick the Bandit instead.

I like the Bandit alot, but I like the COSM Cube 60 too.

I think the Cube60 has a better clean tone, the Transtube Bandit has a slightly warmer sounding overdrive.

As far as usable volume levels, I don't notice much difference. That's remarkable as the Cube 60 weighs 35 lbs., the Bandit is closer to 50 lbs.

If you need even more volume, the TT Bandit will also drive an external speaker, the Cube 60 won't.

Not sure about the new Cube80... Looks like a killer piece of gear.

If you need even more volume, the TT Bandit will also drive an external speaker, the Cube 60 won't.



Hmmm... my Cube 60 has a speaker out and can drive an external cab. Which model are you talking about? Maybe the older ones doesn't have one.

I love my Cube 60. It's the best of the SS amps I've tried. I've owned a Flextone II and the Cube 60 kills it. My friend has a Peavey bandit and the church has a Peavey Transtube Studio Pro 112. I hoped I liked the church amp so I don't have to bring the Cube 60 to church, but....

This is just my experience though. Try both and pick the one that sounds good to you. I still prefer tube. There's a 15watt VJ on eBay that I saw. Might check it out.

60 watts should be enough. My Trademark 60 is hella loud (though not as loud at the Bandit). So if volume is not a concern, look at features. If you need effects, clearly the Cube 60 wins. From a portability perspective, the Cube 60 wins. So the only other variable is "tone". Honestly, this is such an incredibly subjective topic that I don't think anyone will be able to make an arguement that one absolutely sounds better than the other.

If you can't try before you buy, I would reccomend buying either or both from an online retailers with a good return policy in order to audition them. Better to be out the return shipping than stuck with an amp you don't like.

Good luck!

60 watts should be enough Depends on the amp some amp makers are a little overboard on their rateings. My 80 watt Peavey Bandit is loud enough to gig with for smaller places I had a crate once rated at 60 watts and it could not come close to being loud enough to gig with even in a smaller club.

Bandit!!

Depends on the amp some amp makers are a little overboard on their rateings. My 80 watt Peavey Bandit is loud enough to gig with for smaller places I had a crate once rated at 60 watts and it could not come close to being loud enough to gig with even in a smaller club.

Very true, Crate notoriously over rates their ss amps Fender has on several older models as well. But Roland, Tech 21, and Peavey are very honest in the ss wattage ratings. When I used to gig my JC-120, I almost never turned up past 2 for fear of blowing my ears out! I've never needed to turn my Tech 21 past noon gigging with a full band with a second guitarist unmiced in rooms which held 200+. I'll be cranking the Bandit this weekend, but I'm going to bet it's more than loud enough for any application I'll be using it for, maybe even too loud.

cleaner, lighter, smaller footprint, and more versatile, if you need it to be. cube hands down.

I've had both. I sold the Bandit and kept the Cube60.

I play clean and although the Bandit's clean tones were pretty OK they weren't as good as the Cube's...and the Bandit's cleans didn't have a lot of power and weren't up to giggable levels IMO. All the power seemed to be in the overdrive channel, and I couldn't find a good enough sound there. I regularly gig my Cube 60 and there's loads of power, and far better tones, I think. My main amps are small tube amps and the Cube60 does compare to a good tube amp in some situations. The Bandit doesn't, even though it is pretty good for a tranny amp.

The Bandit sounds and feels like a tranny amp.
With the Cube60 I can plug in and play the same way as I do with a tube amp. Not quite as good...but well close enough. If anything ever happens to it I'll immediately buy another (or the Cube80). I'll never buy another Bandit.

Bandit!!

After all the good advice on the Peavey Stereo Chorus 212, I was wondering if you'd chime in on this one. :mrgreen: That 260W is scaring me! I figured the Bandit would be a little more tame.

Well I got a low powered family reunion gig next weekend and my small PA (2 Kustom Ten Inch Speaker cabs loaded with Eminence Beta 250 watt speakers on stands and a Biamp 300 watt powered Mixer) will do the PA honors and while I would love to take my new to me PA 100 head and 2x12 cabinet I really do not need that much power for this gig (Think Twin Reverb) or bulk to take along so my Bandit will get the honors for my Tele along with my Vox DA5 for my acoustic and a back up amp in case the power goes out. (Summer storms you never know one reason why I wanted a battery powered amp.) Chances are it will be just me doing a solo act or maybe several other guys on acoustics ect might show up too I do not know. My friend said he might bring a small trap set if he can get free and his acoustic but I do not know for sure if he can make it his family keeps him busy so the bandit will be plenty and easier to haul than my PA 100 set up which would just be sitting there idleing LOL. He is digging out a old electronic drum pedal might use that for some fill if he cannot make it.

I just got a Roland Cube 60 and have to say the clean sound, with some reverb, comes close to my SF Princeton Reverb. The clean tone is a bit "colder" than the tube amp---but it gives you an honest tone that reproduces the sound of your guitar. You can find these used for about $100 less than a new one---and they apparently will last forever.

...and they apparently will last forever.That's silly.

The Cube's are a good design but they have lots of plastic parts, and plastic tends to get brittle as it ages. I'd be surprised if the current line of Cubes last more than 10 years with regular use. Ten years is pretty good, but it is not forever.

They most certainly won't last as long as the PTP amps with metal jacks and pots from decades gone by, and even those don't last forever...

BTW, I currently own two Cube 60's. They sound great in stereo with my GT8. They work like they were made for each other, and deliver high quality tone, consistently and cheaply. They're easy to replace too. I'm sure a Cube 80 will sound just as good as a Cube 60, and the extra 3 lbs isn't a show stopper.

I don't currently own a Peavey Bandit, but I have owned several in the past and I like them. For what the original poster intended, I think either amp will work. I personally think the Cube 60 has a slight edge in terms of clean tone, portability, and effects, but some people will still prefer the Bandit, since tone is so subjective.

Keep in mind used Cube 60's are going for around $250, while used Bandits can be found for half that price. Even though I like the Cube 60, it's not twice as good as the Bandit. For the same money, I'd rather have two Bandits than one Cube 60.

Cube is nearly bulletproof, is the Peavey?

I would say the Peavey is more "bulletproof".

Cube is nearly bulletproof, is the Peavey?LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL evidently you NEVER HAVE OWNED A PEAVEY. They are one of the most bullet proof and roadworthy gear out there. There is a reason back in the 80's and 90's when tube amps took a vacation Peavey filled the stages of bands from garage bands to professional bands everywhere. Like I said I like my tube amps and if the gig I was playing this next weekend had a bass player and a drummer I would be using my PA 100 which is a 4 channel Twin Reverb. Instead since it will be my small PA and myself and several guys playing acoustics or I may also play my Tele my Bandit is more then enough amp and then some.

Cube is nearly bulletproof, is the Peavey?

Apparently you're not bi-lingual... The word "Peavey" means "Completely frekin' Indestructable" in spanish...

Pick up the Cube 80. More power, just as portable, clean, clean, clean.
I have used my 60 on every gig for the last 4 years. That includes concert halls, arenas, small gigs, you name it. Never let me down once.
I owned a Bandit for awhile, and it was a killer amp, but-like all peaveys-harsh, harsh, harsh.

I have never considered Peaveys harsh they may take some fiddling with to get the sounds you want out of them but when you do they sound great.

I always found them to be brittle, not much warmth.

I always found them to be brittle, not much warmth.

Well, if I go with the Peavey, I'll be running an RP-250 into the amp (or through the loop). Granted, the RP is digital, but I wonder if it will help me shape the tone.

Yeah....that would make a heck of a difference.
Doesn't it have an EQ built in?

Yeah....that would make a heck of a difference.
Doesn't it have an EQ built in?

The RP-250? Yeah and the presets for EQ really help. I had an old RP-200 and the 250 blows it out of the water. I've been using the 250 in front of a newer Bassman 100 (SS) amp the church has and it sounds pretty decent for what we play. The Bassman has to have the bass turned all the way down, though, so I really need an amp geared for guitar (and Teles in particular).

[".. I love my Cube 60. It's the best of the SS amps I've tried..

I've used my Cube 60 everywhere. (I've also played in about 6 worship teams - they all loved it.) Killer tones AND portability. Much louder than its small size might indicate.

The forum members also seem to love the Vox Valvetronix series for same reasons.

Hey, I've got a Peavey Stereo 400 (2-212s) Super Chorus from 1986. Sounds great, but it's cab is particle board, so heavy as heck. The Cube is much better: much more versatile tones. Both amps have been bullet-proof over the years and the miles.

RP's are great pedals from the little 50 on upwards

Kind of off-topic, but if you dial in a Marshall by diming everything first and then adjusting to taste, and you can dial in a Fender by starting with everything at 12 noon...

Unfamiliar Peaveys seem to work well when you start things dialed to 7... Not 100% accurate, but it's a decent guideline.

The Cube 60 seems to work well starting from 12 noon as well, just like many Boss pedals.

BTW, It's innaccurate and unfair to say, "like all Peaveys, harsh harsh harsh..."

Looks like the Cube 60 is discontinued. They still have a couple on some of the sites, though. The Cube 80x is a little pricey @ 395.

how bout ebay?

As I attempt to focus my search for a good clean amp for playing my Tele in our church's praise and worship band, [I've focussed on] the Cube 60 and the [Peavey] Bandit.

When I was amp shopping a few years ago I tried the Cube line and I tried the Peavey Transtube line. I ended up with the Bandit, which I still have. The Peavey was plenty loud for clean rhythm with an archtop guitar in a big band. In fact, for my archtop (Heritage Sweet 16) I like the Peavey better than I like my Evans.

The disadvantage of the Peavey over the Cube is the size. The Peavey's bigger and therefore heavier - but because the cabinet's larger it gets a more balanced (to my ears) frequency response than the Cube does.

I don't like the Peavey's distortion very much - I use a DGTM or a Boss DS-1 if I want grit. I use the second channel as either a second, volume-boosted clean channel or as an alternative set of tone settings.

Overall I've found the Peavey to be very usable and controllable.

The Bandit I have is the Red Stripe version.