Peavey Bandit 65 Speaker replacement recommendation

[AmpFix]

I am refurbishing a non-working Peavey Bandit 65. There are several issues with the amp and hasn't been taken care of very well.
I have all the electronic parts on order to refurb and fix this amp.

The speaker is missing and I'm going to need a replacement. As I understand it, the original Scorpions are no longer made. I want good value for money. Ideally, I'd find a used speaker from that era but the chances of that happening locally is a long shot. eBay is expensive so I need another option.

Any good recommendations? WGS Brit Lead 80?, Legend 1258?

[Enzo]

They no longer have the 8 ohm Scorpions either now? I had thought the 4 ohms were the non-available ones. Oh well, I am out of touch. The "stock" speaker was the 70777008, which was the 12838G, which was made by Eminence if I recall well. Scorpions were a premium speaker available in the amp. Did you check with PV parts to see if they have any 8 ohm Scorps left?

Ah, why look for a tired 35 year old speaker? They used good speakers then, but they were common types. Nothing legendary. I do like Scorpions myself.

As to specific recommendations, you know the speaker is the one thing in an amp that has the most effect on the sound. Different speakers can make large changes in the tone of an amp. SO a speaker I like a lot might sound awful to you. You need to audition various speakers to get a feel for what you like. Specific brands and models might be fine quality speakers, but that is separate from liking their sound.

If I recommend the lobster at some restaurant, and you hate seafood, where does that leave us?

[Leo_Gnardo]

Any good recommendations? WGS Brit Lead 80?, Legend 1258?

Always sage advice from Enzo ^^^. Plus -

If you plan t keep the amp, listen to others' amps at shows & clubs. When you hear something you like, find out what speaker think about getting one. I say this a lot, and half the folks who take the advice wind up with Celestion Vintage 30's. The rest, anything & everything, from vintage Altec, JBL, EV, CV, to current ToneTubby, ScumBack, all sorts of Eminence, Jensen, WGS, Weber. Gotta please your ears, so listen, then buy.

If you're going to sell it, might as well put in a cheap competent speaker, like the Eminence Legend you mentioned, a darn good speaker for the price.

[AmpFix]

The reason I mentioned the original Scorpion is that it is proven to sound good with that amp. I don't really want to mess with something that works. I don't know what the closest thing to it is with current production speakers.

I'll call Peavey up on monday and see if they have some left but AFAIK, they're no longer in production.

The Eminence 1258 is a great speaker IMO. I love it, especially in a closed cab with a Marshall. It will probably work well with the Bandit and for the money, they're hard to beat. The thing is, until its in there and have a/b'd it with other speakers, its hard to know what the amp "really" sounds like.

[Enzo]

I agree, the Scorpion is a good speaker, but is was just an option, the other was a stamped basket Eminence.

Speakers offer a great influence on sound, but the amp will always sound like what it is. Whatever you load into a fender twin reverb, it still sounds like Fender twin reverb, just some tonal differences.

If you like a speaker in other amps, especially if you like it in more than one model amp, then chances are you will like it in this one too. If you like garlic on a steak, you'll probably like it on a pork chop too. (Or broccoli and asparagus, if you are a vegan)

[AmpFix]

Well, I decided to go stock with a new Scorpion speaker. I'm sure that it will be fine. The original tone and look will stay the same. I just need to fix up the power amp and wait for the speaker.

This is going to end up costing more than what the amp is worth.

[Teletwanger]

I removed the 12" Scorpion 4 ohm speaker from my early 80's Special 130 and installed a JBL E-120 8 ohm. Wow, the difference is amazing. Most of the Peavey honk is gone and the JBL really pushes out all the low end tele notes with clarity, with no sign of breakup. I have been using this as my workhorse road amp since I bought it new in the 80's. Sound guys always say it projects like a Marshall when I use the lead channel. I set pre to 10, saturation to 4 and post to about 3 to 3 and a half. This is very loud on stage. I set the clean channel about the same level. Bass to 5, Mid shift to 6, mid level to 2, highs to 6, presence to 6, reverb to 3 and a half. I have always played a tele and rarely use or even need any effects pedals. I play country, blues, jazz, bluegrass and classic rock styles. I love this amp!

[AmpFix]

I removed the 12" Scorpion 4 ohm speaker from my early 80's Special 130 and installed a JBL E-120 8 ohm. Wow, the difference is amazing. Most of the Peavey honk is gone and the JBL really pushes out all the low end tele notes with clarity, with no sign of breakup. I have been using this as my workhorse road amp since I bought it new in the 80's. Sound guys always say it projects like a Marshall when I use the lead channel. I set pre to 10, saturation to 4 and post to about 3 to 3 and a half. This is very loud on stage. I set the clean channel about the same level. Bass to 5, Mid shift to 6, mid level to 2, highs to 6, presence to 6, reverb to 3 and a half. I have always played a tele and rarely use or even need any effects pedals. I play country, blues, jazz, bluegrass and classic rock styles. I love this amp!

I ended up finding a NOS Peavey Scorpion on Reverb and bought it. The speaker is massive, powerful and very clear. You say that the JBL has no signs of breakup but I can't hear any breakup coming out of this Scorpion. I think that it still needs to be broken as I didn't put a lot of hours on it yet.

I believe that some of that honk is characteristic to the Bandit and I don't mind it. Hopefully, I get more low end as it breaks in, or maybe the circuit limits low end? I'd have to check.

I take it that the Special 130 is similar in terms of preamp design? The Bandit really shines on the clean channel and the reverb is nice. I wouldn't say that it projects like a Marshall. I don't find that at all.

Would you consider selling the Scorpion? Maybe I could compare it with the one I have. There could be some manufacturing differences between an original Scorpion and the last ones that came out of the factory.