Peavey Bandit Supreme Teal Stripe Preamp Pedal: What to Know Before You Buy

The Peavey Bandit Supreme Teal Stripe Preamp pedal puts an iconic Peavey solid-state amp on your pedalboard, and it's aimed at players who want that vintage Peavey distortion rather than a modern high-gain voice. There's more going on here than simple nostalgia.

Plenty of players (including some of us at No Fear Gear) started their musical journey on a Peavey combo like the Bandit. Vintage Peavey amps pioneered the art of solid-state distortion, and Peavey positions this one as the sound that powered '90s rock and alternative styles. The amp-in-a-box format brings that sound into modern musical workflows.

What is the Bandit Supreme Teal Stripe pedal based on?

Two classic combos live inside this pedal — the 2nd-generation "Teal Stripe" Bandit 112 combo amplifier (circa 1990) and the "Teal Stripe" Supreme 160 amplifier head. Peavey used the stripes to distinguish different variations on its core amplifiers, and the Teal Stripe versions of the Bandit and the Supreme shared the same preamp design. That design ran Peavey's acclaimed TransTube technology.

In other words, you're getting an exact re-creation of the lead channel circuit found in the Bandit 112 and the Supreme 160. In the early days of solid-state distortion, TransTube tone stood out for its touch sensitivity and tube-like response. Today that Teal Stripe voice remains an aggressively distinct alternative to traditional high-gain amp tones.

Peavey Bandit Supreme Teal Stripe — Fast Facts

• Type: Amp-in-a-box preamp pedal
• Re-creates: The lead channel circuit of the "Teal Stripe" Bandit 112 (circa 1990) and Supreme 160
• Pre-gain control: SUPERSAT, from subtle crunch to full distortion
• Output control: Post gain, for setting final volume once your tone is shaped
• EQ: 3-band: Bottom, Body, and Edge
• EQ range: +/-15dB of boost and cut
• Gain switch: Boosts input gain considerably and activates the Edge band
• Mid-shift switch: Moves the frequency that the Body control adjusts, between full-bodied mids and scooped '80s thrash metal tone
• Bypass: Hard bypass with an anti-click circuit for silent switching
• Internal power: Bipolar 18V internal supply, for responsive dynamics and ultra-low noise (9VDC input, 50mA draw)
• Cab simulation: None onboard; pair it with a cab sim pedal for direct rigs
• Price: $199.99, list $239.99 (verified 08/19/2026)

What every knob and switch does

The Bandit Supreme re-creates the lead channel circuit of the Bandit 112 and Supreme 160. SUPERSAT is your pre-gain, and it covers everything from subtle crunch to full distortion. Post gain is best saved for last: use it to set your final output volume once you've shaped your sound.

The 3-band EQ is particularly responsive and wide-ranging, with a generous +/-15dB of boost and cut on tap, so the appropriately labeled Bottom, Body, and Edge controls will take you from mid-forward rock crunch all the way to scooped thrash. Note that the Edge control only comes alive with the Gain switch engaged, which hands you extra command of the high frequencies when you're playing with extreme gain.

If you're looking for maximum tonal tenacity, engage the Gain switch. It boosts the input gain considerably and switches on the Edge band, giving you a shelving filter to fine-tune your high-end response under high-gain tones.

The Shift button is the less obvious one, because what it changes is the frequency that the Body EQ control adjusts. Leave Shift disengaged and the Body frequency sits lower — perfect for adding chug and weight to heavier tones. Engage it and the Body frequency moves higher, adding punch and presence so your tone cuts through the mix.

Three ways to connect the Bandit Supreme to your rig

The amp-in-a-box design gives you real flexibility in how you wire this thing up. Depending on how you use it, the Bandit Supreme can be the foundation of your tone, or it can behave like a thrash-metal distortion pedal that supplements the amp you already own. Here are the three routes.

1. Into your amp's input

Connect it like any other effects pedal, between your guitar and your amplifier input. To hear the Bandit Supreme's full potential as a preamp, set your amp's EQ controls to neutral and keep its gain clean. To use it more like a distortion pedal, set your amp to your preferred tone, dial in a good distortion sound on the Bandit Supreme, and use its Post gain control to balance the volume against your amp.

2. Into your amp's effects loop

If your amp has an effects loop, you can bypass its preamp section completely and inject the Bandit Supreme straight into the power amp section. Run the output of the pedal into the effects loop input jack (often labeled "return") and you'll hear the full intensity it has to offer, un-colored by your amp's own preamp and EQ circuitry. This is the best setup if you want the Bandit Supreme to be the core of your guitar tone.

3. Into a cab sim, no amp at all

A lot of modern players are skipping the amplifier outright for the convenience of cab sims and speaker emulations, and the Bandit Supreme makes a great preamp for exactly that. Connect it to the cab sim pedal of your choice — and you have a vintage Peavey amp rig sitting on your pedalboard. Its internal bipolar 18V supply delivers responsive dynamics and ultra-low noise, so your tone stays lively and robust even with a fully-direct signal path.

How to stack the Bandit Supreme with other pedals

Lots of players ask whether to treat the Bandit Supreme like a standard overdrive (before other gain stages) or like a preamplifier (after them). It comes down to finding a sound that inspires you, and trying something different is as simple as re-patching a couple of cables. Still, a few basic rules help.

The EQ controls here are very powerful — and they will be shaping every pedal you plug into them, too. When you stack the Bandit Supreme with other drive pedals, keep its EQ neutral until you're close to your ideal tone, then fine-tune with the Bandit's EQ at the end.

To make the Bandit Supreme the foundation of your tone, place it last in the chain, after your overdrives, boosts, and effects pedals. Switching on those other drives then injects more harmonics into the Bandit Supreme, with everything shaped by the Bandit's EQ.

To use it as a trashy drive or distortion pedal instead, keep its EQ as neutral as you can. Any drastic frequency peaks you create here get intensified further down the signal chain. The Bandit Supreme can be particularly effective in front of wah and filter pedals, though you'll want to make sure you aren't creating resonant peaks between the Bandit's EQ and the wah or filter's center frequency.

In short: to add something to your core sound, place it early in the chain like an overdrive or distortion pedal. To make it your core sound, place it late, keep your amp clean with neutral EQ, and put your other drive pedals in front of it.

Pedal order is a huge part of your guitar tone — learn more in our video Effect Pedal Order Explained — Why Pedal Order Matters!

Jump to: guitar-side vs amp-side, the core principle [0:34] · why amps love being hit with a drive pedal [1:47] · where drive and distortion pedals sit [4:05] · why reverb goes last [8:48]

Who it's for — and who should skip it

Buy it if you want an authentic Teal Stripe lead channel on your board and you've been eyeing the used market for a Bandit 112 or a Supreme 160. It suits you too if you're building a fully-direct rig, since the internal bipolar 18V supply keeps the dynamics responsive and the noise floor low even on a fully-direct signal path.

Skip it if you need a neutral, do-everything preamp. This is one specific lead channel, faithfully re-created, and its voice stays an aggressively distinct alternative to traditional high-gain amp tones. And if you plan to go direct, you'll need a cab sim pedal of your choice alongside it.

Where to buy the Peavey Bandit Supreme Teal Stripe Preamp pedal

The Bandit Supreme is available from Peavey and from Sweetwater at $199.99 against a $239.99 list price, verified on 08/19/2026. Stock and pricing on a newer product move around, so check current price and availability before you commit.

Vintage Peavey solid-state amplification is back

If you ask us, the amp-in-a-box format is the perfect way to introduce a new generation of players to vintage Peavey amps. Instead of trawling the used market for an authentic Teal Stripe Bandit 112 or Supreme 160 in (hopefully) good condition, you can put the same preamp on your pedalboard and run it through whatever speaker configuration you like, or go direct for maximum simplicity. Peavey pitches this voice as the sound behind '90s rock and alternative, but spend some time with the Shift switch and there's plenty of scooped thrash in there too.

So whether you're chasing the exact rig behind your favorite records or you just want a characterful amp voice that lives on your pedalboard, the Peavey Bandit Supreme Teal Stripe Preamp pedal is the amp-in-a-box preamp pedal that gets you there.

The Bandit and Supreme aren't the only vintage Peavey combo amps you can put on a pedalboard — check out our feature on the Peavey Decade Preamp pedal, the amp-in-a-box re-creation of Josh Homme's "secret weapon" studio amp.