Recommendations for good amp for pedal steel & lead guitar

Craig Bailey · Posted 29 Nov 2016 5:09 pm

I wanted to get everyones recommendation on a good amp that could pull double duty for pedal steel and lead guitar. A few amps I have been considering are:

1) Quilter Steelaire
2) Little Walter
3) fender twin reverb
4) fender twin reverb custom 15
5) Nashville 112
6) Nashville 115

I am using a Nashville 400 right now but have been considering one of these listed above. Maybe some of you could share your thoughts and recommendations.

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

There's nothing thats better overall than a good twin reverb.. I would avoid a late model reissue thats got a printed circuit board.. A good silverface twin from the early 70's in good shape can be had in the $700-800 range, the older the amp the more you'll spend.. Here;s the thing,,, Most of the amps you can buy new for steel and guitar will depreciate... Spend $1500 and a year later its worth $800... on a GOOD day... Buy a 1973 Twin Reverb in good shape for $850-900 lets say, use it 2 or 3 years, and its worth at least as much as you paid, maybe even more.. If I were where you are at right now, i would strongly consider a GOOD [ no junk] used original Twin Reverb, from the early 70's.. [Non Master is preferred, but a Master Volume version is fine as well, and they run cheaper... bob
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Steven Paris · From: Los Angeles

If you get a Quilter Steelaire, make sure it's one of the later models, produced in the last year or so. Those have the OPA 1654 op amps, which are MUCH quieter and also have better overall specs than the earlier TL072-equipped amps.
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Emmons & Peavey

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I basically agree with Bob - if you need to deal with a fairly high stage volume routinely and don't mind a fairly clean guitar sound, it is very hard to beat an old silverface pre-master-volume Twin Reverb, especially for the money. And I also agree with Bob on this - get a nice clean original one, in good cosmetic as well as electronic shape. Be patient, they're out there - most guitarists don't want them 'cause they're "too loud".

I have used Twins off-and-on for a long time, but the weight and overall loud guitar voume was getting to me, so I sold my last silverface Twin and '69 Dual Showman Reverb head about 5 years ago, swearing I would never get another.

But a couple of months ago, a guy I know had a '66 blackface Twin Reverb available, in nice shape, and for a decent price, so I took my Zum and the Fender 800 I got from Bob this past summer down to his place and gave 'em a whack. Man, what a sound. And I'll tell you what - paying more for the blackface really was worth it for the guitar sound, to my tastes. The original '66 Jensen gold/brown-label speakers really seal the deal for me. OK, they don't have quite the headroom of JBLs or EVs and I guess I can't kill rats at 50 yards with it, but it cuts through just fine unless the band is unbearably loud.

Of course, tone is a personal thing. I have a Little Walter 50-watter. It sounds very good, but doesn't have the clean juice of something like a Twin. One of the higher wattage versions might do the trick. Haven't tried a Steelaire. I sometimes use a '57 2-input tweed 4x10 Bassman for double-duty - sounds great. But not exactly cheap, and much like the Little Walter 50, it doesn't have the clean juice of a Twin or a typical steel amp.

Personally, I would skip most modern PC-board high-power amps, especially tube amps. For me, the issue isn't so much sound but reliability and servicability. To ME - why buy a reissue Twin Reverb when you can buy an old hand-wired one for as cheap or less? I couldn't believe it when I saw that I could buy a mid-60s blackface Twin for about the same as the "new" price of some of the reissues. And a silverface is much, much less. I bought the last silverface Twins I owned for $400 (ultralinear) and $600 (ca. 1970 non-master-volume). Probably gone up some since then, but not that much.

Another suggestion - the original Peavey Session 400. I have one cut down for a 12" Telonics speaker. It's a hoss. All clean all the time, but it sounds great if you want clean, clean, clean. And cut down like that with the 12" neo speaker, it weighs about the same as my Vibrolux Reverb. And they're cheap - I mean $300-400 cheap and routinely on the forum. They can be tamed for guitar, but they are clean.

Also note - if you're not playing in a loud band, sometimes a Deluxe, Vibrolux, or Pro Reverb can deliver the goods, and there isn't a better guitar amp out there. I sometimes can get away with a Deluxe or Vibrolux for pedal steel, but if it's loud, I either need a pair or something bigger. Or sometimes I pile a Deluxe/Vibrolux onto that Session 400, the pair of which I can find for less than most os the 'usual suspect' modern amps.

Tommy Detamore · From: Floresville, Texas

I have a Telonics 2-12 combo known as the "Super Twin". It works well for both guitar and steel. It takes pedals well if you need to dirty it up for guitar. And it won't break your back.
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Tommy Detamore
Quilter Labs, Goodrich Sound, Source Audio, Neunaber Audio, and Stringjoy Authorized Dealer

www.cherryridgestudio.com
www.steelguitartracksonline.com

Steven Paris · From: Los Angeles

Telonics TCA-500: "in the neighborhood of two grand"
Quilter Steelaire: "about fourteen hundert"
Peavey 115: same as quilter
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Emmons & Peavey

Mike Brown · From: Meridian, Mississippi USA

I invite you to check out our latest steel guitar amplifiers on our website here;
http://peavey.com/products/pedal-steel-amplifiers.cfm#series-1 or at www.peavey.com

If you wish to discuss our products, I invite you to call me toll free in the U.S. at 1-877732-8391, ext.1180 and I will be glad to assist.

Thanks,
Mike Brown
Peavey USA

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

ALL the amps you listed are fine, and will get the job done.

If you're driving someplace, a Ford, a Chevy, A Honda, a Toyota, a BMW, A Mercedes etc will all get you there. Nobody at you destination will tell you you drove there in the wrong car.

Likewise nobody will ever come up to you on a gig and tell you that you have the wrong amp.

Don't listen to our opinions. Try out a few amps, and choose whatever you like.
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Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

What Mike P. said.
If you don't mind the fact that you can't push the tubes with your armpit guitar, it really is hard to beat the Twin, and it's not hard to mod it to put reverb on both channels, so you can have separate settings,and just leave them both plugged in.
I think I'd want two channels if I played two axen.
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

Two channels(and the 15")-that's why I like my TR Custom 15.But unless I'm doing enough six-string to justify standing up to play it,I like my Peaveys.Fox-mod NV 112 for when I don't feel like a stevedore,Session 500 for when I do. Winking

Craig Bailey · Posted 30 Nov 2016 7:33 pm **Twin Reverb**

Thanks guys for all the replies. Some of you recommended the Twin Reverb. Would you recommend a Twin Reissue or the Twin Custom 15 Reissue for steel and lead guitar?

Craig

Steven Paris · From: Los Angeles

Dave Mudgett says: "why buy a reissue Twin Reverb when you can buy an old hand-wired one for as cheap or less?"
I couldn't agree more.
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Emmons & Peavey

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

Nobody has mentioned the Peavey Vegas 400. It's basically a NV 400 in a bigger cabinet but with 2 channels.

I know it's not on your list, but if you like a solid state amp with a 15" speaker, it works well. Some guys who play both steel and guitar like it very much.

Not made since the early 90's, I think, but you can probably pick up a good used one for around $350.

Bill L. Wilson · From: Oklahoma, USA

You can't hardly go wrong with a good ole Fender Twin, Pro Reverb, or a Deluxe Reverb for pedal steel and Tele. Sometimes I even carry an old Session 400 Ltd. plus one of my Fender amps when a little more volume is required for outdoors or a big room. I recently built two speaker cabs. with a single 15" JBL D-130F in each cab. That Fender Twin head and those 15's will Clean Your Clock even without the Peavey.

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

Also, Music Man makes great amps. They're like Fenders on steroids.

The 212-HD is basically a twin with more power. I used one for decades, and only sold it in order to get something lighter.
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Paul Sutherland · From: Placerville, California

If you are considering an amp in the price range of the Little Walter, then you should also look at the Milkman Sideman. It's specifically designed to do double duty with steel and telecaster.
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It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing.

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

My Roland Cube 80XL works fine for me. I use a Zoom G5 ahead of it for guitar, and a Zoom G3 for steel. I tweak the EQ in the effects units and leave the amp set pretty much the same. I play in church and the amp is miked, so I don't need much volume. You can buy 4 or 5 of these for what one from the list above would cost.
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Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, as well as some older MSAs, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Recently added a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored blue Rose, named the "Blue Bird" to the herd. Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic again that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also added a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks.

Bill Ladd · From: Wilmington, NC, USA

Craig Bailey · Posted 1 Dec 2016 9:06 pm

I appreciate everyone's advice. That milkman sideman is a beauty. What do they cost? Might be more than I can afford. That is an option I haven't considered.

Craig

Dennis Wireman · From: North West Indiana 47978

I got a Peavey Vegas 400 with Fox extreme mod and it is a fantastic amp for guitar or steel love it . and no it is not for sale . a keeper .

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Not mentioned but,,, the best amp I ever had for playing steel and Tele was a Lab L-something, with a 15" Electrvoice speaker. I was very disappointed when I sold it and got the Vegas. Sounded like a Fender on steroids! Pre op amp circuitry I think. Actually sounded like a tube amp.
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Dr. Z Surgical Steel amp, amazing!
"74 Bud S-10 3&6
'73 Bud S-10 3&5(under construction)
'63 Fingertip S-10, at James awaiting 6 knees
'57 Strat, LP Blue
'91 Tele with 60's Maple neck
Dozen more guitars!
Dozens of amps, but SF Quad reverb, Rick Johnson cabs. JBL 15, '64 Vibroverb for at home.
'52 and '56 Pro Amps

Brett Lanier · From: Madison, TN

Carl Mesrobian · From: Salem, Massachusetts, USA

I had a Peavey LA 400 that was a great little amp. 210W into a Black Widow 12. They routinely go for $200 or so, and a lot of amp for the money. Weighs a ton, but not a bad workout for a 66 year old Smile

I use an original Fender BF Princeton reverb now, since the stage level is low and we are all mic'ed.

My .02 - get a vintage amp for less than a boutique amp, keep it in good shape, use it, and smile in all that vintage amp tone! Heck, for the price of some boutique amps you can buy a 50's tweed Fender! If you need the bells and whistles of a new design amp (FX loop, direct out, channel switching, etc) I understand completely.

Some people like a new Corvette, others like a 50's Corvette - I'd buy the 50's Winking

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--carl

"The better it gets, the fewer of us know it." Ray Brown

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