steel guitar amps

Richard Jones · From: Alabama, gadsden

I have been using different peavey amps for steel, they are all noisy and I am looking for suggestions on what other brand of amp to use. now I know that EVANS AND other high end amps are out there but what about Fender amps ? something that is not outrages in price..thanks any help will be appreciated
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Emmons D10 LASHLY LEGRAND ,MSA SD10,BMI D10 ,SHO-BUD D10,wilcox S10..MSA D10,SHO~BUD LDG ,ZUM STEEL

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

I'd get a Peavey Session 400, since it's from before IC chips, as they often hiss a bit.
If it's noisy, get the caps replaced. They can be dead quiet when performing to spec, but they're 40 years old.
It's also hard to beat a Twin.
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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

Richard Jones · From: Alabama, gadsden

I am currently using a peavey renown 400 with a BW 15
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Emmons D10 LASHLY LEGRAND ,MSA SD10,BMI D10 ,SHO-BUD D10,wilcox S10..MSA D10,SHO~BUD LDG ,ZUM STEEL

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

It SHOULD be dead quiet at idle. I'd prefer the Session, but that amp should do OK.
My personal opinion? You'd be financially better off getting that amp seen to than getting another amp that will probably also need some stuff done.
When you say it's noisy, is it a white noise hiss, or a 60 Hz hum?
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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

Josh Braun · From: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

My $.02:

I've not used a Peavey before (except for a Bandit in a practice space), so I can't do an even compare.

I have used a lot of Fender amps, Music Man amps, and Quilters. One of these days I'm going to try a Milkman, Webb and an Evans to make sure I'm not missing anything, but I haven't had the chance yet. I suspect they're wonderful amps, but just different flavors of awesome. So many good options nowadays.

I currently gig with the Quilters. I have a Steelaire combo I've gig'd and recorded with for the last two years. Within the past 2 months, I've been using one of their Pro Block 200s. IMHO, it does everything the Steelaire does that I need, except it has a more limited EQ. I recommend trying one out and seeing if it's for you. If so, you've got a crazy light rig that sounds gorgeous. FWIW, I'm playing a Williams 700 with 705 reissue pickups into a travis toy speaker in a 1x12 cab. The Steelaire combo has the default Quilter speaker (whatever that is) and I like that quite a bit as well.

I've had good success with just about any Fender I've used, but I find the bigger heads (e.g., Bandmaster, Showman) awkward to carry, and the weight of something like a twin is a bother to me (but it sounds good).

After trying many amps, I've come to the conclusion that Quilter products just suit me. It's not that they're ergonomic (though, they are) - they really do sound great. IOW, they're not a "compromise amp" - I truly think the Steelaire is going to be the next Webb in 20 years.

Anyhow, if you incline towards Fenders and weight isn't an issue, I'd try to get a used Twin. The silverfaces seem to be very competitive in terms of prices right now. There's a few near me for between $400-$700 at some local shops. Might be some near you for some low prices.

Dan Beller-McKenna · From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA

You've probably already checked for this, but make sure it is, in fact, the amp, and not something else in the chain. I was noticing a pronounced hum from my LTD 400 this morning. I remembered that I had recently started using a 1-Spot adapter at home for my Zoom multi-stomp pedal. I put batteries in the zoom, unplugged the adapter, and the hum was gone: the amp was dead silent.

Steven Paris · From: Los Angeles

The Peavey Renown 400, similar to many PV amps, uses RC4558 I.C.s. These are really nothing but old-design 741s in a dual amp package. A 741 was one of the very first opamps designed, and is very cheap. And very noisy. And very distorted. Replacement with OPA2134s is easy and will make a significant difference.
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Emmons & Peavey

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

A properly working Peavey amp is as quiet as any other amp. If its noisy there is either a problem in the amp or something external is causing it.

I've had many Peavey amps, starting with a Session 500 up to the Nashville 112 and none were noisy. The reverbs can be a bit noisy, but the reverb in any amp can be a bit noisy if turned up.
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GFI Ultra Keyless S-10 with pad (Black of course) TB202 amp, Hilton VP, Steelers Choice sidekick seat, SIT Strings
Cakewalk by Bandlab and Studio One V4.6 pro DAWs, MOTU Ultralite MK5 recording interface unit

Tommy Boswell · From: Virginia, USA

Gary Thorsen · From: Oregon, USA

John H once told me,"amps make noise". I have found that to be true. If you are worried about hum put a George L humbucker in your guitar and be done with it. If you want that great single cool tone try a Wallace. Don't be afraid to throw some money at it. I like a Boss GE7 to isolate frequencies that cause noise and unwanted overtones. The holy grail is hard to find.

Steven Paris · From: Los Angeles

Gary Thorsen · From: Oregon, USA

Noise might always be present in an analog signal. I plug into a minimum (3) of tone-robbing stomp boxes. Most of my playing is live so I don't worry about a small amount of hiss. I prefer the sound of single coil pickups too so...

Some sound engineers obsess with noise, others just deal with it. I have yet to hear a guitar player who doesn't have some noise coming out their speakers. Funny that so many musicians are willing to pay hundreds, even thousands, of dollars on stomp boxes that all add noise.

For some reason other less noisier eq pedals, like the 10 band MXR don't seem to notch the correct frequencies. I'm sure there are plenty of ways to skin that cat. Good studio grade notch filters are expensive though. The GE-7 pedal can be found at pawn shops for around $40. FYI, Brent Mason uses a GE-7 in his rig so I guess, for me, it's hard to argue with the most recorded session man of all time.

Dennis Detweiler · From: Solon, Iowa, US

I have a high voltage power station across the street from me and get too much hum with single coils. I also get a little hum in one of the area studios. So, I went to a Telonics humbucker. They have a few models to chose from. I play a U-12 with the 427 pickup. The 409 is the 10 string equivalent.
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1976 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics 427 pickup, 1975 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics X-12 pickup, Boss 59 Fender pedal for preamp, NDR-5 Atlantic Delay & Reverb, two Quilter 201 amps, 2- 12" Eminence EPS-12C speakers, ShoBud Pedal, 1949 Epiphone D-8. Revelation preamp into a Crown XLS 1002 power amp.

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