ideal steel amplifier

Andy Smith · Post by **Andy Smith** » 24 Oct 2011 5:58 am

Hi
I have been talking with a company who want to develop an amp specifically for steel and who asked me what my 'wishlist' would be for a steel guitar amplifier. As an inexperienced steel player I thought it best to throw the question open to those with more experience and who perhaps have more specific requirements / ideas on the subject. I am also posting this question in the 'steel without pedals' section as I am guessing there will be other ideas there. So, any ideas anyone?
thanks, Andy

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 24 Oct 2011 6:45 am

What is the price range you are looking at ?

Andy Smith · Post by **Andy Smith** » 24 Oct 2011 7:05 am

Hi Bob
Price hasn't been discussed - I was simply asked for a wishlist, so I guess assume no limitations for the purposes of this exercise.

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 24 Oct 2011 8:18 am

"I have been talking with a company who want to develop an amp specifically for steel and who asked me what my 'wishlist' would be for a steel guitar amplifier?"

Hi Andy, this question has been presented previously and Peavy responded with the Peavy Session 500, and it had many of the steel guitarists wants.

You might want to research the available data about the Session 500 to help you with your question. I think that you will find that the amplifier that incorporated most of the steel guitarists "wants" was too heavy for most steelers to easily carry to gigs.

Respectfully,

Gene

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 24 Oct 2011 8:37 am

In my opinion the amp should not start to alter it's tone when it's played for a longer time and the valves reach their temperature. Thet's why they use transistors mostly in steel amps, I guess. What is welcomed for an electric guitar is not so good for a clean steel sound.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 24 Oct 2011 9:15 am

...a 10lb session 500.

Brett Lanier · Post by **Brett Lanier** » 24 Oct 2011 9:26 am

Eight pin preamp tubes. They contribute to getting fat tone on the high strings while maintaining clarity on low strings and chords. Plus, they do make them now. I have a new sovtek 6sl7 in my amp now that sounds great.

Jack Aldrich · Post by **Jack Aldrich** » 24 Oct 2011 10:20 am

I'm still playing my '84 Peavy Vegas 400, because I need a twin amp for steel and keyboards. I like the Session 500, and the Webb steel amp, having played through both. Borrowed them from friends. I also like my Peavy Classic 30 tube amp. I just mike it into the PA, if I need more loudness. btw, I've played steel directly into my buddy, Jim's, PA and it sounds beautiful. I also played through the house system at the Moore theater in Seattle a couple of years ago, and the sound guy really knew how to handle a pedal steel. For my lap steel work, I use a Boss '65 Deluxe Reverb pedal as a direct box into the house system. It's always nice not to have to lug an amp around, ya know. - Jack

Roger Crawford · Post by **Roger Crawford** » 24 Oct 2011 10:29 am

How much would a Session 500 weigh with a class D amp and a neo speaker?

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 24 Oct 2011 10:40 am

I kinda like the Evans, but yeah, the Hernia 500 has awesome sound but went out of favor due to weight. Get that sound in 50#, and that'll do fine (Bonus if the "String" effect gets replaced with the circuitry of the old Boss Tone).
Or just put Active EQ in its predecessor, the Session 400/LTD

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 24 Oct 2011 2:52 pm

Terms such as "Best" and "Ideal" call for subjective judgement and inevitable disagreements, but compiling a "wish list" not so much so.

Like many of our working brethren, my experience includes entire decades with various rack systems as well as duty at one time or another with amps produced by Epiphone, Evans, Fender, Gibson, Marshall, Peavey, Randall, Roland, ShoBud, Webb and probalby some others than I have forgotten.

With these (admittedly subjective) memories in mind, my ideal amp would:

Be a combo configuration, knobs forward, with an integrated 15" speaker and heavey-duty casters.

Have the sparkling tone and jump-off-the-floor response of a brown-face Fender Concert and be dead-quiet when at idle.

Have a functional over-drive channel with the same tone and reverb controls as the clean channel. This channel can be activated with or without a footswitch.

Have global effects inserts between the final pre and power stages. Individual channel effects patching in addition to this would be nice but not mandatory.

Have a buffered, +4dB nominal balanced line out, with both XLR and 1/4" TRS connectors, ground lift and level adjust control. Pre- and Post- EQ and Effects switching would also be helpful here.

Have the traditional 3-knob preamp tone controls on the front end PLUS a 5-band Graphic or even better a 3-band fully Parametric EQ on the sends to the power amp section AFTER all effects and patching.

Have a quality, 3-spring, long decay internal reverb tank, with discrete High- and Low-frequency EQ and a remote level control on the reverb return signal. Digital effects from Yamaha or Lexicon would suffice if well integrated into the control scheme with a remote controller, sooner or later somebody will get this one right...

Deliver a minimum of 200 watts to a single 4- or 8-ohm 15" full-range speaker with a -3dB frequency response better than 50-8KHz and 1W@1M sensitivity better than 103dB. The amp needs to have an output section robust enough to safely add a second 4-ohm extension cabinet and operate into 2 ohms at full peak power and 25% THD for six hours or more without overheating or otherwise suffering damage.

Weigh in at under 25 pounds.

Happy to report that my current Randall Steel Man 500 amps have nearly all of these characteristics. Unfortunately they also weigh in at somewhat more than 40 pounds with the JBL...

Paddy Long · Post by **Paddy Long** » 24 Oct 2011 3:26 pm

If your looking for a amp/preamp with a steel players wish-list already incorporated in it, look no further than the Telonics Pre-1000/Telonics Stereo Power amp combo !! There is nothing more you could want in a unit.... :-} Lightweight and powerful.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 24 Oct 2011 3:47 pm

Well, let's see. Standel in the 50's, Fender Twin in the 60's, about a half dozen different models of Peavey amps in the 70's, 80's, 90's and 00's. Gretsch Nashville Pro, Randall Steel Man 70's and 80's.
Evans and Webb 70's, 80's, 90's. GD Walker Stereo Steel Amps in the 90's, 00's.
Furlong Splits, Fox Vintage Amps, Little Walter, Telonics, my own TubeWorks and Mosvalve steel modded rigs....and all the others I've left out......

Yet, we're still looking for the Holy Grail of steel guitar amps. I guess that's the nature of steel guitar players. $:\$

I don't mean to say we should stop trying, but 60+yrs. of research and building......think we'll ever find it

Paul Sutherland · Post by **Paul Sutherland** » 24 Oct 2011 3:53 pm

So Paddy, how much does that Telonics rig lighten the wallet load? (If you have to ask, you can't afford it; right?)

Andy Smith · Post by **Andy Smith** » 25 Oct 2011 1:40 am

Hi Everyone
thanks for all the responses - I'll pass on your thoughts.
cheers, Andy

Norman Boling · Post by **Norman Boling** » 25 Oct 2011 4:18 am

I'd like to have the one Curly Chalker, Loyd Green, Bobbe Seymour, and Buddy used......I think Mike Johnson has one of those....

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 25 Oct 2011 4:47 am

100 watt tube amp with Neo under $1000.00.

Chris Lucker · Post by **Chris Lucker** » 25 Oct 2011 10:07 am

A Walter Woods.

Steven Finley · Post by **Steven Finley** » 25 Oct 2011 10:24 am

they already make the ideal steel amplifier,and its
called the PEAVEY NASHVILLE 112

Fred Glave · Post by **Fred Glave** » 25 Oct 2011 12:41 pm

What makes the Peavey Nashville 112 a better amp than say, a Fender Deluxe or any other 90 to 100 watt solid state amp with one 12" speaker. Just curious because I'm kind of in the market for something.

Paddy Long · Post by **Paddy Long** » 25 Oct 2011 12:45 pm

Paul - Yes !!

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 25 Oct 2011 12:51 pm

Fred: I think the 112 is excellent (I use two in rotation and they've been very reliable for seven or eight years now) and - at $400-$500 a piece - they represent great value.

I'll concede that there might be a compromise involved between the Peavey and a high-end boutique amp, but you'd have to pay 3-400% more to gain maybe 10% improvement. Add Peavey's reliability and it's an even more difficult choice.

But this thread is about an 'ideal' steel amp; the 112 isn't perfect so I suppose it doesn't qualify; it's a difficult option to ignore, though.

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 25 Oct 2011 2:51 pm

A 12" speaker does not present enough radiating surface to do the job in a band with drums without help from the PA. A 15" speaker does.

Steven Finley · Post by **Steven Finley** » 25 Oct 2011 4:03 pm

A drumer is a rythem instrument,a drumer should keep
the beat not drowned out the band,and further more
a drumer is not a lead instrument,to many drumers
tend to want to be the only one heard on the band
stand,and with those type of drumers I doubt if two
15 inch speakers could cover that volume.
In short a good drumer has good dynamics,thats it
in a nut shell.

Steven Finley · Post by **Steven Finley** » 25 Oct 2011 4:12 pm

I also agre with roger retig,the boutique amps
cost 3to5 times more,I have owned most of them,
10% better sound at best for 3to5 times the price
and I have found peavey to be the most reliable
breakdown free amp of them all,add it all up its
hard to beat a peavey steel amp no matter what model
peavey you choose.

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