Fender tweed amps for pedal steel?

[Matthew Dawson]

I thought Santo played a T-8 Custom on Sleepwalk.

[Miles Lang]

I thought Santo played a T-8 Custom on Sleepwalk.

Yes, and probably through a bassman or some other amp. As they had more success, Santo upgraded to the Stringmaster and twin

[Doug Beaumier]

Yes, he played a Custom through a tweed Twin on Sleep Walk. The Sleep Walk album shows a T-8 Stringmaster on the cover because that picture was taken a few months after the hit single was recorded, and Santo had moved on to a Stringmaster by that time.

[Buell Wisner]

my personal tweed deluxe. Second amp I ever built - from a Mojotone kit with a few parts upgrades. This thing is stunning with 6 string, but not my favorite with pedal steel. Lap steel, yes.

That bourbon burst, though.

Best cosmetic innovation in the history of amplifiers?

[Josh Yenne]

Ha. Zirb. Not I get it. See you soon.

[chas smith R.I.P.]

My '56 Pro that I got around 25 years ago.



I also have a '55 Vibrolux that I'm the 2nd owner,


And then there's a pre-war Gibson

[Tim LeBlanc]

I have a 59’ Bassman that sounds great with Tele, Strat, and Jerry Jones Bass IV. It definitely works with steel and has plenty of power but is a little bit to mid centric without cutting a bunch of mids. It’s probably the 10” Jensens. My 66’ Deluxe Reverb with a Milkman Neo 12” in it works great for Steel and Tele.

Have any of you tried the Victoria Double Deluxe or Fender 57’ Twin reissue for steel? I could use another amp for my Ojai house. I always do double duty / multiple instruments.

Thanks,

TL

[Gabriel Edell]

I've been using my '57 5F4 Super-Amp "head" (about 28 watts) at home since I figured out the EQ for PS, (bass on 12, treble on 4, presence on 0). Sounds a lot better than my Steel King IMHO - sweeter and more "multi-dimensional". I took it to my weekly jam for the first time yesterday and while it sounded great, I had to run it flat out and it barely kept up.

I used it with my tele for one song and it was just fine with the volume at around 4.

Lesson learned. These amps just don't have the clean headroom you need for PS.

[Tim LeBlanc]

I've been using my '57 5F4 Super-Amp "head" (about 28 watts) at home since I figured out the EQ for PS, (bass on 12, treble on 4, presence on 0). Sounds a lot better than my Steel King IMHO - sweeter and more "multi-dimensional". I took it to my weekly jam for the first time yesterday and while it sounded great, I had to run it flat out and it barely kept up.

I used it with my tele for one song and it was just fine with the volume at around 4.

Lesson learned. These amps just don't have the clean headroom you need for PS.

Thanks for the EQ tips. I’ll give that a try with the 5f6 bassman. The 66 Deluxe Reverb keeps up just fine in a band setting. At least the band that I play in which has a pretty low stage volume. Possibly an EQ pedal on the pedal steel for combo Tele / Bari work. I back up and Americana singer songwriter and versatility is key.

[Dave Hopping]

I've played PSG at home through my RI Bassman.Sounds pretty nice,but I've always had dedicated steel amps and used them onstage,so I didn't have a handle on how it would do in a band environment.Be fun to bring it along and A/B it with the Milkman,but I haven't had enough character to carry an extra piece around!

[K Maul]

I had a ‘57 Fender Tweed Pro. Didn’t care for it at all though I really wanted to and tried different tubes and speakers. Then I obtained a 90s reissue Tweed Bassman 4-10 with alnico speakers. It was great, especially with my vintage Fenders or ShoBud Permanent. For pedal steel I still prefer my Evans SE 150 or Quilter Toneblock 220.

[Tim LeBlanc]

I had a ‘57 Fender Tweed Pro. Didn’t care for it at all though I really wanted to and tried different tubes and speakers. Then I obtained a 90s reissue Tweed Bassman 4-10 with alnico speakers. It was great, especially with my vintage Fenders or ShoBud Permanent. For pedal steel I still prefer my Evans SE 150 or Quilter Toneblock 220.

Thanks K. I was thinking of going the Tweed Pro route but at 26 watts, it would probably break up too soon.

[Jack Stanton]

Didn't Buddy Emmons record the Black Album on a tweed Twin?

[Erv Niehaus]

I have a sad story to tell you.
I bought a T-8 Stringmaster in 1954 along with a Fender amp. I forget what model amp, of course, it was tweed.
A friend of mine was starting on guitar and needed an amp so I sold him my Fender amp.
Some years later I wanted to buy it back.
He said: "Oh, it quit working so I set it out for the garbage man".
I could have cried!
Erv

[Dave Zirbel]

He said: "Oh, it quit working so I set it out for the garbage man".

That is a sad story. I used to see tweed Fender Deluxes and others in pawnshops between-$100-$200 and saying "no way" because they crackled when I turned the controls.....I didn't know anything about anything back in the '80's...

[Erv Niehaus]

Dave,
I'm sure there was nothing major wrong with the amp.
Oh well, water under the bridge.
Erv

[Dave Hopping]

Dave,
I'm sure there was nothing major wrong with the amp.
Oh well, water under the bridge.
Erv

....Or milk spilled over the dam!