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Post new topic Original Standel Amplifiers
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Author Topic:  Original Standel Amplifiers
Bill Duncan


From:
Lenoir, North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 1 May 2022 4:50 am    
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I have never had the opportunity to play through an original Standel steel guitar amp, and I understand they were 25-watt rated. So, if the original pedal steel pickers we respect so much made it with an amp somewhat considered as producing the tone to strive for, and did it with only 25 watts, what happened? Now 100 watts seems to be the norm. Did they mic them all the time? Or have we been conditioned to believe in more power? I heard that Jimmy Day sold his Standel to Chet who kept and used it until he died.

No big deal, just curious.
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Jerry Van Hoose


From:
Wears Valley, Tennessee
Post  Posted 1 May 2022 8:13 am    
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Bill, I bought a used Standel amp from Paul Yandell in the early 90’s. It was a low powered amp but sounded very good at low/medium volume. It had the same JBL speaker as my single channel Sho~Bud amp. I used it at home and for one gospel studio recording with my Emmons D-10 PP and only kept it for a short time as I was just getting into the Peavey “Fex” units. I remember that I took the Standel amp with me the following year to the TSGA Jamboree in Dallas and sold it to someone there.
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Bill Duncan


From:
Lenoir, North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 1 May 2022 10:47 am    
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Jerry, I read where Paul said that Chet stopped carrying the Standel because the transformer kept coming loose in travel, but that Chet still used it for recording. He said they used a Peavey Special 130 a lot.
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Michael Brebes

 

From:
Northridge CA
Post  Posted 1 May 2022 2:09 pm    
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At the time the 25L15 amps were being built, Fender's highest powered amp might have been a tweed Twin with two 6L6 tubes with cathode biasing which would only put out 25 watts. And the tweed Deluxe was about 14 watts. Everybody was playing a lot quieter back then. The biggest difference was the JBL speaker versus the Jensens, which sounded pretty wimpy next to a JBL.
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Michael Brebes
Instrument/amp/ pickup repair
MSA D10 Classic/Rickenbacher B6/
Dickerson MOTS/Dobro D32 Hawaiian/
Goldtone Paul Beard Reso

Mesa Boogie Studio Pre/Hafler 3000
RP1/MPX100
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Donny Hinson

 

From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
Post  Posted 1 May 2022 4:47 pm    
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Back in the old days, both the mindset and equipment were different. Many country bands didn't have an electric bass player to contend with. The drums, if they had them at all, were usually limited and were never miked. And a "big" PA system was two mikes, a 40-watt Bogen amp, and two 12" speakers hanging on the wall or sitting on the floor. And so, the lead and steel could do quite well with a 25-watt amp. People had less, and were used to less, so they didn't expect very much. Audiences were, for the most part, quiet and respectful, and they came to listen to the music. Whereas, today, most people just want to hear the music - but feel the throbbing bass, drums, and screaming guitars.

The Beatles came along and changed music forever, and some think that "change" was just to screw it up. Laughing
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Chris Lucker

 

From:
Los Angeles, California USA
Post  Posted 2 May 2022 12:15 pm    
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I have a couple of the "Butcher Paper List" Standel 25L15s -- one of each of the tube configurations -- and they are loud for 25 watts. And CLEAN.
A friend used one of the 25L15s for a gig and was disappointed in how quiet the amp was, until he realized he was playing with the Standby Switch activated.
I have had three 25L15s and the Standby switches do not make the amps silent, only much less loud. So, amp experts, what is the Standby Switch actually doing?
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Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars.
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Michael Brebes

 

From:
Northridge CA
Post  Posted 2 May 2022 5:14 pm    
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I worked on two 25L15s recently, #1027 and #1060. Both were quite different designs in the preamp. I don't remember standby switches, but if they were there they only cut the power on some or all of the preamp tubes. #1060 did have a feedback switch that disengaged the feedback resistor, coming back from the power amp to the phase inverter circuit. It made little to no difference in the output of the amp. In the hybrid amps I have found the feedback resistor worthless as well. Except for the feedback switch, the power switch was the only switch that went back to the power supply/ power amp chassis. There are limited wires between the two chassis and they are eaten up with AC power switch, DC power to the preamp, and phase inverter output signals to the power amp. If it is controlling DC power for the preamp, that could explain some signal getting through.
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Michael Brebes
Instrument/amp/ pickup repair
MSA D10 Classic/Rickenbacher B6/
Dickerson MOTS/Dobro D32 Hawaiian/
Goldtone Paul Beard Reso

Mesa Boogie Studio Pre/Hafler 3000
RP1/MPX100
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Chris Lucker

 

From:
Los Angeles, California USA
Post  Posted 2 May 2022 5:27 pm    
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I also had a 25L15 with two power switches -- one hidden inside the amp. I speculate the owner could turn his amp off using the secret switch so no one could mess with his amp while off the stage or out of the studio. It is the Butcher Paper List Mike Young 25L15 which I sold along with the Mike Young Bigsby T8 pedal steel.
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Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars.
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Michael Brebes

 

From:
Northridge CA
Post  Posted 2 May 2022 7:18 pm    
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Yes, I saw that on the Mike Young #1060 as well. I thought it was rather funny.
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Michael Brebes
Instrument/amp/ pickup repair
MSA D10 Classic/Rickenbacher B6/
Dickerson MOTS/Dobro D32 Hawaiian/
Goldtone Paul Beard Reso

Mesa Boogie Studio Pre/Hafler 3000
RP1/MPX100
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Jim Palenscar

 

From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
Post  Posted 3 May 2022 7:59 am    
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When I first opened my shop in 2002 I went on a hunt for Standels -I currently have 4 left at my shop in various iterations.
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