"Best" 20 to 30 watt El84 amp for lap steel

David Cook · Post by **David Cook** » 22 Aug 2016 2:06 pm

It doesn't have to be that clean. Is the Fender Blues Junior still considered a good choice.

Thanks

Michael Butler · Post by **Michael Butler** » 22 Aug 2016 2:21 pm

i was surprised that my vox ac15c1 sounded so good with lap steel but it does. very versatile.

play music!

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 22 Aug 2016 2:24 pm

I use a Mesa Boogie Subway Blues with reverb but also use an overdrive pedal for the singing tones. I also use a Subway Rocket that is basically the same amp with switchable channels. This amp has no reverb. Both amps have a 10 inch speaker and 20 watts.

Very portable with two EL84 power tubes and three 12AX7 preamp tubes. You can find them used for around $500 and they are a road worthy work horse. If you play 6 string electric guitar, these amps will pull double duty. My amps came with a Black Shadow speaker that is a very nice speaker but changed to an Eminence.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 22 Aug 2016 3:33 pm

I played a Mesa/Boogie Maverick for many years as my main amp for pedal steel gigs. I used one or two 12" Tone Tubby Hempcone Alnico speakers, depending on the size of the room. Never felt the need for more power - on big gigs it was always miked anyway.

Dave Hepworth · Post by **Dave Hepworth** » 23 Aug 2016 4:57 am

Hi there,
Have you heard of the Laney Lionheart 20 watt combo .They are all valve (84's)nd are phenomenal amps.I have played for over 50 years now and have tried many amps This is the best medium powered amp I have ever used.I use it for regular guitar and slide duties and does both amazingly well.Avaiable as a head and 2x12 cab or as a 1x12 or 2x12 combo.Check em out.Made in UK ,tho may make a US version.If not you could use a step up transformer I suppose.
Best wishes

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 23 Aug 2016 6:26 am

I think the Blues Junior is still an excellent choice. They're light enough, loud enough, and widely available. There are plenty of mods available if you want it to be different.

Jeremy Steele · Post by **Jeremy Steele** » 23 Aug 2016 8:03 am

Peavey Classic 30...the clean tones are great, and the overdrive channel gives you lots of options.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 23 Aug 2016 8:07 am

Blues Jr. for me, I have the tweed model.
I think this model has a different speaker in it.

Dave Hepworth · Post by **Dave Hepworth** » 23 Aug 2016 9:20 am

Me again ,
This is the Laney Lionheart.

Frank James Pracher · Post by **Frank James Pracher** » 23 Aug 2016 12:09 pm

I've had a couple different versions of the Blues Jr. and they are/were both good. You can usually find a good deal on a used one too...

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 23 Aug 2016 1:51 pm

The 18-watt Marshall is tremendous. Don't be hung up on power, it's not a big factor as far as volume or tone go - tube types, amp topography, cabinet configuration and speaker efficiency/frequency response are more critical.

But try to find a used amp that's hand-wired. Most of the current 15-20 watt EL84-based combos I've seen in the "mass market" category are a nightmare to service and not very robust. Many suffer from heat issues, especially ones that have board-mounted tube sockets close to ribbon cable connectors. Cooked traces are extremely common.

Dave Hepworth · Post by **Dave Hepworth** » 23 Aug 2016 1:57 pm

Jim,
The valve sockets are chassis mounted and hand wired to PCs on the Laney .The cabinet is 18 marine ply.

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » 8 Sep 2016 8:17 am

I guess you should specify recording or live performance.
These are what I use:
Fender Blues Junior-live or recording great amp (as discussed).
Mesa Boogie subway blues- Great amp for recording or live. If you read you will hear about noise problems. This is not the case with mine.
It has a walnut cabinet that brightens the sound a bit.
Supro (original) Great amp for recording. low headroom for clean though.
Oahu-(original) great for recording. About 5 watts. Low gain but when you plug in an old lap steel you instantly hear that old sound from the records.
I am not sure about the models of the above two.
I just read your post again and saw the 20-30 watt range.
I would list the Fender Blues junior and Subway blues as best choices. The Fender is a great choice if trying to keep the budget low.
Also the Lil-Dawg tweed amps are great, but mine is 6V6 powered.
Lefty

Sam Marshall · Post by **Sam Marshall** » 8 Sep 2016 12:02 pm

Here is a new amp from Fender that falls in this category:

http://shop.fender.com/en-US/guitar-amp ... ml#start=1

Sam

Paul Seager · Post by **Paul Seager** » 9 Sep 2016 5:02 am

I play a Rickenbacker DW16, a twin 8 string non-pedal steel, through a Fender Deluxe Reverb. 22 Watts, 1x12". Tonally, it is very trebly, I never have the treble control above 0 and always keep bass on full but still have to roll off the instrument's tone control to halfway (except for solos). However, it is incredibly loud, stays clean and I really like the reverb.

I recently played a gig where the house amp was a Peavey Classic 30. The stage lighting was dim and I couldn't see the tone controls, so just plugged in and played - absolutely great sounding amp and I am considering to switch to one of these.

I also played a blues session recently, plugged into a Fender Blues Junior, again without seeing the control panel and have no complaints, I actually found it to be less trebly than the Deluxe Reverb and the overdrive sounded nice.

\ paul

David Cook · Post by **David Cook** » 9 Sep 2016 8:07 am

Thanks for all the replies. I want this for live gigs not recording. Does the Fender Blues Junior have enough bass?I have heard lots of good things about the Peavey Classic 30. Also I assume that all amps mentioned take pedals well?

Roger Palmer · Post by **Roger Palmer** » 9 Sep 2016 8:40 am

Just picked up a cheap laney 15c which is great for lap steel, good tone on the pedal steel as well but will probably need a different voiced speaker for pedal. No reverb though so if you want reverb and delay you would need a stompbox or two. My Roland cube also sounds great for lap steel you can get some great vintage tones out of it.
These are cheaper options as I cant afford any of these fancy milkmans etc

Walter Glockler · Post by **Walter Glockler** » 9 Sep 2016 3:49 pm

Blues Jr. with Fromel mod and Cannabis Rex speaker.

Walter Killam · Post by **Walter Killam** » 11 Sep 2016 5:23 pm

I have an old Kalamazoo R12 that I like a lot! It's my go to amp for jams & distorted guitar recording. Fair warning it's not a clean amp, but the power stage distortion is wonderful. These show up on ebay in the $300 to $500 range.

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » 12 Oct 2016 2:19 pm

Just back from my amp tech. This has a master volume added to the rear that helps a lot. This amp is incredibly loud for 20 watts. I am trying out the Black Shadow speaker, but may install a Weber instead.
Great for edgey Lap.
Lefty

Godfrey Arthur · Post by **Godfrey Arthur** » 12 Oct 2016 3:11 pm

In the small power tube class try a 6V6 tubed amp, a little sweeter than EL84's grainy tone and at 20 watts this would fall into your category.

It's a 10" though.

Sam Marshall · Post by **Sam Marshall** » 13 Oct 2016 9:56 am

Glad to see this amp mentioned though it is really only about 12 Watts like an original Princeton.

The Princeton Recording Amp is a mainstay in my studio. The Trans-impedance amp does wonders for keeping the volume under control at higher, crunchier gain levels while keeping the power amp cooking like it was at high volume. (NOTE: This is an active attenuator that is not like the THD Hot Plates).

This amp really works well using its the direct out & miked for home studio recording.

Best Regards,
Sam

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » 13 Oct 2016 7:45 pm

A 6V6 based amp is hard to beat for this application, or recording guitar IMO.
I have never been a big fan of the EL84.
I don't really know why the popularity (Beatles?)
Probably a result of the Vox AC30 and AC15.
That is a good with a Tele, but have their own character for sure.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 13 Oct 2016 9:25 pm

I prefer 6V6 amps too. I have a 1967 Fender Princeton, and several of the lead guitarists I work with use vintage Princeton Reverb amps. I think it's the most popular guitar amp in this folk-rock saturated county.

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 14 Oct 2016 5:59 am

Jim Sliff wrote:The 18-watt Marshall is tremendous.

I second that emotion. Hard to beat an 18-Watt (or it's big brother the 20-Watt) for lap steel. Originals are hard to come by and expensive, but that circuit is a favorite of custom builders everywhere.

For mass market amps, the Blues Junior and Pro Junior are also excellent choices, and widely available.

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