Your Professional Choice To Design a Steel Guitar Amp

[George Redmon]

{Notice i didn't limit the title of this post to only your professional player choice to design a steel amp. Your choice could very well be a player, or a dealer, or amp tech.}

This past fall i worked with the good folks at MESA Boogie to help fit me with a great tube amp that they build. I needed it to work equally for steel guitar, and guitar. Taking into consideration that i wanted an all tube tone monster, with an effects loop, onboard equalizer, attenuator, headphone jack, gobs of headroom, that i could switch speaker cabs on when needed, could be ran direct to record with, and have cab clone technology. I decided on the MESA Boogie JP-2C amp head. What a job putting it together. But it was so worth the 3 month effort. It's simply amazing.

There seems to be something about every steel guitar amp available right now, that some player, someplace, for some reason, has something about it they don't like. I think mainly because player needs, and amplifier technology has changed so much through the years. Sadly the days of the Webb, Session 400 & 1000, Steel King, LTD are long gone. We have that sound embedded into the dark regions of our minds, never to be removed. And steel guitarist are not ones for change.

So who would you consider to be a great choice to design a new steel guitar amplifier, solid state, hybrid, or tubes and why? What features would you like to see put on the amp? No need to endorse any brand or product, we all have our favorites. One choice only please.

Your choice?

[Jack Hanson]

Russ Pahl.

[b0b]

I'm real happy with my Milkman Half & Half. Designed and built by a steel player (Tim Marcus) for steel players.

[Donny Hinson]

I think I'd pick Travis Toy, as he plays closest to my idea of what my own tone and style would be (that is, if I could really play). I'd only ask for light weight, a good EQ capability, and a good EFX package with chrous, delay, and reverb.

I really think the "tubes vs. solid state" argument has gone on long enough, as I've heard very good sounds with both.

(I just found the following humorous: )

No need to endorse any brand or product, we all have our favorites...

and then...

I'm real happy with my Milkman Half & Half.

[b0b]

Yeah, I should have just said "Tim Marcus". I've played through several of his amps, different models. I think he can satisfy anyone's taste in sound.

[Paul Sutherland]

All tube, including the reverb.

[Brett Lanier]

I think Bob Crooks got it right in the late 50's.

[Steven Paris]

Leo Fender

[Donn Lewis]

I'm real happy with my Milkman Half & Half. Designed and built by a steel player (Tim Marcus) for steel players.

+1 on the Milkman half & half pedal steel. Excellent product

[Carl Mesrobian]

Not all steel players want squeaky clean, do they??

I will be building some tube amps for personal use and thinking of low wattage (under 20W) with various bells and whistles that I've needed on stage and they weren't there. (channel switching, DI to FOH, etc.,etc.). Let the house take care of the volume, rather than the stage, which, in my opinion, should sound like an acoustic band in your living room.

Granted, though, there is something cool about sub woofers shaking beneath an outdoor stage

[b0b]

The problem I have with DI is that it doesn't capture the sound of the speaker, which is what I adjust my tone controls to. If all of my sound was in the monitor, that might be okay. But usually the speaker is part of my instrument.

The features I like are:

• Tube preamp
• Simple controls
• Long spring reverb
• Lots of clean power
• Light weight
• AC outlet on back
• Open back cab

Also, a tube distortion channel is useful if done right.

[Dustin Rhodes]

The problem I have with DI is that it doesn't capture the sound of the speaker, which is what I adjust my tone controls to. If all of my sound was in the monitor, that might be okay. But usually the speaker is part of my instrument.

The features I like are:

• Tube preamp
• Simple controls
• Long spring reverb
• Lots of clean power
• Light weight
• Open back cab

Also, a tube distortion channel is useful if done right.

Lots of cabinet emulators and impulse response loaders these days that do a great job of taking care of the speaker side on a direct signal.

[Mark Eaton]

This past fall i worked with the good folks at MESA Boogie to help fit me with a great tube amp that they build. I needed it to work equally for steel guitar, and guitar. Taking into consideration that i wanted an all tube tone monster, with an effects loop, onboard equalizer, attenuator, headphone jack, gobs of headroom, that i could switch speaker cabs on when needed, could be ran direct to record with, and have cab clone technology. I decided on the MESA Boogie JP-2C amp head. What a job putting it together. But it was so worth the 3 month effort. It's simply amazing.

George, I'm confused - isn't this the signature amp of prog/metal guitarist John Petrucci, and an actual production model available throughout the U.S.? I don't understand the part about it being a "3 month effort" in putting it together.

[Doug Earnest]

Brad Sarno

[Carl Mesrobian]

The problem I have with DI is that it doesn't capture the sound of the speaker, which is what I adjust my tone controls to. If all of my sound was in the monitor, that might be okay. But usually the speaker is part of my instrument.

The features I like are:

• Tube preamp
• Simple controls
• Long spring reverb
• Lots of clean power
• Light weight
• AC outlet on back
• Open back cab

Also, a tube distortion channel is useful if done right.

b0b, couldn't one split the signal so the amp is used as the monitor, and the rest goes to the board, either pre or post EQ?

I don't see how a speaker would work if the monitors are in ear. One has to trust the sound engineer, if there is one.

[Murray McDowall]

IMHO I would like DAVE BEATY to design my Amp.
I'm a bit biased though, I have one of Dave's Amps.
I have not tried the DI yet for recording or FOH so cannot comment on that.
May 2019 treat you all well,
Murray.

[Bill Ladd]

Tim Marcus for steel, hands down.

I know you didn’t ask, but for guitar I’d walk down the street (about 10 blocks) to my see my friend Mike Swart.

[b0b]

The problem I have with DI is that it doesn't capture the sound of the speaker, which is what I adjust my tone controls to. If all of my sound was in the monitor, that might be okay. But usually the speaker is part of my instrument.

b0b, couldn't one split the signal so the amp is used as the monitor, and the rest goes to the board, either pre or post EQ?

I don't see how a speaker would work if the monitors are in ear. One has to trust the sound engineer, if there is one.

The guitar speaker's characteristics are part of the instrument, for me anyway. PA monitors (and in-ear) try to give a flat response. Guitar speakers and cabinets deliberately color the sound. I want to give the sound man that coloration.

I don't typically have steel guitar in my monitor mix. I listen to the amp. But of course the people I play with don't use in ear monitors. We're pretty small time players.

[Bob Hoffnar]

For builders I am into Tim Marcus, Andy Marshall and Brad Sarno.

If I could go back in time maybe David Reeves and Bob Crooks.

I like my amps as simple as possible. The more direct the signal path is the better. As long as it is a truly great signal path. The bells, whistles and features seem to be either lipstick on a pig or they screw up an otherwise good sounding amp.

[Steven Paris]

For builders I am into Tim Marcus, Andy Marshall and Brad Sarno. If I could go back in time maybe David Reeves and Bob Crooks.

So, Tim Marcus = Milkman
Andy Marshall = THD
Brad Sarno = Sarno Music
David Reeves = HiWatt
Bob Crooks = Standell

Is that right?

[Bobby Nelson]

I've never been able to get away from old, non-PC board, simple (preferably no master vol, but I guess I can work around that) all tube amps. The only bells and whistle I like are reverb and tremolo, although I really like stand alone tube 3 knob reverb tanks too. Any time I've ever tried anything other than the straight ahead simple set up above, be it a new design with a bunch of features I don't know how to operate, or solid state design, I have always noticed them lacking and essential something on stage (If not in the practice room). If there was one innovation I would like to see in this tried and true amp design, it would be that they could figure out how to make them lighter - but I suppose split cabs helps a little.

[Dennis Detweiler]

Brad Sarno. Take the Rev and separate the controls that interfere or overlap each other when dialing in your tone. Incorporate the Rev into a combo amp with transistor power output. Add an anolog delay and analog or digital reverb. The Rev already has the effects loop and volume pedal loop and black box circuitry. No other frills needed.