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Post new topic Steel through a bass amp
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Author Topic:  Steel through a bass amp
John Lang


From:
Las Vegas, Nevada
Post  Posted 29 Mar 2008 8:41 am    
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I tried playing my MSA Millennium through a Hartke HA2000 bass amp and VX115 speaker bottom. Seems a little odd, I know, but the sound and tone were surprisingly good, when used in tandem with a Holy Grail Reverb box. Also seems to give a little more control over things EQ wise than with my FSK, for instance. Anyone have any thoughts, experience, trial and error to share on this?
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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 29 Mar 2008 9:02 am    
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Many years ago, I played my T-8 Stringmaster through a Fender Bassman along with a Fender spring reverb unit.
Sounded good to me.
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Lee Baucum


From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
Post  Posted 29 Mar 2008 9:27 am    
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Tony Arrowood plays through an old Peavey TNT bass amp and his tone is just great. Here is a link to his You Tube videos:


CLICK HERE

Lee, from South Texas
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David Doggett


From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
Post  Posted 29 Mar 2008 10:13 am    
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Yeah, I've tried pedal steel through bass amps many times. Never like the results. Oddly enough, most bass amps have too much treble, and have a cold sterile sound with steel. Many have horns or multiple small speakers designed to catch highs to give definition to bass, and to pickup finger slapping, etc. Steel is a guitar, and to me just sounds better through guitar or steel amps and speakers.
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Darvin Willhoite


From:
Roxton, Tx. USA
Post  Posted 29 Mar 2008 11:41 am    
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In my quest for small, lightweight amps, I tried an Eden WTX260 bass amp head and I like it for steel. I've used it with a 12" or 15" Neodymium speakers for a lightweight package. I use a Boss RV-3 or a Holy Grail for reverb.


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Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro.
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c c johnson

 

From:
killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.
Post  Posted 30 Mar 2008 3:53 am    
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Curly Chalker used Fender bassmans for a long time. I saw him in Austin yrs ago and he was hooked up to two. I did not see any reverbs etc: cc
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Jerry Hayes


From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
Post  Posted 30 Mar 2008 5:14 am    
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Back in the late eighties or early ninties, my Session 500 was on the blink so I used my (ex) wife's TNT-130 bass amp for about a month and actually liked it better than the 500. Too bad though, she wouldn't give it up so I had to give her up! (Or maybe she gave me up, I don't remember)....JH in Va.
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Jim Sliff


From:
Lawndale California, USA
Post  Posted 4 Apr 2008 6:11 am    
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I've played steel through both my SWR bass rigs and a huge 1200-watt bass rack (Alembic preamp, Crest power amp, Acme low-B cabinets) and it sounded great for clean steel.

The treble DD is talking about is easily dialed out; modern bass amps ARE made to allow for tons of treble for the slappers/poppers - but also can be set for the traditional Duck Dunn "thump". there are very few bass rigs...mostly on the boutique side...that are made to primarily enhance the high end. I spent about 8 years playing nothing but bass in a band and used everything you can think of, as often I'd need to use an existing backline. So I got to know various types of bass equipment VERY well, and have spent quite a bit of time working with bass amps and steel; if you play clean steel, most medium to higher-end bass rigs work far better than comparable guitar amps; however, if you play with a little "edge" to your sound or more of a country-rock style they're usually TOO clean, even with distortion effects added.
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No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional
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Jack Stoner


From:
Kansas City, MO
Post  Posted 4 Apr 2008 8:27 am    
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I've never played out with it, but I've tried my wife's Carvin PB200 bass amp with my steel and it's not bad (and I would play out with it if I needed an amp).

She used to have a Peavey TNT 115S bass amp and I played through it and it was OK but the Carvin seems a little better for Steel.
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David Doggett


From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
Post  Posted 4 Apr 2008 9:16 am    
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I was speaking loosely of bass amps as combos. It's the full spectrum speaker systems that give the harsh treble. A bass amp head into a steel or guitar speaker can be okay, but as Jim says, a bit sterile for my tastes.
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Bob Baringer

 

From:
Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Post  Posted 4 Apr 2008 1:16 pm    
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I played many years thru a 57 Fender Bassman with 4 10" speakers, worked fine, then a beer was spilled in the chassis it quit and I retired it...
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