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Post new topic Is this a good amp for PSG?
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Author Topic:  Is this a good amp for PSG?
Pete Conklin


From:
Austin, TX
Post  Posted 9 Dec 2008 12:38 pm    
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I'm a newbie and I can get this amp -

http://www.marshallamps.com/product.asp?productCode=MG50DFX

for $200 on craiglist. I concerned about getting a nice clean sound on the clean channel using the gain knob.

Any help is appreciated.
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Brick Spieth

 

From:
San Jose, California, USA
Post  Posted 9 Dec 2008 4:46 pm    
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Newbie to Newbie, In my short quest for a good PSG tone, I have come to the conclusion that no amp built for six string guitar will do the job for PSG. I have a bunch of guitar amps, and while you could practice through any of them, they fall short in two areas. The speakers are designed with peaks in the frequency response, while steel sounds best with a less colored speaker, and few guitar amps have mid parametric type eq. A must IMHO.

I was getting decent results with a boss stomp box graphic.

I'll bet that Marshall has a very middy speaker.

The exception would be a Fender Twin, or other very high power BF/SF Fender.

Look for a Nashville 112, but you won't find one for $200 unless you are very lucky.
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Pete Conklin


From:
Austin, TX
Post  Posted 9 Dec 2008 5:38 pm    
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Hey Brick, I appreciate the info. It was a dumb question to begin with. I've got a decent little peavey that works fine which will last me til I can actually make music with my psg. Then I'll upgrade to a Nashville 112 or the like.
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Chuck Snider R.I.P.


From:
West Virginia, USA - Morgantown, WV
Post  Posted 9 Dec 2008 6:41 pm    
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You might keep your eye out for Nashville 400 amps that surface here on the forum now and then in little flurries. They can be had for around $250-$450. They are a little heavier than the NV112, but they have plenty of power if you join a band and seem to be pretty dependable. Plus if you decide to resell it, you should be able to get most of what you have in it. Assuming you don't keep it for another 5 years. Although, a lot of people like using those amps, so maybe the price of them would increase with time.

-Chuck
_________________
GFI U-12 Ultra Keyless, Carter Black U-12, both with Alumitones, and a sweet '70 Sho-Bud Permanent D-10, NV400 in Rick Johnson cabs, NV112, '73 Vibrosonic in Rick Johnson cabs, Hilton pedal, Steeler's Choice seat, Bessdang Gizmos from Dale Hansen, and a few other widgets and doodads.
I may not sound good, I just don't wanna sound bad.
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John Billings


From:
Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 10 Dec 2008 6:53 am    
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Many years ago, when I played with "Hot Potato And The Abdo-men," I used a double stack of 100 watt Marshalls. NOT a good steel sound. Okay Rock sound.
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Pete Conklin


From:
Austin, TX
Post  Posted 10 Dec 2008 7:15 am    
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Good advice guys, I'll pass on the Marshall. Chuck, I'll keep my eyes peeled for a 400.
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Leslie Ehrlich


From:
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Post  Posted 10 Dec 2008 2:41 pm    
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Choosing an amp depends on what genres of music you want to play and what sounds you want.

The Marshall MG series amps have a decent clean tone, but the overdriven sounds are too harsh and buzzy for steel (and not so great for guitar either).

The MG50DFX would be okay for practice, but I wouldn't use it live or for recording.
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Sho-Bud Pro III + Marshall JMP 2204 half stack = good grind!
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Bob Hoffnar


From:
Austin, Tx
Post  Posted 10 Dec 2008 3:08 pm    
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Pete,
I play steel for a living and pretty much only use guitar amps as do many of the full time steel players I know.
I would be wary of that marshall because there are too many knobs and functions. Looks like it was made to sell to the hobby market. $200 is pretty cheap though so it might be fine for getting going.

Brick:

Quote:
The speakers are designed with peaks in the frequency response, while steel sounds best with a less colored speaker, and few guitar amps have mid parametric type eq. A must IMHO.


What less colored speaker are you talking about ? All the great speakers have there own personality. Take the old JBL D120 or D130. Fantastic for steel.

A graphic EQ stomp box is a big mistake in my opinion if you are interested in learning how to get a good sound out of your steel. It can get in the way of developing a decent right hand. Can you imagine a beginning violin player buying qizmos to get his bowing to sound good ?

I play through just about anything these days. I can usually get my sound without turning knobs or plugging in extra stuff. I often use my Peavey Nash 400 because it never breaks down. Those things are built like tanks. For recording I use old (60's) Fender amps mostly.
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Bob
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