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Topic: Dating a Nashville 400 without a serial number |
Dan Beller-McKenna
From:
Durham, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 2 Oct 2011 4:04 am |
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I picked up a Nashville 400 yesterday that is missing the upper back panel (and thus the label). Any way to date this thing? Metal hardware, speaker wires come straight out of the chassis (no connectors on the bottom of the chassis). Mid and shift on separate knobs. There is a number on the transformer, but I can't find any info on dating Peavey amps by transformer codes.
It has a 1501-4 flat-magnet, spider-web design (older type), but there's no telling if this is original to the amp. What are the years for this version of the 1501-4?
Thanks!
Dan |
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Dan Beller-McKenna
From:
Durham, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 11 Oct 2011 7:14 am
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Micky Byrne
From:
United Kingdom (deceased)
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Posted 11 Oct 2011 9:11 am
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Hi Dan...as far as I know the cabinets with the silver corner caps are the earlier ones before they went to the black caps. They also had the BW speaker "without" the spider's web. Mids and shift as as you mentioned on seperate controls, and a pull bright on the volume control. Those speakers with the spider's web came with the very early Session 400's in the late 70's ... Some had JBL's. The Nashville 400's are really good amps.
Micky Byrne U.K.
Sho-Bud and Carter universals.
Nashville 400 and Evans Fet 500 both in split cabs.
Last edited by Micky Byrne on 11 Oct 2011 9:14 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 11 Oct 2011 9:14 am
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Got a pic? Might help to narrow down the era of production. I think the early ones had a pebble grain tolex as opposed to the later years textured covering. I don't know, but there might be some differences in the electronics and circuitry for different eras. Someone like Ken Fox might have an idea if he had a shot of the chassis wiring.
I don't recall any NV400's with flat magnet Spiders. The earlier LTD/Session did however. 1502-4 used in NV's 'til around '85 and 1501's, in various models, from then on.
That spider web is a great sounding speaker though, just no support available if you need parts. |
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Dan Beller-McKenna
From:
Durham, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 11 Oct 2011 9:49 am
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Thanks guys,
I will take some pics tonight when I have to extract it from my music room to play somewhere. Sounds like 1501 is almost certainly not original to the amp though, since the flat magnet is '70s, and they didn't go to the 1501 in this amp until after '85, right?
Dan |
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Chas. J. Wagner
From:
Denver, Colorado USA
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Posted 11 Oct 2011 10:17 am
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From a "white paper" by Mike Brown (Peavey)...
"In the early 1980’s, we introduced a new line of amplifiers called the City Series. In this series, we offered two steel amps, i.e.; the Vegas 400 and Nashville 400.
The Nashville 400 has been our most popular model to date and was in production for eighteen years. It was available in a small size cabinet and was capable of producing 210 watts at 4 ohms. Up until 1985 we used a 1502-4 ohm Black Widow speaker in this version. It was later changed to the “revoiced” 1501-4 ohm version." |
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Dan Beller-McKenna
From:
Durham, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 11 Oct 2011 10:34 am
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So here's the question:
NV 400s didn't use the 1501-4 until @'85. Did the 1501-4 exist before then? As a replacement for JBLs in the Session 400 (and LTD)? And, if so, were these the flat magnet spiderweb graphic model?
Dan |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 11 Oct 2011 11:27 am
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Yes, they did. Here's one in an Artist amp I used to own. It was the original 1501 BW. They revoiced and re-issued the 1501 later on in the form of the Deep Throw Basket as I recall, then in later years, back to the Shallow Basket design but with a differently configured voice coil and magnet assembly. I have some other photos of them I'll try to find and post for you. |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 11 Oct 2011 11:32 am
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label orig. 1501 spider web. This is one of 2 spider web 1501-4 speakers I'm using right now in satellite cabs with a stereo rack set-up. |
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Dan Beller-McKenna
From:
Durham, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 11 Oct 2011 11:39 am
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Thanks, Jerry. That seems to confirm that the speaker is not original to the amp, or at least was not standard equipment at the time.
Dan |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 11 Oct 2011 11:48 am
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| I think so. I would defer to Mike Brown or other Peavey expert for a definitive answer. These Nashville 400's came out in the early '80's, so if the spiders were still in production, it's possible it could be original I suppose. |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 11 Oct 2011 1:51 pm
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I have an early '84 NV400 and it has the 1502-4 speaker.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Dan Beller-McKenna
From:
Durham, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 12 Oct 2011 10:23 am
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Some pics. What does anyone make of the unusual Spider/Peavey name on the speaker?
Dan |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 12 Oct 2011 11:35 am
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Ya got me. I have 2 of these Spider Web 1501's here, but none of them have that spider logo on the right side of the label. I have another one at another place, so I'll look at it when I get to where it is.
The one I posted of the Artist is an old one for sure, I believe from the 70's or early 80's. The amp has the old silver knobs with the black inserts and I'm sure that speaker is original to the amp.
Judging by the covering and nickel hdwe., looks like your 400 is one of the earlier ones. The grille strips have been painted and looks like one of the straps is black?, so it's been "enhanced" here and there.
Sorry I can't be more help. Perhaps someone else can be of more assistance. |
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Dan Beller-McKenna
From:
Durham, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 12 Oct 2011 12:21 pm
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Actually, I think someone purposefully scratched all the silver off the grill strips (go figure). The amp was missing a chassis strap when I got it so I threw on a black one I had lying around.
And here's the low down from Mike Brown on the speaker, From this post of 2002: http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum11/HTML/003022.html:
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From our records, the flat magnet type Black Widow was the very first version back in the '70's. . . . Hartley Peavey designed the Black Widow speakers and they were so well received by the buying public that the line expanded to other applications in the Peavey product line.
After the first "flat magnet" series(which was actually called Spider/Peavey, the BW evolved into the Super Structure series of the early '80's. During the "SS" period of time, we changed over to the KEVLAR cone material in the early to mid '90's, with the exception of the 1501-4 ohm BW speaker for steel. The magnet look and design of the BW has changed through the years, but the specs have continuously improved with every series.
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Dan |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 12 Oct 2011 3:17 pm
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I had one of those spider web 15's at one time. I have no idea where I got it. My Session 400 had a JBL as did my Session 500. I may have put a JBL in the 500 and that's where the spider web speaker came from. Can't remember for sure.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Bill Ferguson
From:
Milton, FL USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2011 5:03 am
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Have you taken the chassis out?
There should be a serial # on the chassis.
Bill |
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Dan Beller-McKenna
From:
Durham, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2011 5:47 am
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Bill.
I did, and I couldn't find one. I'm out of town right now; I'll pull it again and take photos when I get home next week.
Dan |
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