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Topic: Question about Steel King Amp |
Ron Lykins
From:
Willard,Oh USA
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Posted 23 Dec 2011 3:14 pm |
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| I just purchased my first steel king amp and received it today.I bought it from Guitars USA music store in Lexington,NC..The amp was packed well and arrived in good condition.The amp looks to be in excellent cond..I got it unpacked and pluged it in and thought I would hear this really clean clear sound,but instead it was a very distorted,clipping sound.I have three or four different settings to try and none of them helped the distorted,clipping.I tried ground,unground,running my DD3 in front and it's still the same.Is this normal or do you think something got jarred loose in shipping?It seems to be a little better when I play with a little more volume,or I just can't hear it.Any suggestion appreciated. |
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Dave Grafe
From:
Hudson River Valley NY
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Posted 23 Dec 2011 3:34 pm
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| If it is clipping badly when your guitar is plugged straight into it then it is not "normal" at all but needs attention and repair. Tell the source in a documentable fashion and do it today! |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 23 Dec 2011 3:35 pm
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I would return the amp and get your money back while you still can. That is not an acceptable problem. Fender had some big production problems with this well designed and poorly made amp. The bean counters cut way to many corners.
_________________
Bob |
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Ron Lykins
From:
Willard,Oh USA
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Posted 23 Dec 2011 3:58 pm
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| Thanks Dave and Bob,That's just my luck.I been reading what alot players have been saying about the steel king amp and the one I buy is a piece of crap. |
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Dave Beaty
From:
Mesa, Arizona, USA
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Posted 23 Dec 2011 4:24 pm
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Ron, the speaker in that amp has been a problem and may be the source of the clipping sound you hear.
Two friends and I purchased SK's when they first came out. Both of my friends encountered this speaker problem and had their speakers replaced under warranty. Their amps sounded fine after that, and I (knock on wood), have not had a problem with mine.
If the speaker is the problem, it is an easy fix.
Dave |
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Ron Lykins
From:
Willard,Oh USA
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Posted 23 Dec 2011 5:16 pm
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Thanks Dave for the info.I have made contact with the
store owner he told me he would pay to have it fixed
or I could return it for a full refund.He assured me he played two guitars through it and it was clear as a bell,so something must have happened in shipping.I think I am going to have it checked out and I will pass the info. about the speaker problem along to the repair shop.If any of the technicians think I would be better off returning it,let me know. |
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Fred Rushing
From:
Odin, IL, USA
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Posted 23 Dec 2011 7:36 pm Fsk
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This is important. Be sure you run your preamp gain setting LOWER than you run the master gain control. It will clip if you run you input gain higher than your output gain.
Fred |
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Todd Brown
From:
W. Columbia , South Carolina
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Posted 23 Dec 2011 9:07 pm
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When I had my steel king, I would run the master at about 8. The gain at a comfortable or appropriate volume. Pad off. Limiter on. When you hear it distorting does the red preamp clip light come on?
If you are using the master and gain controls correctly and still getting a distorted sound, I would just send it back and get he a refund if he's offered that. I actually liked that speaker they used in those amps, I had no issues with it. It's an Eminence Commonwealth 15", nice speaker!! |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 24 Dec 2011 1:19 am
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If the guy is willing to give you a full refund take it. Find an amp made by people you can talk to that care about there craft. Fenders current business model might work for selling high profit margin branded merchandise but evidently does not work when it comes to building the tools musicians need.
_________________
Bob |
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Ron Lykins
From:
Willard,Oh USA
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Posted 24 Dec 2011 4:53 am
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Todd,Bob,Fred,Thanks for your advice,I really hate to send it back because it's in great condition,but I have tried all the things that you guys have mentioned and it's still clipping or distorting.I have not checked the speaker yet.I was thinking about
unpluging the speaker from my Nashville 400 and the Steel King and running speaker wires from the FSK to the speaker in the NV 400,unless there's a problem doing that.The way my luck is,I'll blow the speaker up and have to buy it anyway.Thanks & Merry Christmas |
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Ray Mangrum
From:
Nashville, TN.
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Posted 24 Dec 2011 5:31 am
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Happy Holidays Ron,
Sorry to hear about the Amp, The old WEBB is still going strong!!! Just thought I'd throw that in!! Hope you get it resolved. Ray |
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Fred Rushing
From:
Odin, IL, USA
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Posted 24 Dec 2011 6:49 am Speaker
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I would give the speaker in the NV400 a try. FSK is a very good amp. Thats why we don't all drive Fords or Buicks. We have different tastes.
Fred |
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 26 Dec 2011 11:12 pm
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| Get a new one or get it fixed but don't give up on that model - it's a great amp,especially with a Peavey Black Widow speaker in it. |
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Ron Lykins
From:
Willard,Oh USA
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Posted 27 Dec 2011 6:32 am
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Michael,The reason I ordered this amp is because I believe what the forum members like yourself say about equipment and I wanted to try one. Unfortunately I have never heard one live or played through one and I am going to take the advice of the forum members that have had problems with these amps in the past and return it.I am currently waiting for UPS to pick it up.Once it gets back to the music store they will have a technician try and determine what the problem is.I was going to check the speaker out but I paid for a amp in excellent cond. so I'll have to wait and see what the tech. determines.
Thanks Ron |
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Thom Ferman
From:
Las Vegas, NV, USA
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Posted 27 Dec 2011 10:24 am
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Ron, I was having all kinds of distortion and buzzing with my Steel King and found out the input jack is notorious for not making a good ground contact with some 1/4" guitar cables. It seems if the OD of the ground sleeve is slightly undersized it causes the problem. Canare and George L cables seem particularly prone to problems. Another forum member posted about these Planet Waves cables with compression springs on the 1/4' jack sleeve:
http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Waves-Instrument-compression-springs/dp/B004X9FEBE/ref=sr_1_9?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1325010016&sr=1-9
These cables completely cleared up my Steel King distortion/buzzing problems.
_________________
Thom Ferman
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Ron Lykins
From:
Willard,Oh USA
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Posted 27 Dec 2011 11:37 am
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Thom, wish I would have known this sooner because I
am using Geroge L cables.I still have the amp but I have it packed up and ready to ship back.Now I'm really between a rock & hard spot.I will check into
different cables anyway.I thought I using one of the better cables on the market.Thanks Ron |
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Stephen Cordingley
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 30 Dec 2011 6:00 am
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| George L's ARE quality cables ... and the FSK is a nice steel amp. I can totally empathize with your frustration at spending money and getting a headache in return, but I really think there's a logical solution/repair in here somewhere that would lead you to be happy with this setup. I guess that's a moot point now... |
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Ron Lykins
From:
Willard,Oh USA
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Posted 30 Dec 2011 8:43 am
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| I think the Geroge L cables are very good.I did order one of the new angle ends and it works very well. Thom Ferman threw a completely new twist into things when he told me about his clipping/distortion problem and he eliminated his by switching out his Geroge L cable from the amp to the VP with a Planet Waves cable.At that point I already had my amp packed and ready to ship back.I am now wondering if that was my problem.The amp should be arriving back at the store today or tomorrow so I guess I'll find out what the verdict is next week.Thom I did check those cables out at Musicians Friend,but the reviews are horrible.Thanks Ron |
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Thom Ferman
From:
Las Vegas, NV, USA
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Posted 30 Dec 2011 9:15 am
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The George L cables are great, I use 'em for my pedal board and all my interconnections other than the cable between the VP and the Steel King. I think the problem is one of making a good ground connection on the Steel King input jack with most standard 1/4" phone plugs. Like I mentioned, the George L 1/4" plugs just don't make a good physical ground connection with the Steel King input jack, having to do more with physical diameter than quality of construction. I've got some Whirlwind guitar cables with what looks like Switchcraft 1/4" plugs that make a better connection but I still get some popping if I wiggle the connector.
However, those Planet Waves compression spring cables don't utilize your standard 1/4" phone plug. There's a set of little spring like fingers that stick out from the ground sleeve that make a tighter ground connection with the jack on the Steel King. I can wiggle the connector all day and no popping, buzzing or distortion.
According to Planet Waves sales hype, "Ordinary plug/jack connections can become unreliable. Planet Waves Custom Series cables with patented compression springs allow the plug to positively lock into the jack, eliminating any annoying static, signal loss, or accidental pull-out. Using the latest in cable manufacturing technology, the Custom Series line features ultra-pure twisted pair, oxygen-free copper conductors with encapsulated soldering points formulated for extremely low capacitance. Additionally, two layers of impenetrable noise-rejecting shielding, coupled with unmatched molded strain relief, deliver the ultimate high-performance cable."
To my ears they sound as good as the George L cables and they are extremely heavy duty. The only downside is the connectors are molded on to the cable so if they break you pretty much throw the whole cable away, but Planet Waves does give a lifetime warranty (for what it's worth). However, I've got three of these cables, play out regularly and have had absolutely no failures. I didn't see that Musicians Friend even carries these specific cables so I'm not sure what reviews you might have seen. My review and experience has been positive. I would have dumped my Steel King over a year ago if I hadn't discovered these cables.
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Thom Ferman
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Ron Lykins
From:
Willard,Oh USA
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Posted 30 Dec 2011 11:05 am
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Thom,If I end up with the Steel King back you can better believe I will get one of these cables.I believe what your saying.If you want to look at the reviews I was talking about and to see if they're the same cables,here is how I found them.Go to Musician's Friend,click on accessories,then cables/adapters,then cables,then instrument cables,then scroll down to Planet Waves.They have the
gold and the chrome with the right angle/straight ends.Thanks Ron |
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Thom Ferman
From:
Las Vegas, NV, USA
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Posted 30 Dec 2011 11:52 am
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Ron, the Planet Waves instrument cables on Musicians Friend are the cheaper made ones that fall apart and don't have the compression springs. Like I said, the only place I've found the Planet Waves Custom Series Instrument Cables with Compression Springs was a seller on Amazon (follow the link in my previous post). The package must look like this, say Custom Series and have the little picture of a plug with the compression springs:
Here's a link to the Planet Waves website with the full list of available compression spring cables, http://store.daddario.com/category/394640/Custom_Series_with_Compression_Springs
However, I wouldn't buy from their site as the prices are about $10 over what you can get on Amazon. I do think Planet Waves standard series instrument cables are very flimsy and deserve the negative review on Musicians Friend.
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Thom Ferman
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Ron Lykins
From:
Willard,Oh USA
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Posted 30 Dec 2011 12:16 pm
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Thom,Thanks For clearing that up.I am going to order
one. |
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Todd Brown
From:
W. Columbia , South Carolina
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Posted 30 Dec 2011 8:59 pm
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Ron, what kind of cable did the guy you bought it from test it with? He told you he played two guitars through it and it was clean, right? I'm sure he didn't use a Planet Waves cable with compression springs. I don't think that's your problem, but of course I don't know, I'm just guessing. I had no trouble at all using George L's with my Steel King. No problem with the input on the amp either. If you tried the settings with the gain and master liked we've all suggested, and it's still distorting, I would forget about that one and move on.
Something else, are you a new player? Where did you get your George L's? Did you make them yourself? If you don't get the set screw, or end cap on the angled ones tight enough to break through the shielding on the cable, it won't ground properly and you'll get a loud hum, and get a popping sound when the cable is moved or touched. I guess that could cause a distorted signal also. Did you not have any other cables to test the amp with? |
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Steve Spitz
From:
New Orleans, LA, USA
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Posted 31 Dec 2011 10:52 am Speaker issues
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I have two of the emminence 15" speakers that come from the FSK. One from a mid 90s Custom Vibrosonic, one from a FSK. I really like these speakers in general, but have never used one with a FSK.
I have one because a friends Steelking crapped out, he couldn`t get past the customer service run around, sold the speaker,and threw away the amp and cab!!
Not wanting to complicate the issue for those having speaker issues, but in this case the speaker, and those used in the Vibrosonic (same emminence speaker)work great! I know speakers can be a matter of taste, but mine are all good. It was the Fender amp that was the problem, not the speaker. |
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Ron Lykins
From:
Willard,Oh USA
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Posted 31 Dec 2011 5:15 pm
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| Todd & Steve,Thanks for the comments.Todd I'm not sure what kind of cables he used to check the amp out with.He told me they do a series of test on all used amps before they leave the store.It very well could have been damaged in shipping.I have been playing banjo and steel for 35+yrs and I did have the screw tight on the George L right angle end.I had all my cables made up at ISGC in St.Louis 10yrs ago at the George L booth.I don't think cables are the problem.I do clip about a 1/4" off the cable ends every year or so incase they get worn.Steve some of the guys have told me that Fender made a lot of short cuts on this amp and some told me about problems with the speaker.Right now it should be back at the store and I should hear something about it next week.Thanks Ron |
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