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Topic: Will my guitar amps do? |
Craig Spragle
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 9 Jan 2012 4:10 pm |
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| I'm new to the world of steel guitar, as a matter of fact my new Stageone won't ship until tomorrow. My question is, is the difference between guitar amps and steel guitar amps so great that I have to buy a steel amp right away? or will my guitar amp be fine for a while? |
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Kevin Milner
From:
Los Angeles, California, USA
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Posted 9 Jan 2012 5:22 pm
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Can you help us out a little...what amps do you have? You'll definitely be able to learn on just about any amp, but certain "guitar amps" will allow you to get typical steel sounds more easily. Of course, everyone has their own sound, and there's nothing wrong with finding a sound that YOU like even if it is way different than what most steel players are doing.
_________________
GFI S10-P Ultra -> Milkman 40w Pedal Steel Mini or 300w Half & Half (or Sarno SGBB/Nashville 112 or '94 Twin Amp or Homebuilt 5e3)
Effects: Cali76-CD Compressor -> EP booster -> Sarno Earth Drive -> Earthquaker Devices Zap Machine -> Earthquaker Devices Grand Orbiter Phaser -> Caitlinbread Dirty Little Secret Mk III -> Malekko Envelope Filter -> Hilton VP -> Pedal Projects Klone -> Tech 21 Blonde -> Strymon Timeline -> TC Electronics Spark Mini Boost -> Strymon Lex -> Strymon Flint |
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Robert Gifford
From:
Venus, TX, USA (DFW Area)
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Posted 9 Jan 2012 5:57 pm
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| Everyone does have their own sound. For the most part I think I've found the big difference between most guitar amps and steel amps mainly has to do with clean volume. A lot of guitar amps are designed for distortion which is needed for a lot of modern styles like Rock. Where steel amps are designed to stay clean. |
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Dave Grafe
From:
Hudson River Valley NY
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Posted 9 Jan 2012 6:56 pm
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Your guitar amps will be great to begin working out with, provided you have a decent reverb. The primary issue with guitar amps for pedal steel is that they are designed to break up as you increase gain and a good steel amp stays relatively clean at all levels.
My first steel practice amp was an old radio and it served for several months. My newest steel amp is an '05 Blues Deluxe Reissue, slighlty modified, but definitely a guitar amp. It's not so great for high stage volume use (I have other tools for that purpose), but at modest levels it's a marvel. Once you are gigging you can pick up a dedicated steel amp but take your time and get up to speed, don't go spending money on something new untl you are ready to play in public. |
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Dave Hopping
From:
Aurora, Colorado
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Posted 9 Jan 2012 7:06 pm
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Craig,you'll probably be able to get by with the rig you have while you're getting some hands-on experience with the way your steel interacts with your amp.At some point you'll know more about what sound you want from your steel,and where/if you'll be gigging it.There are a lot of steel amp choices and they all get talked about here.  |
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Jason Putnam
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2012 7:03 am
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| I was playing my Stage One through a Peavey Delta Blues amp and I traded it for a Nashville 112. You would not believe the difference it makes. The guitar amps will work for practice and learning but it won't take long until you'll start wondering why you can't get "That Sound". Its the amp! |
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Craig Spragle
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2012 6:52 pm Guitar Amp
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| Thanks everyone,great feedback, One of my favorite amps is a Fender deluxe 90 which is the amp I think I'll use. I have read that open back amps seem to work best for steel guitar but again this is all just research right now I'll have to learn like everyone else once my guitar arrives. I do plan on buyin a new amp at some point but to start what I have should do. Thanks again. |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 11 Jan 2012 12:15 pm
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I think you'll be surprised how well your Deluxe 90 will work with a pedal steel. Play with it for a while before deciding to invest in some other amp.
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Benjamin Wolfram
From:
Victoria, Australia
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Posted 11 Jan 2012 12:19 pm
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So long as your amp has a good clean sound that you can get a bit of volume out of without it breaking up at all (plus a good reverb either in the amp or in a pedal) then you've got all you need for good steel sound...the rest of the battle (the other 99%) is just playing and learning the steel itself 
For louder volume requirements like gigs you just really want something again with a nice clean sound but much more clean headroom so you can crank it without it breaking up like a guitar amp would. |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 13 Jan 2012 1:38 pm
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| IMHO a Deluxe 90 is a better steel amp than a guitar amp. |
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