NV 400 or Session 400 - difference?

Terry Srader · From: Georgia

What's the difference between these two?

is it more desireable to have one over the other?

what does everyone think?

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

The Nashville 400 is a modern circuit that uses little opamps. It's a small cabinet, perhaps too small for a 15" speaker but a good utility steel amp.

The Session 400 is an all discrete (real individual j-fet transistors and no opamps) circuit and a perfectly sized cabinet for a 15" speaker. Big sound.

If you play C6, the NV400 will kind of choke the bass frequencies. The Session will make big fat chords and notes.

The Session 400 is famous for it's very sweet and natural tone.

The Nashville 400 is famous for it's compact size and portability. It's tone aint bad either.

Both amps have the same power but the NV400 has a peak limiter in there so you can safely hit it harder without doing damage. The Session 400 is a bit more vulnerable to overloading.

The Nashville has a midrange control that will boost or cut the selected frequency.

The Session has a midrange control that only lets you cut the selected frequency and not boost it.

Brad Sarno

Bill Ford · From: Graniteville SC Aiken

Brad,or anyone else,
How about the session400 head to head with session500. Advantage/disadvantage.I sold my 400,and got a 500 and it seems to have more of what I want in a steel amp.

Thanks...Bill

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Bill Ford

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

The 500 is more powerful and has a remote reverb control and also "string effect" which is a fuzztone. Maybe a phaser too. BUT, the 500 is opamp based like the Nashville and has the modern EQ circuit like the NV400, Vegas, etc. It's also heavier than the 400. The 400 is considered by many to have a sweeter tone due to the discrete circuit. The 500 is a powerful beast loaded with features. The 400 is a real simple pure steel amp with reverb and tremolo. There seems to be cult-like demand for the 400 and the 500 seems to have become more of a stay-at-home second amp. Real heavy amp the 500. That's all I know though. I've never owned a 500 but I have owned a NV400, Vegas 400, and a handful of Session 400's. I still have a couple of 400's. There is definitely something special about the tone of the old discrete circuit. Almost like a super-clean tube amp. Real clear but warm. But there are some die-hard 500 owners out there from what I gather.

Brad

Dennis Detweiler · From: Solon, Iowa, US

The first year session 400 was 1974. I still own a 1974, bought new at that time. Still have the lifetime warranty. I had my 74 A/B'ed on a bench next to a 1976 that I bought used. The 74 tested an honest 200w rms. The 76 tested 160w rms. The repairman told me the difference was in the protective circuitry incorporated into those built after 74, due to too many 74's blowing up. I don't have any confirmation on the history of the 74's blowing up too frequently? Sounds like a terrorist's dream amp?

There seems to be a marked difference in tone between my 74 and the 76. The 74 being warmer than the 76. Bottom end on the 74 is a little more dominant also. The session 400 is a best seller in my experiences with them. I've tried a NV 400 and Session 500 and still prefer the tone of the session 400.
I also have a copy of the schematics for a session 400, dated 1974.
DD

Mike Brown · From: Meridian, Mississippi USA

Dennis, the repairman is probably referring to the problem that we experienced with the JBL speakers that we used at that time, and not the amplifier that was "blowing". That is the very reason for the creation of the Peavey Black Widow Series. There were no inherant problems with the early Session 400 amplifiers.

Jim Eaton · From: Santa Susana, Ca

I've been using one of each on the last few gig's I have played and really like the tone I'm getting out of the pair used this way.
V-ped to RV-3 to N-400 & S-400.
JE:-)>

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