How many of you Steel Players use Webb Amps

Nick Reed · From: Russellville, KY USA

I just bought a used Webb 6-14E tonight and I'm crazy about it. It's everything some of you told me it would be. I love having a full equalizer built-in. I was wondering how many of you other guys play with a Webb Amp.

Nick

Bill Simmons · From: Keller, Texas/Birmingham, AL, R.I.P.

Can't help but post again how great the Webb is for tone...punchy, sweet, yet full sound with plenty of power. My main amp since '78...looking for another Webb in fact.
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'79 Emmons; 79 Zum; Webb Amp; Hilton pedal; DD-2; RV-3

Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

Nick, I've been saying this for years. Its the most versatile steel amp out there. I run one with an additional 15" extension for our bigger jobs. Very wide dynamic range.

Gary Walker · From: Morro Bay, CA

I've had my 614E two piece since August and am in love with the finest amp I've ever owned and I've had a bunch of them over the years.

Dan Chroninger · From: Blackriver Falls, Wisconson, USA

webb is like american express don't leave home without it

Tommy White · From: Nashville

I've been using Webb amps for over 10 years.
In fact I just took delivery on a brand new 614-E ,black with a red face panel. Not only does it sound great, its pretty too!
No matter what guitar I play, I've always stayed with a Webb amp.
My first Webb has been all over the world ,dropped several feet off of a cartage truck, knocked off stage, it even has a knob broke off and still keeps working and sounding great for me. It is also the same Webb "An evening of E9th" video and the "By Request" CD was recorded with. Yes, the Webb amp is truly amazing. www.tommywhite.net

[This message was edited by Tommy White on 09 January 2004 at 07:58 AM.]

Tim Whitlock · From: Colorado, USA

Are the Webbs all tube? Point-to-point or circuit board? I'm about ready to sell my Twin re-issue. I put a JBL 15 in it and am still not happy with the sound. Can't afford a new Webb, but what could I expect to pay for a used one? I like what I've been hearing about them. Thanks!

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Tim Whitlock
'58 Fender 1000, '56 Fender Stringmaster, '65 Twin Reissue, Niomi lap steel, old Magnatone tube amp.

[This message was edited by Tim Whitlock on 09 January 2004 at 08:09 AM.]

John Bresler R.I.P. · From: Thornton, Colorado

I bought my Webb from Chuck Wright back in 1974 and it's still the finest steel guitar amp I've ever used. After all these years, It's still got that great webb sound!!!

Lynn Owsley · From: Hendersonville, Tennessee

I have been playing Webb's since 1995 and have been amazed and pleased the whole time...the late, great Jimmy Day was also thrilled to play a Webb for years...in the 8 years I have given them some rough treatment and have had no failures

john buffington · From: Owasso OK - USA

Sold my stereo rack system after going to Webb Amps and NEVER looked back, and won't go back to a rack!

Still playing Webbs.

John Buffington

Gary Walker · From: Morro Bay, CA

Am I a social climber by playing the same amp as some of these notables? Maybe, but it really is the Bee's Knees in amps.

Bob Blair · From: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

I've had mine since 79 or so - not the only amp I have but my favorite gigging amp for sure. Rugged and reliable as well as great sounding. I don't believe I'll ever part with it.

Chick Donner · From: North Ridgeville, OH USA

I have two of them. Both mid to late 70's. No real trouble with them. Great sounds.

Richard Gonzales · From: Davidson, NC USA

Where can you buy Webb amplifiers?

[This message was edited by Richard Gonzales on 09 January 2004 at 02:00 PM.]

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

Tim, the Webb is solid state, no tubes, BUT it does use a couple of FET transistors in there and FETs sound and act a lot like tubes. What's real interesting to me is the voicing circuit. It's the 3 position switch. The #1 position does a real heavy EQ dip at around 375Hz. Jim Webb says it's good for fiddle. #2 is what he calls the steel guitar setting. It's very similar to the voicing in a Fender Twin with a big dip at 550Hz and a big rising bass bump that peaks at around 30Hz. Then position #3 is the flattest of all, the most neutral. It sounds real midrangy compared to the other heavily dipped settings but it's still even a bit dipped in the midrange but barely. It seems that most Webb users use the steel setting #2. There are some guys, including Jimmy Day, who apparently preferred the #3 setting to get more midrange and not so much bass boosting. Jimmie Webb says that 99% of steel players use the #2 steel setting.

I've recently refurbished an old '78 Webb 614-E. I completely re-capped the amp, replaced all the eletrolytics because after 25 years it's time to do that. I also upgraded a few of the capacitors to higher grade film types. After re-capping and cleaning contacts and pot's and switches, the thing is spectacular. I thought it sounded good when I got it recently, but after the recap/cleanup it really blows me away. To me it sounds like (position #2) a big clean ballsy Twin.

The graphic EQ is an interesting issue too. The circuit is a cascade type which means the signal passes thru 5 stages of amplification and capacitors, so there is some distortion and degredation with the graphic EQ on. Jimmy Webb says not to use it unless you have an instrument that really needs help. But players have found that the grit it adds is nice and musical. Jimmy Day and Tommy White apparently like(d) the graphic in. With the EQ out, the rest of the preamp is super clean, especially recapped.

I've got a link here that will show a parts list and a schematic indicating the capacitors I upgraded.
http://home.earthlink.net/~bradsarno/steelpage.html

The Webb is a serious amp, real well built, quality components, well thought out tone and circuit design, clean and loud as hell.

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Brad Sarno
Blue Jade Audio Mastering
St. Louis
http://home.earthlink.net/~bradsarno/

Steven Welborn · From: Ojai,CA USA

Terrific! Thanks for that info on cap upgrade Brad.
Dont mean to make anybody feel bad, but at the '95 Concord, CA show I bought two 614E's for almost half price apiece from Jim Webb. He had a booth. One for my friend and one for myself. What a guy. That was also the second and last time I saw Jimmy Day play live.Playin his Blue Darlin through one of Jim Webbs amps.

Steven Welborn · From: Ojai,CA USA

Hey Brad. Your Black Box looks interresting. Would it still benefit a rig using a Hilton pedal? With or without going to a DD-5 Boss Delay? This gives me another idea. Would a tube/filmfoil cap version of say a Boss DD-5 make sense as a design project. Of course it would be a bit larger.

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

Steven, the black box does it's thing by being the very first thing the pickup sees. The highly inductive nature of the pickup and the way that interacts with a tube is where the good stuff happens. Where you go after that is wide open. The Hilton is super clean so it's a great pair. I even did some testing of my prototype with a Hilton following it. Great sound. Good luck getting film/foil caps to fit into a Boss pedal, much less a tube circuit. There is a great pedal out there called a Echodrive by SIB. It's a real clean tube path with a echoplex emulation. The dry signal is all tube and the delay gets mixed in. If you want a tube delay, it's the way to go. The black box into the Webb is quite neato.

Brad Sarno

Pete Grant · From: Auburn, CA, USA

Bobby Black turned me on to the Webb amp in the mid 70's. I've been using them ever since. They're the best. Now I have three. I hardly ever use more than two at a time, though. Killer tone.

Bob Blair · From: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Pete, using more than two at a time could level a small city! Like Brad says, loud as hell.

Dennis Manuel · From: Quesnel, B.C., Canada

I have been using a Webb for about 5 years now. Its the only amp I have ever used and been totally happy with all the time.

My only regret is not purchasing a Webb sooner.

Gary Walker · From: Morro Bay, CA

Richard, for the Webb amp site, click on the links above, then steel manufactures and related products and at the bottom is Webb Amps.
Pete, I got a kick out of the fact that Bobby Black turned you onto Webb. Bobby came to Porterville in '92 with Billy Jo Spears and he was playing his Franklin and Peavey Session 400 that he had used since the 70s. Both had been used to the max. I know he has updated to Carter and I don't which amp is his amp of choice now, hopefully Webb.

John Drury · From: Gallatin, Tn USA

I was at Billy Robinsons last week working on one of his guitars and he was playing his Derby NP through a Webb 6-14-E w/extension, and an RV-3. The Webb sounded good.

John Drury
NTSGA #3

Joe Goldmark · From: San Francisco, CA 94131

Got two, and helped test them when John Campbell and George Moore were building them in the 70's. I always felt that Peavey had what I would call a "canned sound", that never sounded natural to my ear, and I always wondered why so many great players used them...I figured it was me. Before that, we used to stick a 15" JBL in a Twin, but that would still distort on the C6 neck. I think Lloyd Green still records through a Twin.

Bob Cox · From: Buckeye State

Lynn's sound in ST Louis convinced me to try one.Now I use it on the show and have had alot of comments on tone.You take a set of them Jaguires and a webb and you be honkin.

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