Newbie question on buying basic amp for learning?

Jim Driskell · From: Florida, USA

I just purchased a nice Desert Rose pedal steel from a member here, and I am going to be soon be starting to learn from scratch. I am going to need a basic amp for practice, and figure that something inexpensive should suit my purposes fine, at least for a while. So, I was thinking about a Peavey Bandit 112 or Express 112 combo amp or something like that, although some have mentioned to me that this won't sound particularly good for a pedal steel. Others have mentioned that I should look for an old Peavey Session 400 or something along those lines. I would like to stay under or around $200. What do you guys recommend?

Ken Metcalf · From: San Antonio Texas USA

$200.00 is tough, You will be much happier with a Session, or Nashville, type amp. Used maybe 300-400.
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Little Walter PF-89.
Bunch of stomp boxes

Jonathan Mitguard · From: San Rafael, California, USA

You might consider a Roland Micro Cube. they are about $125 and surprising in their usefulness. It won't do for live performance but for practicing even with people it is great. You also can plug in a CD player and use head phones so it will be you own personal torture in the beginning. Actually I have been using mine on stage, but running the Aux out to a power amp to drive my JBL 15. This is a temporary set up but I love the thing. If you have one it should prove useful even when you get another amp.

Lynn Oliver · From: Redmond, Washington USA * R.I.P.

I also have a Micro Cube, although I use mine for lap steel. After I got mine there was a lot of discussion here comparing it to the Vox DA5, so you might want to check that out if you decide to go that way.

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

Here are a few amps at musicgoround.com

PEAVEY SPECIAL 150 AMP

To buy this product from our revolving inventory
right now, call us so we can set it aside for you.

570-823-8733
PRICE: $159.99
SKU: U39969

Call or visit this location:
3520 Wilkes Barre Township Cmns
Wilkes-Barre, pa 18702
Phone: 570-823-8733

PEAVEY SESSION 400

To buy this product from our revolving inventory
right now, call us so we can set it aside for you.

708-873-9030
PRICE: $349.99
SKU: U50208

Call or visit this location:
9192 West 159th Street
Orland Park, il 60462
Phone: 708-873-9030

PEAVEY SESSION 500 MK IV

To buy this product from our revolving inventory
right now, call us so we can set it aside for you.

248-585-9441
PRICE: $229.99
SKU: U18718

Call or visit this location:
376 John R Road
Troy, mi 48083
Phone: 248-585-9441

Eric Philippsen · From: Central Florida USA

As Ken mentioned, $200 is tough. As soon as you get out gigging you'll be looking for an upgrade. Keep your eye out for a Nashville 400. Sometimes you can stumble across them for not a whole lot more than that. You just have to be persistent and look everywhere.

Chuck Snider R.I.P. · From: West Virginia, USA - Morgantown, WV

The Roland Micro Cube is what I used for a brief time at first. And you might be able to pick one of those up used for around $100. Nashville 400 amps surface on the Amps and Accessories for sale section of the forum. lately there have been a few. You actually just missed one someone had for around $300 plus shipping. A reasonable price range for a NV400 would be somewhere between $250-$450 plus shipping. Amps that have had Ken Fox's mod installed would be on the upper end of that. But I have two without the mod and they sound ok. You can always get Ken to install the mod later for a fee plus shipping to/from his shop. There might be another one on the forum now, not sure now. Anyway, keep an eye on the forum. They are pretty durable amps and would be powerful enough for nearly any situation, including practicing.

You could also watch for a used Nashville 112. Some of the guys are happy with them. I've never used one of those, so I can't say much about them.

Don't be shy about asking questions to this crowd! It will be the best $5 to join something you ever spent!! Lots of great help and advice in the forum!!

Good luck!!

-Chuck
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GFI U-12 Ultra Keyless, Carter Black U-12, both with Alumitones, and a sweet '70 Sho-Bud Permanent D-10, NV400 in Rick Johnson cabs, NV112, '73 Vibrosonic in Rick Johnson cabs, Hilton pedal, Steeler's Choice seat, Bessdang Gizmos from Dale Hansen, and a few other widgets and doodads.
I may not sound good, I just don't wanna sound bad.

Jim Driskell · From: Florida, USA

Hey, I appreciate y'alls input. The Roland Micro Cube might be a good compromise for now, as I am just learning. I don't want any amp that is not going to let me hear the nice sound of the Desert Rose (if I am able to get any nice sounds out of it in the near future). This amp is certainly not too expensive.

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Jim, if you are seriously interested in something like the Micro Cube, I'd suggest you step up to the Micro Cube RX @ $230. This AC/DC amp is a slightly beefier (4 redesigned mini speakers) and much more useful version of the MC which can handle a bit more input and has a nifty rhythm beat box built in along with a small cache of very good FX. The stereo reverb is great.
Make sure you don't get the Guitar RX confused with the similar looking Bass RX.

I see Ebay currently has a smashing deal on one that was used at a clinic/trade show and has been repackaged w/full warranty. $175 w/free shipping!

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

If you're talking about pedal steel (as opposed to lap steel) and you want loud-and-clean -

I picked up a Peavey Bandit 65 last year on the forum for $125 plus shipping. It has a Scorpion speaker and is voiced somewhat differently than a pedal steel amp, but it sounds fine for clean guitar or pedal steel to my ears. I think other versions of the Bandit like the 112 and Transtube are fine also, but I think I like the 65 best of these. Some of the other mid-sized and inexpensive older Peavey's sound fine too - every once and a while, I'll see a Peavey Deuce or old Classic cheap - tube power section and sound very good. For pedal steel, any of these have much, much more poop than the Roland Cube to my tastes. I've used that Bandit on gigs that weren't ridiculously loud, and it was much more than I needed for a couple of jam sessions I brought it to.

As Ken suggests, try Music Go Round (lots of them around the country) or Daddy's Junky Music in New England - when I was looking I saw a bunch of these in both of those used-gear chains, and they'll ship these for something like $40. If I was restricted to under $200, that's what I'd get unless I was really lucky and found an old Session 400 or Nashville 400 cheap. I have a fleet of amps, and that Bandit 65 is what I use in my practice room with a Peavey Tubefex effect unit. It's a surprising little bugger.

Of course, the usual caveats apply - my tastes, YMMV, and it's always a good idea to find one (or several) of each to listen to so you can decide for your own self. The other thing is that I don't think it matters all that much what amp one has when first starting, as long as it has a solid clean sound.

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