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Topic: Non-Pedal amp suggestions |
Mark Ardito
From:
Chicago, IL, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2005 5:52 am |
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My Nashville 400 is not doing the job with my D-8 Fender. I can't seem to get that Western Swing tone/break-up with it. What amps are you non-pedal guys using? Twin Reverb? I am looking for an amp that is maybe lighter than a Twin or Nashville 400...my back is killing me and I'm only 29!
Any amp suggestions?
Cheers!
Mark
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Sho~Bud Pro I, Fender D-8 (C6&E13) http://www.darkmagneto.com
http://www.arditotech.com
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2005 6:10 am
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I think it would be really hard to beat a Fender Twin Reverb. I have an original from 1967 with the JBL speakers and recently I picked up a reissued Twin with the 15" speaker, supposedly designed around a JBL.
Erv |
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Tim Harr
From:
Dunlap, Illinois
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Posted 3 Jun 2005 8:16 am
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Mark, This may not be the fix you are looking for sonically or astheticlly, but have you ever tried a PODxt? These suckers really do an awesome job of amp modeling. You could use it through your NV400 and dial up a 1-12" speaker Fender Tweed amp sound or a myriad of other similar amp/spker configurations. Additionally, you can dial in a little "break up" with the drive knob that you can adjust in real time with out having to push a bunch of buttons to scroll around. Very handy on the fly.
It is cheaper than getting another "period" amp and would limit what you would have to cart around.
I use a WEBB 6-14E or a Blackface Twin Reverb and I can get nearly any type of amp sound I need. Extremely useful in the studio when you can just go direct with the PODxt.
Good luck.. and we will be meeting soon.
Tim |
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Bill Thomson
From:
Ocean City, Maryland, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2005 8:39 am
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Suggestion: Check out Rick Alexander's site
http://rickalexander.com/BigSteel/
Scoll down to his Fender Steel King review.
I also have a D-8 Stringmaster that I play through a pre-CBS Fender Super Reverb that a local amp tech has fully serviced. This is a very nice setup. I realise not everyone has an amp tech in their area, but this makes a big difference. Take a good pre-CBS Twin or Super Reverb and have a pro recondition the amp.
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John Poston
From:
Albuquerque, NM, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2005 9:06 am
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Mark, you need a Wabash Deluxe.
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Mark Ardito
From:
Chicago, IL, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2005 9:34 am
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John,
I think I am getting closer at getting the Wabash Deluxe out of his hands! Last time I spoke to him he said he would possibly sell it to me because I would use it all the time.
Maybe it's time to give him a buzz again!
Tim Harr - You still moving up to Chicago soon? Let me know...
Cheers!
Mark
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Sho~Bud Pro I, Fender D-8 (C6&E13) http://www.darkmagneto.com
http://www.arditotech.com
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Tim Whitlock
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2005 10:50 am
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| Mark - When I think of Western Swing/breakup tone, I think of Noel Boggs circa 40's and 50's. He always had that sweet tone with just a touch of distortion. In order to get that sound you have to look at the amps that were in use at the time. These amps were all-tube and in the low wattage range, i.e. the Fender Tweed Deluxe (holy grail). Once you experience playing a vintage steel though one of these amps you won't be happy with a simulation. A Twin sounds good, but you won't get any breakup at less than ear shattering volume. A Deluxe Reverb at 22 watts is closer, but still plenty loud. I've got a little Magnatone Varsity Deluxe which I think puts out about 10 watts. It's perfect for the practice room or rehersal and give glorious warm low-fi tone with whatever level of breakup is desire. These low watt all-tube amps can be found on E-bay all the time and are still pretty reasonable. Try one out if you can! |
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John Poston
From:
Albuquerque, NM, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2005 11:33 am
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What Tim wrote above is right. Listen to those old recordings - they have very small wattage tube amps and they're most likely cranked on full.
Check out the amp sounds on those Maddox Bros. and Rose Arhoolie recordings - might sound a little over-the-top nowadays - but you would definitely have to mike an amp like that given the high stage volumes we have now. Of course, the POD would be a workaround for that. The overdriven small amp sound going through a loud modern amp.
Hey Mark, I forgot - I found one of these in my mom's basement last month. I'll bring it down and you can see what you think if it works. http://classic-guitars.ca/inventory/large/pages/60HarmAmp_large.htm
I got it for $60 with a Lotus bass guitar when I was in high school. It's pretty beat up. 
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Tim Harr
From:
Dunlap, Illinois
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Posted 3 Jun 2005 8:59 pm
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Mark,
I will be in Bolingbrook before the end of this month.
Tim |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 3 Jun 2005 10:08 pm
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I like the 50s Tweed Fender Pro. I had a ca. 1957 example with the original 15" Jensen speaker that I should not have sold (what else is new). I substituted a heavier speaker (JBL D-130) and put away the old Jensen for safekeeping till I sold it. It sounded great for lap/table steel. In fact, it sounded great for pedal steel, just an older sound. No reverb, but they didn't have that back in those days anyway.
I think I'd find Tweed Deluxe/Vibrolux a bit ratty for country/western-swing. Great for blues slide/lapsteel, but I think a bit of extra clarity for country styles makes sense.
There are clones of the tweed Fenders available these days, many sound great.
For practical purposes, a Fender Blackface/Silverface Fender Deluxe Reverb or maybe a non-master-volume Blackface/Silverface Pro Reverb, either of them loaded up with either JBL D-120 or old EV SRO 12" speakers (like used on some of the old Fender amps) might work fine and be a lot more affordable than a real Tweed Pro.
If you want more clean power without the weight of a Twin Reverb, I like the Fender Dual Showman Reverb, probably my favorite sound for pedal steel and jazz guitar. It's the guts of a Twin Reverb in a head-only cabinet. I prefer the ca. 68-72 no-master-volume model, TFL5000. Speaker, speaker-cabinet choice dictated by what sound you want.
There are a lot of other ways to skin this cat, Rick Alexander's site has some great ideas. Can't comment on the Steel King, since I haven't tried one yet. |
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Paul Honeycutt
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 5 Jun 2005 7:40 pm
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I worked as a stagehand for a reunion of a local band called the Starlite Ramblers. Their steel player had a '49 Gibson D-8 console that he played through a Fender Pro-Amp, an early blackface amp with a single 15" JBL speaker. He used a Alesis reverb unit with it. He did some bar vibrato that gave me shivers. He had the taste, the tone and touch. Because of him, I'm getting serious about steel guitar again.
I'm using a Mesa Boogie Studio 22+ amp with an Altec Lansing 417-8H speaker. I use it for guitar as well. The Mesa allows you to dial in some dirt, and the Altec gives the same fullness as a JBL.
Tonight I tried a Rivera S120-210 with a little delay using a modified acoustic guitar with a Lace Acoustic soundhole pickup. It was a very hifi kind of tone, but Hawaiian licks sounded real good.
The other amp I use for steel is a '52 Silvertone "Champ" type amp with a Weber 8" speaker. Not only does it look cool, but it has a great tone for lap steel.
Experiment. It's a great excuse to try a lot of different amps. |
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Cliff Kane
From:
the late great golden state
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Posted 5 Jun 2005 9:46 pm
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| How loud do you need to play? I used to play a lap steel through an old Gibson Falcon amp, which is similar to a Fender Deluxe (both use two 6v6 power tubes), and it sounded great. There wasn't a lot of headroom, and that worked to the amp's advantage so long as it was small enough venue to where I did not have to dime the amp. It's hard to beat the sound of power tube saturation, the grit and cream and compression that starts to happen is a beautiful thing, which is hard to get with a big amp like a Twin unless you can play really loud. With the Falcon I could get that tone if I really dug in and cranked the voluume of the steel, and if I backed of on the volume on the steel the amp would clean-up but still had some nice grit and break-up. However, with a loud drummer it wasn't enough amp. If your volume needs are not that great, perhaps a Fender Deluxe type of amp will work for you. |
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Mike Brown
From:
Meridian, Mississippi USA
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Posted 6 Jun 2005 11:26 am
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Mark, I suggest that you try any of the Peavey Classic Series amps, ie; Classic 50/410, Classic 50/212, Classic 30, Delta Blues 115 or the Delta Blues 210. All of the above all tube amplifiers will work fine for lap steel.
For a "lighter than a Twin" application, I recommend the Delta Blues 210 or the Classic 30 amplifiers. Here is a our website; http://www.peavey.com/products/browse.cfm/action/list/cat/67/begin/1/ClassicSeries.cfm
Mike Brown
Peavey Electronics Corporation |
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Curt Langston
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Posted 6 Jun 2005 6:09 pm
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| Amen for the Delta Blues 115! Avery rich sounding amp. |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 6 Jun 2005 7:07 pm
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| I'll also add a plug for the Peavey Delta Blues 115. It's the closest non-boutique amp to the Tweed Pro that I've played. Not exactly a 'clone', but the one I used (came through my guitar store) had a similar vibe plus reverb and tremelo. |
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Mark Ardito
From:
Chicago, IL, USA
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Posted 7 Jun 2005 12:36 pm
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Mike Brown,
Thanks for the heads up on the Delta Blues (single 15"). I will be heading out this weekend to do some amp testing and will definitely check it out!
Cheers!
Mark Ardito
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Sho~Bud Pro I, Fender D-8 (C6&E13) http://www.darkmagneto.com
http://www.arditotech.com
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Mike Brown
From:
Meridian, Mississippi USA
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Paul Arntson
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 8 Jun 2005 10:19 am
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| (edited because I realized others already covered what I said). [This message was edited by Paul Arntson on 08 June 2005 at 11:25 AM.] |
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Don Ciomei
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 1 Aug 2005 6:16 am
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What do you think of the allen amps.
I've never read anything bad about them.
I'm a lap steel player and been
shopping aroung for a nice head to compliment
my speaker cabinets. There's an Allen head
that emulates ? the fender blackface.
Anyway, that's what they say in the harmony
forum etc...
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