Double Duty from a Nashville 1000

Brandon Housewright · From: Statesboro, Georgia, USA

This may make me sound like a heretic to some, but bands where I'm from do a mix of rock and country for the crowds. My question is does anyone else stand up and play rock on guitar, and if so, do they use the same amp or a different one for guitar tone? I have a Nashville 1000, and it sounds good at apartment volume levels with the guitar both clean and dirty, but I wonder if the tone will satisfy me at concert levels. Any thoughts or suggestions would help out a lot.

Michael Haselman · From: St. Paul

I've been doing the same for decades. I've always used my Webb exclusively for steel and had another amp for guitar. I'm presently using a Line 6 Flextone. I don't know how the 1000 compares to the Webb, but tubes, or in my case tube modeling, is the only way to go for 6-string. Steel amps are just too damn clean.

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Marrs D-10, Webb 6-14E

Frank Estes · From: Huntsville, AL

I have done it. I had modest success with a Session 500 doing double-duty. I find that getting the right EQ for both steel and electric is the difficult part. I do not want to constantly change the EQ, because sometimes I go back and forth between the two instruments in the same song.

Hence, I bought a Vegas 400--two separate channels and separate EQ, one box to carry in.

Frank

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Frank Estes - 1978 Emmons D-10 8+7 #2441D

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

I usually use a Fender DeVille 2-12 Tube Amp for guitar but it went out on me a couple of weeks ago. I have two Nashville 400 amps so I used one for lead guitar and I actually think I like it better than the Fender. It's cleaner, more powerful, and has a lot more balls than the Fender. I got the DeVille out of the shop Tuesday and used it on the gig last night and I wasn't satisfied with it anymore, I really liked the Nashville better and it's more compact and weighs less..........JH

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

David Doggett · Posted 17 Oct 2003 8:14 am

Consider using a single amp, but a multi-channel, multi-FX unit like a POD or Genesis. You can program a clean channel for steel (with some tube effects or a complete bypass) and model some tube sound for the six-string. Very powerful clean amps like the Nashville series work best with these. That way any distortion you get is the intended modelled distortion, not the uncontrolled distortion of the amp being pushed too far.

John Cox · From: Texas, USA

Though not recogmended ,I run a keyboard through mine as well as steel and had no trouble. At least till I can aford a decent lesile amp.

J.C.

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

Even tho' i prefer tube amps,i play my Bud, Lap Steel and Guitbox through my Nash 1000.
(i also have a Twin but i'm not luggin' it around for just my Guitbox)
i consider it to be All Rooty even if i gotta change settings for each instrument.
i don't like the Strat through it, but the Tele cuts it
i use an MPX1, no stomp boxes, no fuzz tone,
and it is lined in to the PA when needed.
Don't take my words for it i'm a nobody !

[This message was edited by CrowBear Schmitt on 17 October 2003 at 10:03 AM.]

Ken Byng · From: Southampton, England

I have to go with Jerry Hayes on this one. I double up my ShoBud and Tele through 2 Nashville 400's and the amps do justice to both instruments.

Brandon Housewright · From: Statesboro, Georgia, USA

Thanks guys. Here's what I thought of doing:
First, buying an A/B box so I could use either guitar or steel through the amp. Then buying an EQ for the guitar side. My distortion and EQ would be in front of the A/B box on the guitar side with steel only on the other side. The EQ then could be used to add or remove frequencies neccessary for the guitar's tone without affecting the steel tone on the amp. Would this work without a lot of noise?

Rainer Hackstaette · From: Bohmte, Germany

Brandon,

here's what I do: The steel goes into the input of a Session 400 and is eq'ed with the Session's tone control. The guitar goes into a POD (or any other preamp) and then into the RETURN jack of the Session's effects loop. Switching is done with the Peavey's effects/reverb footswitch.

When the guitar is switched to the amp, the Peavey's preamp and tone settings are inactive, the amp only acts as power amp and speaker. All tone modeling for the guitar and the volume setting come from the POD (or other preamp).

So you have TWO totally different tone settings for the steel and the guitar, and all that at the flick of a footswitch.

Works great for me.

The problem with your proposed setup is this: the guitar will need a lot more high frequencies than the steel. If you cut the highs for the steel at the amp, you cannot revive them with an EQ for the guitar: what is gone is gone. What little you may be able to retrieve will contain a lot of hiss.

You might try to reverse your setup: Set the EQ at the amp so that it fits the guitar, and then use the external EQ to cut the highs for the steel. But now your "trouble frequencies" will be the lows: You will have cut them for the guitar at the amp, and to reboost them for the steel will give you additional low noise.

I think using two seperate preamps for steel and guitar and having the NV 1000 act as power amp is your best option.

Wishing you luck,
Rainer

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Remington D-10 8+7, Sierra Crown D-10 gearless 8+8, Sierra Session S-14 gearless 8+5, '76 Emmons D-10 8+4, Peavey Session 400 LTD

Jesse Harris · From: Ventura, California, USA

vibrasonic works pretty good

but I have found problems having only one speaker, namely engineers want to have a different eq setting for steel and guitar and with only one speaker they have to put 2 mics on it and muti the one Im not using, i dont think this would be much of a problem in a small club though, but what I wanted to try was to have 2 amp heads thru one speaker, I have a nash 400 head and a bassman for geeter.

Garry Vanderlinde · From: CA

Brandon,
I really enjoy using my NV 1000 for both steel and rock guitar. I do change three settings when switching from steel to guitar; bass from around +9 to -7.5, mid from -6 to -3, and shift from 800 to 300. I've learned to do it real quickly, but in an intense situation it could be difficult. Just hitting one pedal would be quicker and more accurate. I was already thinking of using your solution of using an A/B box and EQ, but I think the POD solution suggested by David and Rainer might be the answer, but $250 for a POD? I don't know, I can twist a lot of knobs before it becomes cost effective. At least in my current playing situation.

Rainer Hackstaette · From: Bohmte, Germany

Garry,

it doesn't have to be a POD. It can be any other guitar preamp, as long as it has its own tone control and volume. Without volume control you'd be running the amp wide open - the full 300 watts. It might get a tad loud ...

Rainer

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Remington D-10 8+7, Sierra Crown D-10 gearless 8+8, Sierra Session S-14 gearless 8+5, '76 Emmons D-10 8+4, Peavey Session 400 LTD

Scott Henderson · From: Camdenton, Missouri, USA

I have finally done what I have always wanted to do.(dont know why i didnt do it sooner.
I run a profex with a 750 power amp(350x2)
and two fifteens. I also have always fought the multi instrument thing as i play fiddle dobro, guitar, and of course steel. trying to compensate for the EQ on the amp with any processor has been a bite. but i love my rig now and we get along geat each patch can be fine tuned to each instrument.I dont have time in my show to turn knobs so this works great for me. plus my steel has tone tone tone (i love stereo rigs) again i dont know why i didn't do this sooner allthough i tried, just had the wrong gear. I guess in theory i have two nash 1000's as i use a peavey digital power amp which i have ben told be dealers is basicly what they are using in those. happiness is good tone and no hassles!!!
later

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Steelin' away in the ozarks and life,
Scott
www.scottyhenderson.com

Brandon Housewright · From: Statesboro, Georgia, USA

Hey Rainer, suppose I did what you proposed with a '66 Fender Princeton with a variable line out on it. Would it work in that set-up if I had the line out installed on the amp?

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

On many of my band gigs I play both tele and steel and have been using my steel-transtubefex-poweramp in on the Nashville 1K and a classic 50 2-12 for guitar. I sure do hate hauling all that junk around! On many of my Sugarland gigs I only play one or two songs on guitar and I've been using a POD into the Nashville's power amp in, with a switchbox to switch from the steel chain to the pod input, works really well and so far no complaints from FOH engineers. Anybody wanting to try this kind of setup might look into the Behringer "V-Amp" which is kind of a POD clone and about $89 street. They actually sound very good, and also make a great steel headphone amp.

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C'mon by and visit!- www.markvanallen.com
My Bands: Sugarland Kate and the Retreads Kecia Garland Band Shane Bridges Band Dell Conner Blues Band

Rainer Hackstaette · From: Bohmte, Germany

Brandon,

if I remember right the Princeton is a solid state amp, so you could disconnect the speaker without harming/destroying the amp. (If I'm wrong and it is a tube amp do not disconnect the speaker!! You'll kill the amp!)

The problem, however, is that the Princeton has, of course, its own power amp - which as far as I know cannot easily be disconnected. So if you would go from the guitar into the Princeton into the effect return of the NV 1000, you'd have the Pricneton's power amp in front of the Peavey's power amp. I would expect heavey distortion.

You'd need a preamp only. Besides the POD, the Behringer V-amp or the DigiTech Genesis would do. In fact, almost every company that makes effects units also makes preamps, some with effects some without. Mesa Boogie, Boss, Marshall, Yamaha, whatever suits your taste and/or pocket-book. You need something that will go directly into a power amp. It has to have tone controls and volume controls. FX are optional, though nice.

I hope I made it a little clearer. (English is not my first language ...

Rainer

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Remington D-10 8+7, Sierra Crown D-10 gearless 8+8, Sierra Session S-14 gearless 8+5, '76 Emmons D-10 8+4, Peavey Session 400 LTD

Bob Carlson · From: Surprise AZ.

I didn't know standard elec guitars worked on anything but a fender twin. Even B B King uses one. And a pedal steel sounds pretty darn good on one also.

Bob

Rainer Hackstaette · From: Bohmte, Germany

Right, Bob! And if you want reverb on both the guitar and the steel, take TWO twins. Advantage: both arms remain equally long.

Brendan Mitchell · From: Melbourne Australia

Jeez
I've always pulled the lead out of my steel and wacked it straight into my guitar whatever amp I'm using.No problem.I get tired just humpin' one amp around
Regards Brendan

Damir Besic · From: Nashville,TN.

I just wish I can find a band that does not play rock.band that plays some good old country music is impossible to find these days I guess.Another day I saw the band down town that played only stuff like Merle,Johnny Paycheck,Tubb etc.I had a ball ,I set in the club for 4 hours listening.It was a Eddy London band.Great.No Sweet Home Alabama,TCB or ZZ Top crap.

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b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

Moved to 'Electronics' section.

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