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Topic: Great new lap steel amp |
Gerald Ross
From:
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Posted 31 May 2008 4:16 pm |
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I just got back from spending the day in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Sweetwater Music held their Gearfest 2008. Lot's of music seminars (mostly recording techniques) and major music manufacturer vendor booths.
Gretsch has just released a new line of amps that are perfect for lap steel. Most notably and most affordable is the Electromatic - 5 watts, 2 tubes. Great old time 1940's & 50's lap steel tone. Real tweed covering (just rub your fingers over that tweed...ahhh!) and tasteful retro looks. This amp is very similar to the Fender 600. I did a A-B with the Fender... the Gretsch won.
Gretsh Electromatic.
If you really have money to spend get this one. It's made by the Victoria amp company for Gretsch. Great tone, easy to dial in a pleasant full sound. Space-Age looks. Close to $3,000 though. I could have taken it home today. They had a one day sale at $2699.
Gretsch Executive
_________________
Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'
A UkeTone Recording Artist
CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Hawaiian Steel Guitar/Ukulele Website |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 31 May 2008 6:44 pm
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That Electromatic is a nice looking amp. The Gretsch Executive is a fine looking amp too, but for the same price you could buy a few Fender Deluxe Reverbs.
Moved to Electronics from Steel Without Pedals.
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Mitch Druckman
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 1 Jun 2008 8:58 am
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Gerald, Thanks for the heads up on the little Gretch Electro amp. I think it might have otherwise slipped under the radar. I love 6v6 amps.
The Executive looks amazing. It has clean point to point wiring, orange drop caps, carbon comp resistors AND a 15" speaker. I've never heard a 6v6 amp with a 15" speaker. It's definately worth a listen. |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 1 Jun 2008 10:54 am
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| i can't even spend $3K on a car, let alone an amp...someone please tell me how to get rich like you off of playing steel! |
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Scott Appleton
From:
Ashland, Oregon
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Posted 1 Jun 2008 11:03 am G executive
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You could buy 3 custom kits that do the same thing .. or one custom amp
with a bunch more options that sound twice as good as that // You would have to
be a CEO to want this toy .. I'd get a custom " Z " for them bucks or 5 NV112's |
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Steve Feldman
From:
Central MA USA
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Posted 1 Jun 2008 2:05 pm
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| I've got a Victoria 5112, which is essentially a Fender 5F1/Champ tweed circuit in a 5E3/Deluxe cab. I put a Celestion Blue in there and a Bendix 6992 tube and whoo-whee - that thing is schweet! |
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Steve Hamill
From:
California, USA
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Posted 2 Jun 2008 5:03 am Eminence Legend?
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For that kind of scratch, they aren't doing their amp any favors with that speaker.
I do like the cosmetics, and I'd love try it out though.
The Electromatic looks like a winner. |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 2 Jun 2008 9:35 pm
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The executive is right in line pricewise with the other hand-wired tube amps. Street prices are in the 2-3k range; You'll pay that for a nice tweed Deluxe as well. I agree with Steve, though - lame speaker choice in a "boutique" amp.
Guitar amps seem to be in a different universe than steel amps, and the players who don't double *seriously* don't quite glom onto it. Steel players are used to $500 amps - for a 6-stringer that's going to get you a cheapo gig amp or a decent practice amp, but not anything you're going to seriously gig with. Even my steel amps are $1500-2000 tube amps originally designed for 6-string and tweaked for steel. I've tried a few of the the typical popular steel amps, and they don't get close to any kind of usable tone - for me.
It depends on what you're looking for tone-wise, I think...and also what you're used to in the equipment market. My 26 year old son recently bought a $3,000 amp *head*. No big deal...and quite a few of the younger guitar players on the Hollywood club scene have similar equipment. Yet I see steel players talking about why they can't get a good tone out of their $3000 guitar with a $500 amp....
PS - the little Gretsch looks kinda cool, but they really missed the boat - just TWO tubes. It would not have cost much more to use a rectifier tube instead of a solid-state rectifier...that would give the nice "sag" of the early tweed Gretsch amps and Fender Champs. As it is, it seemed the went retro - but with modern "tight" sound. That'll keep many of the vintage amp fans away.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Jussi Huhtakangas
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Posted 2 Jun 2008 11:00 pm
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Interesting that Gerald says the Gretsch sounds better than the Fender Champ 600, I've always heard that they were exactly the same machines, just different packaging??? If so, I guess it must be the tweed  |
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Gerald Ross
From:
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2008 4:52 am
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I asked the Gretsch rep about that issue (the Gretsch sounding better). He said they are basically the same buy Gretsch tweaked the circuit a bit to sound better with Gretsch guitars - whatever that means. Could be BS. But it did sound a bit nicer.
_________________
Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'
A UkeTone Recording Artist
CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Hawaiian Steel Guitar/Ukulele Website |
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Kevin Greenberg
From:
Lakewood, CA
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Posted 8 Jun 2008 4:36 pm Gretsch amp
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| What a rip-off. You could build a better amp for $800. |
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Alex McCollough
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 8 Jun 2008 7:04 pm
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I love my Champion 600. The stock tubes in the amp are a real weak link...just putting a NOS 12ax7 and a new Tung-Sol 6V6 completely changed the tone of the amp (seemed to shift the midrange in a very pleasant, useable way). I've used it to record a bunch of stuff (6-string, pedal steel, lap steel, Wurlitzer) through several different cabinets (10", 12", 15", 4ohm, 8ohm), even through the 6" internal speaker with great results.
I even took it for a tour of Ireland a couple of months back...I just carried it on the flight and put it in the overhead.
I really think that it's one of the coolest amps that fender has put out in the last few years...doesn't really sound like an old champ, but just replacing the tubes makes a world of difference. |
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