ideal steel / lap steel amplifier

Andy Smith · Post by **Andy Smith** » 24 Oct 2011 5:59 am

Hi
I have been talking with a company who want to develop an amp specifically for steel and who asked me what my 'wishlist' would be for a steel guitar amplifier. As an inexperienced steel player I thought it best to throw the question open to those with more experience and who perhaps have more specific requirements / ideas on the subject. I have also posted this question in the pedal steel section but I would also be interested to hear if there are any lap steel specific requirements. So, any ideas anyone?
thanks, Andy

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 24 Oct 2011 6:57 am

The ideal lap steel amplifier will probably be different for each person. It will depend on how loud you need to be (playing with a band or solo), the type of music you're playing (Hawaiian, country, rock, blues, jazz, etc.) and the portability of the amp (it's no use having exceptional sound if you can't haul it to a gig).
Then there's the price.
I think the Fender Deluxe Reverb hits the "sweet spot" in many ways - it's very portable, plenty loud enough, and sounds great.

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 24 Oct 2011 8:28 am

there will be no "ideal" amp. too many different opinions and sound perceptions between players.
but there are some things that can be considered like weight/size
clean sound for those that want that
distortion sound for those who want that, effects..reverb for sure and others with the ability to dial up several effects at once! NOT just one at a time.
two channels so you can plug in two different instruments.
price......did i mention price?

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 24 Oct 2011 8:40 am

I agree with others... there are a lot of different opinions and preferences. My choice would be a tube amp w/reverb, no more than 30 watts, single 12" speaker... but that's just me.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 24 Oct 2011 9:05 am

Just like noses, everyone has their opinion on what an "ideal" amp would be.

Of the commercial amps, look at the Peavey Nashville 112 as an example of an overall steel guitar amp - whether lap steel or pedal steel.

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 24 Oct 2011 9:06 am

Andy, did the makers have a basic idea of what they are considering?
You could have an entire line of various amps and still not hit 'it' for many with discerning ears or for any particular guitar. Too many minute variables involved that equall each individuals nirvana. Example Jack's thot for a monster like the Peavey, I'm more an old 5" Rola VoluTone or Epiphone Electar type. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't try!

Noah Miller · Post by **Noah Miller** » 24 Oct 2011 9:11 am

They might consider clones (electrically or at least sonically) of some of the classic amps of the '30s and '40s: the Gibson EH-150 and EH-185, Epiphone Zephyr, National 75, etc. Some adjustments to the circuits would have to be made (no field coil speakers, for example), and it would be great to have built-in reverb. Vintage47 Amps did a similar thing very well with '40s and '50s Valco designs.

Jack Aldrich · Post by **Jack Aldrich** » 24 Oct 2011 10:42 am

As I remarked on this topic on the pedal steel page, I mainly play my non-pedal steels through a Peavy Classic 30, into the house system through a Boss '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb pedal, or directly in, if the house system can add reverb and has a good EQ setup. It' much better than hauling a heavy amp like my Peavy Vegas 400, or a Deluxe Reverb. I did use a Fender Twin Reverb back in the 80's, but it's long gone. I like the sound I get at HSGA from the Deluxe Reverb or Fender Twin that they use. - Jack

Andy Smith · Post by **Andy Smith** » 25 Oct 2011 1:42 am

Hi Everyone
thanks for all the responses - I'll pass on your thoughts.
cheers, Andy

Charlie Vegas · Post by **Charlie Vegas** » 25 Oct 2011 3:57 am

John Aldrich wrote:...I mainly play my non-pedal steels through a Peavy Classic 30...It' much better than hauling a heavy amp like my Peavy Vegas 400, or a Deluxe Reverb. I did use a Fender Twin Reverb back in the 80's - Jack

Jack, a Deluxe Reverb is the same weight (~40lbs) as a Classic 30, give or take a couple of pounds depending on the year.

Now a Twin Reverb, that's heavy. But hey, that's why it has casters. But you ain't seen heavy till you tried to lift a Super Twin Reverb (~100lbs)!

Jack Aldrich · Post by **Jack Aldrich** » 25 Oct 2011 9:41 am

Charlie Vegas wrote: Now a Twin Reverb, that's heavy. But hey, that's why it has casters. But you ain't seen heavy till you tried to lift a Super Twin Reverb (~100lbs)!

Yeow! My old ShoBud ProII weighs 85 Lb. in the case. When I was gigging regularly back in the80's, a sturdy dolly was absolutely necessary. - Jack

Andre Haqvinsson · Post by **Andre Haqvinsson** » 25 Oct 2011 9:55 am

I'd go for Fender Pro Junior !! Best amp I ever bought very easy to
travel with and great output for both lapsteel and guitar !!

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 25 Oct 2011 1:11 pm

John Aldrich wrote:Peavy Classic 30

I'd have to 2nd the C30 as a great all 'round amp for steel. Lightweight, loud, versitile, fairly cheap used, easily modded, and as stock they have the blessings of the nation's top Jerry Byrd devotee who's able to easily coax 'the moan' and other exquisite Bakelite tones from it by utilizing the pre and post knobs just right.
It would be hard for anyone to compete with the C30 in price and player value if the best in vintage tones is the goal.

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 25 Oct 2011 1:47 pm

My favorite for tone has always been my old 1950 National. It still has the field coil speaker.
But I've built 5 clones of it, using Weber 12 inch speakers, with great results. The last one has a Fender spring-reverb circuit from a Princeton Reverb wired into it.. good output transformers, like Hammond, can make a big difference in tone quality.

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 25 Oct 2011 2:10 pm

It's a funny thing about amps and good sound with all the many variables, Bill. The good the bad and the ugly in whatever combination/configuration CAN give the holy grail of beauty to any one set of ears, yet horrific to another. It's all a subjective crap shoot, and a fun one.

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 25 Oct 2011 8:01 pm

A 30's vintage Ricky bakelite into a 57 tweed Deluxe = tone heaven !

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 25 Oct 2011 8:34 pm

57 tweed Deluxe = tone heaven

I agree! I have a '59 tweed Deluxe. Just used it on a recording session a couple of days ago. What a sound!

Steve Ahola · Post by **Steve Ahola** » 25 Oct 2011 9:56 pm

For a modern amp I think that two requirements that many steelers would agree on are that it has an excellent clean channel and that it has a speaker with a full frequency response (the Celestion Vintage 30's so popular with the hard rockers have a powerful midrange at the expense of the high and low frequencies). I really like the 12" Eminence Red White and Blues speaker which sells for around $75.
One more requirement- a good reverb!

Steve Ahola

P.S. I think that everybody has their own idea of what a good OD channel should sound like and IMO most of the popular modern amps have a really crappy OD channel. I think that you can get better results plugging an OD pedal or multiprocessor that you like into a really nice clean channel and maybe just use the OD channel for some low gain crunch to add to the mix.

Geoff Cline · Post by **Geoff Cline** » 26 Oct 2011 9:41 am

Take the Victoria Ivy League (based on the tweed Fender Harvard amp), add reverb...DONE. One amp to rule them all...light, clean or dirty and 'verb for those who need it.

Twayn Williams · Post by **Twayn Williams** » 26 Oct 2011 11:33 am

Geoff Cline wrote:Take the Victoria Ivy League (based on the tweed Fender Harvard amp), add reverb...DONE. One amp to rule them all...light, clean or dirty and 'verb for those who need it.

:drool:

Raymond Jones · Post by **Raymond Jones** » 28 Oct 2011 9:13 am

Tried to be happy with my Nv 112, pretty much so. Then I got a "new" Traynor 20, 18 watts, "almost" nice, loved the tube thing. Just got an "old" Traynor YRM-1 Reverb Master, 45 watts and built a nice cabinet for an old 15 inch CTS speaker. This combo has put it all together for me. Love the sound - that is what it is all about.

Cheers - Ray

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 28 Oct 2011 12:35 pm

I have a collection of amps and as age creeps up, hauling a preferred FENDER DELUXE REVERB has become a formitable task, especially up and down stairs. I have the ROLAND 30 with reverb which is a great little amp and features the "tweed" tone...hmmm... is Jody reading this ?

However, I recently discovered the German manufactured AER 40w with reverb and other goodies ...VERY light in weight, you can actually pick it up with 3 fingers ! The sound is awesome. Plenty of power with no distortion...Just GOOGLE "AER amps"...they do not come cheap, but they are very well built...available in 60w also and very light in weight.

Steve Ahola · Post by **Steve Ahola** » 28 Oct 2011 4:00 pm

George: Another small light amp that has gotten great reviews is the Phil Jones Pure Sound CUB AG-100, a 100W acoustic guitar amp that weighs 11.5 lb. Street price is $565 with free shipping. No reverb but it does have an FX loop and several outputs: line, balanced DI and tuner. (No speaker output- probably to protect the 100w SS power amp.)

http://www.philjonespuresound.com/products/?id=13

A Google search last year turned up one of these at Sam Ash for ~$279. I found this in the middle of the night so I set my alarm clock early to call them as soon as they opened. Alas it turns out that the listing was a few years old but had never been deleted so Google kept finding it.

Steve

P.S. The Ivy League sounds very tempting! I had a Fender tweed Harvard but I traded it in for $50 for an amp with reverb in 1969. Stupid, stupid, stupid! (The Ivy League is the Victoria reissue of the Harvard 5F10 which is what Steve Cropper used on most of his recordings for Stax w/ Booker T and the MG's and as a member of their house band.)

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 28 Oct 2011 5:21 pm

It's certainly a subjective subject. I have a Fender Vibrosonic reberb, and a Princeton Reverb, and don't really care for steel guitar through either one of them. And I gave my Tweed Deluxe to my oldest son, because I didn't like that one either! Never liked the scooped mids on Fenders....
So it's all a matter of taste I guess....

Jim Behnke · Post by **Jim Behnke** » 28 Oct 2011 5:27 pm

I'm new to this forum & nobody's "expert" lap steeler but have "slud" on elec 6 & lap-style for some decades. My 2 "squeezes" for lap steel are dependent on venue/volume/how-much-air-needs-to-move. I prefer no more onstage/amp vol than is necessary.

the two for me are '65 BF Dlx Rvrb [currently w/EVM 12L] for "quieter" stuff & '64 BF Vibroverb [15" JBL D130] for a bigger band/&/or venue. The sound of steel through a 15" spkr feels great to me even though I tune my Dlx 8 to a tight 6th, no real "low" notes there. Curiously the Dlx Rvrb & another Brown Dlx I have work great for open-D/E 6-str elec slide. Maybe more about the "gnarl" there than the low-end response, I dunno.

I sometimes use another "rig" for lap steel. Music Man RD 50 head on Ear Candy 2 x!0" cab w/gold-basket Oxfords, [think Blonde Tremolux sound + rvrb]. It's split on foot-switch with Motion Sound RS 112 that moves air just like a small Leslie [cab's Dlx Rvrb-size]. Can ez-pz pop "organ-comping" chord-fragments w/that watery vibrato then "surprise" w/straight lap-steel sound. I've got some AER stuff but better [imho] for plugged-in-acoustic 6-str whether slack-key, W swing, etc. Agree w/George, small/lightweight increments are good for ol' guys...

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ideal steel / lap steel amplifier

ideal steel / lap steel amplifier

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