Dual purpose steel/guitar amp

[Lane Gray]

Godfrey, unless I play in temps over 92 and dew points over 80 (which makes the Peavey sound awesome), my Twin sounds better than any of my 3 Peaveys. Everywhere you turn, top players are using Milkman or Sarno tube gear (and a few use Little Walter).
I dispute the assertion that steel needs transistors.

[Godfrey Arthur]

Godfrey, unless I play in temps over 92 and dew points over 80 (which makes the Peavey sound awesome), my Twin sounds better than any of my 3 Peaveys. Everywhere you turn, top players are using Milkman or Sarno tube gear (and a few use Little Walter).
I dispute the assertion that steel needs transistors.

That's fine, Lane. I should've prefaced my comment with a price index, not venturing into the boutique spectrum as I assumed this wasn't a money-is-no-object, roadies included quest.

And per Per's comment I can see where getting some intermodulation problems can occur with tube for certain apps (from certain tube amps not specifically made for steel). And a Twin would not be my choice of emulating a Marshall head, neither is it a Vibroverb of 35 watts but would do for clean twang. Think Dick Dale. How much twang are we taking about?

When you get that "all-in-one" quest, this is where things get iffy.

I thought it interesting Per used a JC120, another go-to clean ss amp favored for its chorus that one finds alongside a separate distortion amp and his intermodulation problems disappeared. After all, beauty is in the ears of the beholder.

But of course, if one likes tubes and amp makers are designing tube for steel then why not. I myself have a silverface Dual Showman Reverb in a combo cab with a Fender 15 set aside for my steel should I need it, though I will attempt studio use which may end up being direct inject all the same. I could've recommended that for both guitar and steel as Pete Townshend used Showmans for his tone back in the day, so did Hendrix, but I sensed a basic common sense approach for the OP's quest that bordered on having that raunchy low wattage tube for guitar, but the clean (read wattage headroom) for steel and within a modest price, and easy to source. If you need watts for steel and less watts for raunch guitar, then the easier solution would be to use two amps. Or an amp with a hi/lo switch which is also an iffy situation. Some Twins have that hi/lo feature. But it doesn't cover all the bases.

As a cost effective approach, if anything, psg has evolved around solid state at least to the gig warrior. I didn't mean to imply that it's the end all be all. And all this is subjective. There is an immediacy to solid state vs tube circuitry. I know using a Millennia STT in my studio which has both topologies of either tube/solid state input (using vintage Telefunken 12ax7's) with a choice of tube or solid state eq, I tend to use the solid state topology more of the time if I want a quicker response. Same for Telefunken tube based V72 vs Neve solid state preamps, the V72 has this latency going on but has its uses. I also have a Peavey KB300 and an Ampeg B25B, among others, sitting around and may try that on steel.

But since I'm a novice psg player I will look to the accomplished players that inspire me, their sound and how they've historically achieved it, and factor that in somehow.

Here is the guy responsible for providing me the psychic connect with psg.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ5fqvUYbNs

But what was he using here during this one song, at my defining psychic moment other than a Carter guitar, a stomp box and what amp? Or no amp? And how was it processed through the mixers/broadcast recorders that day of the show?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkQnSPgdgOM

Care to chime in WD?

[Kevin Raymer]

I'm yet to find any single amp that serves adequately for both Pedal Steel and Guitar.

The band I play with plays a jumble of music, and I go from Pedal Steel to Acoustic Guitar to Electric guitar, and play everything from Waylon Jennings to The Who.

So I might be expecting a little much.

I have gone to a rack set up with A Sarno Rveleation for Pedal steel, A Digitech RP1000 for electric gutiar and a DTar Momma Bear for accoustic.

I run the preamps into a Carving T100 all tube power amp. One side is pedal steel, one side is acoustic/electric guitar. I plug a 12 inch celestion into each side of the Carvin and
Viola...

My speakers are in a 2-12 cabinet.

I'm considering building a customer cab with a 12 and a 15 in it and using the 15 for pedal steel and the 12 for guitar.

I know it's convoluted but I don't have to carry around two or three amps this way.

[Godfrey Arthur]

I'm yet to find any single amp that serves adequately for both Pedal Steel and Guitar.

The band I play with plays a jumble of music, and I go from Pedal Steel to Acoustic Guitar to Electric guitar, and play everything from Waylon Jennings to The Who.

I know it's convoluted but I don't have to carry around two or three amps this way.

Yeah when you wear many hats in a band, you need the right gear to properly suit up.

[Les Cargill]

I find that a Fender Blues Deluxe does both electric six-string and steel very well.

I use a boost pedal for the Telecaster to keep it about the same levels at the higher output pickup from the steel, and to put a little hair on the Tele.

I'm using a U12, and the BD does not quail in the low end at all.

[Godfrey Arthur]

I find that a Fender Blues Deluxe does both electric six-string and steel very well.

I use a boost pedal for the Telecaster to keep it about the same levels at the higher output pickup from the steel, and to put a little hair on the Tele.

I'm using a U12, and the BD does not quail in the low end at all.

I can see where that would work. 40 watts over the Deluxe's 22 watts. Using a stomp like a Tubescreamer etc., should get the guitar hair tones happening if the drive channel lacks it for you. This newer model seems to have strong enough highs for the steel.

On the Twin side, Fender makes a Custom Twin with a 15 for twice the money twice the watts and 20 more pounds but may be steel friendly with the 15 vs guitar biased with the 12. Would help if you play amp burner SRV songs.

Or you can get retro and buy Mickey's silverface Vibrosonic:
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=269435

[Godfrey Arthur]

Here's a clip from one I feel to be a list member, using a '66 Deluxe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj6Vne1-HJE