Peavey Nashville 400 questions, steel and fiddle

Steel guitar amplifiers, effects, etc.

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Andrew Srubas
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Joined: 19 Jun 2014 11:00 am
Location: Minneapolis, MN

Peavey Nashville 400 questions, steel and fiddle

Post by Andrew Srubas »

Hey all,

I recently posted a discussion about which amp to get, to which the consensus was to get a Twin. I was saving up and going to buy a Twin but when I went to Willie's Guitars in St. Paul, MN, there was a super clean Nashville 400 that had literally just come in on trade. They offered me a really sweet deal on the amp and the item I had originally gone there to get ( A redeye preamp ). Couldn't pass it up!

Anyway, I am very happy with the amp. It sounds killer with both my Fender 400 and my fiddle. Here's my question though, is there anyway for me to play both instruments through this amp at the same gig? I usually play about 3 hour dance gigs alternating between fiddle and steel in approximately 20 minute increments. That is in no way written in stone and anything really could happen. Id rather not have to do a bunch of knob turning and whatnot to make it happen.

Again, I don't know ANYTHING about amps. I have played fiddle my whole life into mics and never had to worry much about amps and tech-y stuff. I don't really know how to use an amp at all. I don't know how they work or how to EQ stuff or really anything. So hopefully I can stick with you all on suggestions. Thanks!!!

AJ
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Lane Gray
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Post by Lane Gray »

I'd get an EQ pedal and toy around with setting:
1) amp knobs to make steel sound good and EQ box to make fiddle sound good without changing amp knobs, and;
2) amp knobs to make fiddle sound good and the EQ box to make the steel sound good without changing amp knobs.
If you run the fiddle through a preamp, you already HAVE an EQ box. An A/B switch box would save trouble swapping cables.
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects
Andrew Srubas
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Location: Minneapolis, MN

Post by Andrew Srubas »

is there anything wrong with putting the steel in high gain and fiddle in low gain inputs and just using a tuner pedal to cut the signal?
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Bud Angelotti
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Post by Bud Angelotti »

Andrew -Here is the manual >>>
http://assets.peavey.com/literature/man ... 370379.pdf

On page 4 it gives basic settings, including fiddle.
Great amp! I wouldn't use both inputs at the same time though. I always used input #2.
Add a black box or some other buffer and Wham! Doesn't get much better.
Cheers!
Just 'cause I look stupid, don't mean I'm not.
Andrew Srubas
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Location: Minneapolis, MN

Post by Andrew Srubas »

Why is it bad to have them both plugged in if I'm not playing both? Also, what's a black box.
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Bud Angelotti
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Post by Bud Angelotti »

Why is it bad to have them both plugged in if I'm not playing both?
The fiddle will feedback. It's always on, even when your not using it. It's a "real" fiddle right? , with some sort of pick-up?
A black box, because it has a tube, will give you a nice warm sound and you can turn down the treble on it because the 400 is a real loud amp and you gotta give it some gas to hear how it really sounds.
Just 'cause I look stupid, don't mean I'm not.
Andrew Srubas
Posts: 128
Joined: 19 Jun 2014 11:00 am
Location: Minneapolis, MN

Post by Andrew Srubas »

Well I have the fiddle hooked up to a boss tuner which cuts the signal. So does running both at the same time damage the amp?
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Bud Angelotti
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Post by Bud Angelotti »

I really don't know. Maybe someone will chime in, or get in touch with Mike Brown @ peavy.
One thing for certain, Channel 1 is louder, more signal. Channel 2 gives you more headroom. I always used channel 2. I used a little A/B box to switch between guitar and steeel, and a little EQ box on the guitar, that way, I never had to monkey with the amp settings. The guitar was not perfect, but the steel sound was great.
One other thing, you see pre & post on the 400?
Always keep pre lower than post.
Cheers!
Just 'cause I look stupid, don't mean I'm not.
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Lane Gray
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Post by Lane Gray »

It won't damage anything, but the fiddle could feed back, or starting resonating sympathetically. And the steel could return the favor, if the volume pedal opens up...
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects
Jack Goodson
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amps for fiddle

Post by Jack Goodson »

i have a variety of 9 peavey amps and have played steel and fiddle thru what ever amp i pick with no problem. i just put an 8 ft cord from the guitar to the volume pedal and when i do the fiddle i just unplug and go to the fiddle with the same amp setting. never have to change the setting on the amp....thanks jack
Charlie Banning
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Post by Charlie Banning »

I use a Nashville 1000 for the steel and fiddle. I run the steel through the 1st input. The fiddle goes through a digitech rp250 into the 2nd input. I can use the volume pedal on the 250 to mute the fiddle while playing the steel. I have eq, delay or what ever I want for the fiddle.
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