Quilter Steelaire vs. Peavey Nashville

Drew Switzer · Post by **Drew Switzer** » 5 Sep 2016 6:49 pm

In the market for an amp for my pedal steel. What are your thoughts on the Quilter? From the demo video I saw on youtube the thing sounds like a beast! Then again...it seems like the classic go to is the Peavey Nashville...what are your thoughts?

Pat Moore · Post by **Pat Moore** » 6 Sep 2016 5:05 am

Hey Drew,
It depends on your back and pocketbook. I have both, and they're both great amps. The Peavey is heavier, but the Quilter is about 4 times more expensive. The Quilter does have some nice extra features.
If you use a rack, and can use a 15" BW or JBL with the Quilter, IMHO that's the best of both worlds. I'm using my Quilter Steelaire these days, but Peavey was my go to amp for many years.
I would also say try both of them first.
Good luck in your search!
Pat

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 6 Sep 2016 6:29 am

Going back to the 80's I've owned no less than 7 Nashville 400's and for the last 2 years a Quilter Steelaire.

Here's what I notice between the two.

Peavey has more input gain and low end response with some high end harshness/Shrillness. Mid's can be kinda hollow but manageable. Tank reverb which isn't too cool if your bandmates hop up and down on stage a lot.It's heavy at 58lbs.

Quilter's input gain requires a little more gas on the volume pedal.Low end isn't thundering but adequate in my opinion.High end is bright but not harsh. Mid's have an openness more like a tube amp.

The power amp can handle just about any external speaker you might want to use. It has a 9v stomp box output and direct out. Tremelo.Dual channel inputs if you play guitar and steel. Digital reverb with dwell and tone control. The amp weighs 35 pounds which makes it very easy to get in and out of a vehicle. It has a Kevlar cover which will protect it from random gunfire at whatever venue you might be working.

FWIW-I've gotten more unsolicited compliments with the Quilter than I ever got with the Peavey.

To sum it up,the Quilter has more of a tube amp quality than the Peavey's somewhat compressed transister sound if that makes sense.

Steven Paris · Post by **Steven Paris** » 6 Sep 2016 11:20 pm

Which one has more noise??

Pat Moore · Post by **Pat Moore** » 7 Sep 2016 4:08 am

Depends on who's playing through it!

Both are quiet.

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 7 Sep 2016 5:08 am

The only noise coming out of mine is me. I've seen some comments about noise issues and I don't notice any more noise than the Peavey amps I've owned.

Chuck Blake · Post by **Chuck Blake** » 7 Sep 2016 5:24 am

I own two of the rack mount model Steelaires....sold my Walker Stereo Steel (great amp but the rack got heavy), Nashville 400 (my back and my wife hated it's tone...lol), my Roland Cube 80xl's. I keep a G&K MB 200 around for that "just in case moment" when I need an amp that will fit in the back of a speaker cab "for grab and go". I am done with chasing TONE...

My Quilter Steelaires check all of the boxes for me

Just MTCW

Greg Cutshaw · Post by **Greg Cutshaw** » 7 Sep 2016 6:06 am

I sold my Quilter Steelaire and went back to the Nashville 400 for the enhanced gain and bottom end. My favorite amps remain the Nashville 400, Webb 6-14-E, Fender Steel King and the Walker Stereo Steel (a wall of sound). Can't argue with those wanting a lighter solution! Besides the Quilter there are a ton of class D amp solutions that will get you great tone for well under $1000.

My Quilter Steelaire Pro amp review

Steven Paris · Post by **Steven Paris** » 7 Sep 2016 7:38 am

Greg Cutshaw wrote:I sold my Quilter Steelaire and went back to the Nashville 400 for the enhanced gain and bottom end. My favorite amps remain the Nashville 400, Webb 6-14-E, Fender Steel King and the Walker Stereo Steel (a wall of sound). Can't argue with those wanting a lighter solution! Besides the Quilter there are a ton of class D amp solutions that will get you great tone for well under $1000.
My Quilter Steelaire Pro amp review

Is your Nashville 400 stock/Fox mod/or PV modded??

Greg Cutshaw · Post by **Greg Cutshaw** » 7 Sep 2016 9:50 am

My Nashville 400 has the Peavey factory mod.

Gary Sill · Post by **Gary Sill** » 8 Sep 2016 4:42 pm

I have played it at Dallas and it was superb. I liked it so much I decided to try to become a Peavey dealer. I have some of them ordered and on the first production they will be sending me some amps. Made in the USA.

Call and I will give you my opinion as I have played and owned most of the new amps.

Gary Sill
Sill Music Supply

217-433-7455

www.sillmusicsupply.com

Steven Paris · Post by **Steven Paris** » 9 Sep 2016 1:24 am

Greg Cutshaw wrote:My Nashville 400 has the Peavey factory mod.

That would be the mod that upgrades the coupling capacitors, increases the input impedance to 1 Meg, and replaces the 4558 opamps with 2604s. It would be even quieter with OPA2134s, and another few db yet with OPA1642s. I am thinking that the only things that would make the Quilter so noisy is either the use of carbon comp resistors, poor choice of opamps, or inadequate gain structure. Sure wish Pat Quilter would chime in on this. Maybe just a bad run of parts?

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 9 Sep 2016 2:49 am

Get a Dr. Z Surgical Steel, and be happy!

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » 9 Sep 2016 6:31 am

A good choice and has everything that you need, ie; headphone out that mutes speaker for rehearsing, 80 watts, great sounding 12" Blue Marvel speaker, spring reverb, XLR direct out for routing to console, and more.

Jani Peter Sandvik · Post by **Jani Peter Sandvik** » 10 Sep 2016 6:52 am

Mike Brown wrote:A good choice and has everything that you need, ie; headphone out that mutes speaker for rehearsing, 80 watts, great sounding 12" Blue Marvel speaker, spring reverb, XLR direct out for routing to console, and more.

Speaking about blue marvel speaker. that speaker has something that most others dont. and it has the bite on the tone just when you pick the string.

im planning to get two blue marvels for my stereosteel rig. aint that close friends with the 12" black widows.

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