Amp upgrade

Gerry Brown · From: Asheville, North Carolina, USA

I'm considering an upgrade for my amplifier. I'm currently running my Fessenden S-10 and my tele through a Peavey Nashville 112. I'm pretty sure I'd like a tube amp and have looked into the hand-wired boutique market. Given that I'm thinking of spending a bit, what should I be looking at that would optimize the steel and tele combination?
Thanks.

Gerry

Kevin Fix · From: Michigan, USA

NV 112 is the best I believe. Pick up a "Steel Guitar Black Box" . It will give you what you are looking for. Check on the Forum. Their for sale on here.

Norman Evans · From: Tennessee

Why not see if this builder will let you try some amps? They're in your neighborhood.
https://www.theampshop.com/custom-built-amps

Justin Griffith · From: Taylor, Texas, USA

A Twin, Vibrosonic, LTD, or unmodified Nashville 400 might be just the ticket.
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Emmons/Sho~Bud/Blanton, Fender/Peavey.
Telonics pedal

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

If you're interested in dropping boutique amp money, I'd recommend either:
the 85W Milkman pedal steel amp (basically built around a Fender Twin design, but with better components: given that they're handmade, I bet Tim will, for a price, give you a second channel for your Tele), or;
The Milkman Half and Half, a tube front end with Class D power, so the weight is SMALL: mine is under 30 pounds. (he might also make a two channel version. Handmade amps are nice that way), or;
The new Dr. Z steel amp.
I love my Milkman
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

David Nugent · From: Gum Spring, Va.

The Milkman, 'Sideman' model may be ideal for your application. One channel dedicated for steel, the other for six string guitar.

Tim Whitlock · From: Colorado, USA

Not knocking any of the boutique makers but you could find a sweet original blackface Twin Reverb for a lot less money. (There is a 66 on Denver CL right now for $1750.) Old Silverfaces can be had for less than a grand. The Twin Reverb is iconic for both pedal steel guitar and 6 string and has a separate channel for each. Just sayin'.

David Nugent · From: Gum Spring, Va.

Tim is correct; Twin Reverbs are great for both guitar and steel, if your back can take it! With a BW 1501-4 installed, my '67 weighed 75#. The Sideman weighs in at about half that figure.

Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

All great options posted above. I've used the Twins but they are heavy.

Another option to consider is the new Telonics TCA-500C combo amp. Lightweight, powerful, tons of useful features and great for guitar, steel and fiddle. You can go with a 12", 15" or 2 x 12" model and different configurations as far as effects. I loved my tube gear but recently unloaded my vintage Deluxe and Princeton Reverb guitar amps in favor of the Telonics which covers all the bases. My review and a lot more info is posted here:

http://www.gregcutshaw.com/Telonics%20Amp/Telonics%20Amp.html

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

I didn't mention the Telonics because it's not in the running

Steven Paris · From: Los Angeles

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

A lot of the professional Nashville players seem to be liking this line: clickhere

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I just got through putting a different speaker in a Fender Vibrosonic Reverb amp.
I put in an orange frame JBL D140F speaker and am really liking it a lot.
I understand the Vibrosonic amp is pretty much a clone of the Twin Reverb only with a 15" speaker.
You just can't beat an old Fender tube amp for tone and warmth. Very Happy

Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

I'm pretty sure that all the options above should be looked at😀. "Pretty sure" I wanted a tube amp as well until I tried the Telonics!

Dale Foreman · From: Crowley Louisiana, USA

Vegas 400 should do the trick!!
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Buell Wisner · From: Georgia, USA

I have limited experience, but here it is:

The Milkman Half-n-Half is a great amp for PSG, and it's extremely portable at around 30 lbs. It's plenty loud, too.

I also have a '70s Twin Reverb with a 15" Telonics speaker. It's much easier to dial in guitar sounds on one channel, PSG on the other, and it's tweakable if you have a good amp tech nearby. It sounds good, too, though my Matchbox is a necessity with it. With the 15" Neo speaker, it's about 55 lbs.

In other words, you can get good vintage sounds for both instruments with a '70s Twin Reverb (low initial cost, but be prepared to spend on maintenance).

You can get excellent vintage sounds (for PSG) with the Milkman. It's probably too dark for guitar without help, but I used a Sansamp Blonde and an Ethos preamp in front of it for good results with guitar. I used an AB box to switch between instruments.

Edit: I am selling my Milkman, but this isn't an ad. I wouldn't recommend either one over the other for your purposes.

Tom Wolverton · From: Carpinteria, CA

Note: I believe Tim has made 2-channel Milkman half & half amps before. That could work nicely.
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Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

A lot of options have been given in these responses. I have owned many, and have had a chance to play through most, but not all, of these amps with pedal steel and guitar. If I'm playing steel, I double most of the time, usually a Zum with single-coils not wound too heavy and a Tele with a traditional setup and pickups, but sometimes others.

There are so many variables here - guitars, pickups, other stuff in front of the amp, then the amp, which speakers in the amp, not to mention what kind of music you play and what kind of sound you're looking for. On steel, more like old-school Nashville, modern Nashville, Texas, Bakersfield, more modern Americana, or something else? On Tele, more like Don Rich, Albert Lee, Roy Buchanan, Brent Mason, or something else? There are a lot of different tones/styles, and although a lot of it is in the fingers and brain, the guitar/amp/speaker combinations do matter.

Since you have an S10, if it's standard E9, I don't think you don't really need to worry about the extreme low-end that something really stout would give you, and might be more important if you were doing a lot of traditional C6 playing. So I wouldn't even worry about the big Peavey 15" speaker "400" amps. Not what you said you were looking for, anyway, and you can get them reasonbly on the forum most any time.

Myself, for E9 pedal steel and especially a traditional spankin' Tele, I generally prefer one or two 12" speakers or even two or four 10" speakers to a 15" speaker. Of course, this is obviously subject to personal taste. But I don't think one needs to stick a 15" speaker in a Twin Reverb or similar amp to handle E9 pedal steel and a traditional Tele perfectly well.

For me, I'm with Tim W. on an old Twin Reverb. After using Twin Reverbs or a Dual Showman Reverb (same chassis) a lot over many, many years, I ditched them about 8 years ago, just to find, last fall, the most amazing '66 blackface Twin Reverb with its original Jensen C12N speakers, and for a very good price. I think most guitar players have just given up on Twins. But an original blackface in good shape with the original speakers is really wonderful, and quite a bit different than its later silverface brethren (although I love a '68 drip-panel silverface too). Mine is truly great for E9 pedal steel and Tele. As an aside, it is also the best big-box jazz guitar amp I've ever played through. I'll also say - with the original C12Ns in there, it is fairly heavy, but nothing like one of the JBL-equipped Twin Reverbs. But if you want lightweight like your Nashville 112, it's gonna be quite a bit heavier. Nashville 112 is more in line with the weight of a Deluxe Reverb, which btw is a great steel/Tele amp, but at a significantly lower volume. I also have an old 4x10" tweed Bassman (not a reissue) that is glorious, and believe it or not, not all that heavy. Something like that or a blackface Super Reverb don't have the clean headroom of something like a Twin or the big Milkman, but great for a lot of situations I find myself in.

I guess my point is that if you're gonna spend some real coin, you need to try some amps, and I would suggest really giving a bunch of them a try. BTW, in terms of holding value, I've never seen anything hold value like old blackface and tweed Fender amps in good, original condition. If you get a nice one and keep it nice, they generally hold their value and have, over the years, appreciated significantly over time.

Gerry Brown · From: Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Thanks for all the thoughtful and helpful feedback. I didn't mention before that I also play dobro, so I haul three instruments, two amps, pedal board, bench, and gear bag. So while weight is definitely a concern, I really want to simplify. The more I play steel the less I want to play dobro. I want to get down to steel, tele, and one amp. And between steel and tele I have to give the steel priority. I play mostly rhythm on guitar so my place in the mix is a less prominent. This has definitely helped me narrow the field.

Marco Schouten · From: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

I believe that the Telenics amp has a built-in dobro simulator. Might be a nice solution for you.
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JCH SD-10 with BL XR-16 pickup, Sho-Bud Volume Pedal, Evidence Audio Lyric HG cables, Quilter Steelaire combo

ajm · From: Los Angeles

You probably answered some of these already, but just for the record, and since no one asked.......

Why do you want to upgrade/replace?

Do you gig out, or is this for home use?

The Tele: Do you play leads also, or is it mostly rhythm?
If you do any leads, is there any distortion type tones used?

Would you consider keeping the Nashville 112 for steel, and getting another amp for the Tele?

Tom Cooper · From: Orlando, Fl

I had same problem. Tele and steel. I used to run both into LTD 400. Have Frenzel tube pre that has 2 inputs and vol control. It worked good but I got to point where Tele in pedal steel amp was too much, too hard to get right, so I finally just picked up a little Peavey Pacer, upgraded speaker and stick it on top of LTD. LTD has neo in it so it is fairly light too. Yes I have to bring 2 amps but they are light and if one goes down have backup. I use a Origin 76 comp on Pacer to kick it up a notch. I am out of money so this is where I am at. Actually really enjoy this setup. Extra trip but peace of mind. Sure there is one amp that can do both. Twin out of the question for me. Not dragging that much with weight around. A good preamp mixer can do the job with one amp if you really want to go just one.

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

For steel and Tele in the Fender world I suggest the "blackface" 1964 Vibroverb Custom. 40 or 60 watts, switchable solid-state or tube rectifier, 15" speaker, finger-jointed plywood cabinet, and hand-wired.

I just sold one for $1500 and they are not hard to find. It's one of the few mid-power amps I found that worked well in small-medium clubs for 6-string, and makes a superb pedal steel amp. It's about as "boutique" as you can get as far as design/construction go. If I was still able to gig I would not have sold it.
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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

Gerry Brown · From: Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Chris Bauer · From: Nashville, TN USA

Email sent about an amp you might be interested in.

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