Is Light Right?

[Fred Treece]

How many 65-70 year old roadies are out there slinging 85 pound amps around? Not many, I would guess. Other than a few glorious years when I actually thought I was in a musical career of some sort, I have been my own roadie, as I am now.

But equipment downsizing does come down to sound, in a roundabout way. The D10 vs S10 vs S12 is a different story than the sound reinforcement one, so I won’t go there.

Even if the new lighter gear doesn’t provide you with tonal nirvana, it can get you an excellent compromise that eventually becomes your identity. “This will NEVER be me” has to be weighed (literally and figuratively) with “who the heck do I think I am?” . If I was on the road with a major artist, this attitude adjusts itself. I’ve been playing house parties, the occasional club, community theaters, and outdoor events for the past 15 years. Nobody ever complains about my tone, and only rarely do I get positive commentary on it. Nobody cares if I play through a Mesa Boogie or a Boss Katana. People do often say they enjoy the music I make, and that’s good enough for me.

[Dennis Detweiler]

I'm always into investigating the latest gear. To me, it only makes sense to not be left behind. Light weight gear (neo speakers and class D circuitry)is good if it sounds as good or better than the caveman gear. Quilter seems to have the market cornered in reproducing tube amps with class D circuitry. I don't know how he does it, but he nailed it. Buying a 4 to 6 lbs amp compared to a 100 lbs amp in this case seems common sense to me? One problem with a geezer is becoming familiar with adjusting tone on a new rig compared to already knowing how to achieve it on an amp that I've had for 40 years.
Same goes for the new pickups that are introduced. I've tried many on my old boat anchor U-12 MSA's. Some lasted a few months and got ditched. I'm with Telonics now and loving them. Adjustable poles is fine tuning the pickup to my tone. The biggest surprise lately was discovering how much fatter and clean lows and clean the highs are on an up-to-date 12 inch neo speaker compares to my old heavy 15 inch. Buddy Emmons once said in reference to playing, "copying is easy, creating is harder." Same goes for electronics.

[Dave Mudgett]

I'm tall enough that a true narrow-width S10 doesn't work for me. So I'm stuck with either a somewhat wider S12 or a double-wide body. I have one SD10 that is great but rarely gets played - I want my C6 neck if I'm gonna haul the bigger guitar. My Zum S12s are the narrowest guitars I can deal with. Any back pain from hauling is far less than the back/leg/ankle/foot pain I get from contorting myself to the point where I can cram my legs under a narrow guitar and work the pedals. And that's with the guitar raised 2-3 inches.

As far as amps go, I'm a total amp-o-holic. I have amps for every purpose imaginable. I play guitar (std and slide) a lot too, and sometimes non-pedal steel. So my frame of reference is different from someone who only plays pedal steel and isn't happy with anything but a boatanchor amp with a 15" Black Widow or something like that. And most of the time, I actually prefer 12" speakers. My Session 400 is cut down for a Telonics 12" Neo 4 Ohm speaker. I like it just fine and weighs about the same as my Vibrolux Reverb with stock speakers or my Deluxe Reverb with a JBL D-120F. I also sometimes use some of TC Furlong's speakers that he was selling a while back. These neo speakers are, IMO, great-sounding clean speakers that can handle a lot of power and come in around 7-8 pounds.

A year ago, I had surgery that limited me to around 10 pounds for a few months. We knew this pandemic was coming and I wanted to play before it hit hard. My bandmates were OK hauling my gear, but I like to pull my own weight as much as I can. So I got a Quilter Tone Block 201 when MF was blowing them out. It's a really good sounding <5 pound amp, period - and I'm a tube amp guy mostly. Combined with one of my lightweight cabs with the Furlong, I could haul everything I needed in 2-3 trips except the steel, which the guys hauled. And it sounds very good, as far as I'm concerned. In fact, I've been doing some recording and, unlike my usual PITA approach of micing up an old tube amp, I just used the XLR out straight into the board with a little outboard reverb and delay. It's just fine, and I can record at 3am if I feel like it. Or if someone is doing laundry in the next room. Or if someone is chain-sawing trees next door.

They're tools. I use whatever works for the situation. A number of people have laughed at me bringing a Princeton Reverb to my surf band gigs, but it got the club owners off my back and sounds fine through the PA. So light is nice, but sometimes heavy is cool - still nothing like an old Twin Reverb to me. But that Quilter TB is pretty shocking. And unlike my other 'steel amps', I find it very good for guitar too. But I'm not gonna sell my old tube amps either.

[Ben Lawson]

In my previous post I wasn't trying to say that I had anything against the amps with 12" speakers. My playing is nowhere near most of you guys on the SGF. That's why I use the Session 400 and a D10 P/P. If the sound isn't what my outdated ears are used to, I choke up a bit, and my mind and fingers sometimes need to be reintroduced. I included a link to the Southern Steel Guitar Convention from a few years ago. If it opens, you all probably know the players but they are, Chuck Campbell, Joe Turner, Russ Hicks, Sid Hudson and me. Band members Wayne Smith, Jim Hartley and Bob Strickland. It was hard playing in front of those guys without tripping up some. Now that I just listened again I think my amp is a little muddy sounding.

https://youtu.be/YU8LTfwemk8

[Jerry Overstreet]

I don't really hear any mud in your tone Ben. Maybe a tad dry, but I just like a little more sparkle in my own tone. That looks like the NV112 that you spoke of, right?

I think you played very well and held your own in that situation, but I know what you mean. I know my limitations and at times feel inadequate when in the presence of some players.

You stated some of the issues I have when I don't have the gear I'm used to hearing. I'm still embarrassed about a performance in the late 90s, where I was asked to not bring my rig and just play through the house amps. Fell flat on my face...couldn't find the sound I'm used to, subsequently failed miserably. I'm envious of those that can play through those situations....guess that's what separates me from the pros.

I read about your cancer issue there and I'm wishing you well in dealing with that and for a successful treatment.

[Ben Lawson]

Jerry I never looked at the amp when I played the video, You're right it is the 1-12. Now I know why I didn't like the way it came through. It is intimidating playing around those pros but we're friends and it took a bit of the tension off. The reverb in that amp was inconsistent and I did get it fixed and sold it.
Thanks for the kind words about my playing and health, hopefully I'll get better with both!

[Keith Murrow]

I'm 57 and am planning for the future. I love my old MSA and I really prefer tube amps, so I'm voluntarily sticking with heavy gear. To compensate as I get older, I am currently working on getting things split up so each trip or handful aren't so heavy.

To make moving my guitar a bit easier, I switched to a split case for my '74 MSA Classic. For my amp, I've been using a '73 Twin Reverb for many years but am getting tired of carrying that much weight as a single unit. I bought a Bassman 135 head a while back and am currently saving for a separate 2-12 cabinet.

[Kevin Fix]

My amp is a Peavey NV112. Could not ask for a better sound for it's weight. I play a D10 Super Pro that I carry in split cases that has wheels on it. When I am setting up for a gig, I put my NV112 on its side and set my Guitar case on top of it to assembly it. Much easier to lift from the case and also to put it up. I use my C6 neck as much as possibly on what ever I feel it will sound good on. I am almost 70 also. I do what ever I can to make the job easier. Won't sacrifice my D10 for a single neck. Just me.....Love my Bud.... Oh, by the way, a Steel Guitar Black Box makes my NV112 sound as good as a tube amp. Just me.