Solid State vs Tube for lap?

[Ryan Lunenfeld]

Howdy ya'll

Well I know I'm probably beating a dead horse.

But how many of you prefer SS vs Tube?

I picked up a PSG recently, and got a quilter steelaire to match. I've got 3 tube amps(fender blues jr, blackheart little giant, and a gibson RET77 that needs repairs). I know the first 2 I listed aren't the highest of quality. the RET77 is great quality, but needs work.

I don't really have the space for two big amps.

But was wondering how many use solid state instead of tube for lap? It seems pretty coming for PSG...

Maybe I'm just liking the quilter due to it being new and high quality and the other stuff, just not as fancily featured.

There's always the milkman amps though, no?

Just a quick ponders!

And sorry about the horse

[Doug Taylor]

I have been real happy with the Tonemaster Twin on both lap and pedals!

[D Schubert]

If you're going to have just one small amp: Quilter MicroPro 8

[Ryan Lunenfeld]

I have been real happy with the Tonemaster Twin on both lap and pedals!

how are the effects?

[Doug Taylor]

I only use the reverb, it sounds good but comes on strong fast. But I love the sound

[Godfrey Arthur]

Depends on how you like your lap to sound. I've always been a Lindley fan.

[K Maul]

I sometimes use a Danelectro DM-10 tube amp for recording but I’m about as happy with my Quilter Aviator or Tone Block 202 into a 12” speaker (or sometimes direct) with the gain cranked. I did have a Blues Jr long ago and liked it a lot.

[Tim Whitlock]

Tubes all the way. Your Blues Junior should be just dandy for lap steel.

[Rob Anderlik]

Over the past 5 years I've tried out and owned a few different amps for my lap steel and my experience is nothing beats a tube amp for warmth and organic goodness. At one point I owned a Quilter Steelaire and I have to say it sounded really, really good. Especially for clean style playing. The reverb and vibrato are top notch! That said, once I compared it side by side at a couple of gigs with a friends Deluxe Reverb there was really no comparison. The Quilter sounded great but by comparison was a little sterile sounding where the Deluxe had that organic warmth that only tubes can provide. This was not only my opinion but also the guys in my band as we did the A/B during sound check on a couple of occasions. Later on I had a custom amp built built - A Wolf O'Lux by Wolf Amps in Chicago which is based on a blackface Princeton circuit which is what I use most of the time now. If I'm after a high gain sound I also have a Fuchs ODS Classic which is a Dumble style tube amp which eliminates the need to use an overdrive pedal with the amp and sounds way better than an amp with an overdrive pedal for high gain playing.

[Ryan Lunenfeld]

Tubes all the way. Your Blues Junior should be just dandy for lap steel.

I think it is too, but sometimes the harmonic break up I feel is out of my control. I like to choose when things sound organic or don’t. I actually prefer my black heart little giant sound wise , and band mates have agreed . I guess I just gotta get my Gibson ret77 fixed up. And okay all of em !

How about those milk men ? One of the things with tube for me is the weight and stage reliability. I only play small shitty venues and tubes worry me ! Haha … the well rather I’m invited to play at them but with covid….

[b0b]

I can't think of a scenario where I'd prefer a solid state preamp over tubes. For pedal steel, I don't mind solid state power if I need to get loud. I use the Milkman Half and Half. It has the weight advantage.

For lap steel, the power section almost has to be tubes because of the styles of music played on it. Classic country, western swing, Hawaiian, blues, rock - all seem to require at least a bit of power tube "hair".

[Gene Tani]

My first tube amp was Blackheart Little Giant into Egnator 1x12, I remember it sounding very good on PSG and lap and fretted guitars, but kind of a high noise floor and no effect loop. So now i won't look at anything unless it has the effect loop.

Crate and Blacheart make some really good underrated budget tube heads.

[Brooks Montgomery]

I have a ‘65 Blackface Princeton with RCA tubes (sweet!), a Pignose G40 ,
an old old suitcase tweed tube De Armond, a Quilter Toneblock 201 (with Black Box).
And a Fender Twin Reverb Tone Master. And other weird amps too obscure to list.

I will be accused of getting kickbacks because I keep mentioning it, but by far my favorite is the Fender Twin Reverb tone master. Yes, even though it is a tube imposter— It’s attenuator watt selector allows it to do what my other amps won’t do: small room practice, or outdoor gig blasting. I too used to turn up my nose to SS amps. The Twin Reverb: For me, blues harp, lap steel, pedal steel, various electric guitars, and lately I’ve even been messing with running a Gibson L-00 thru it (probably the least appropriate application).

It weighs 7 pounds less than my Princeton. If my house was on fire, it’s the first amp I would grab and run with.
(After all my guitars, guns, and rods 😎)

[Steven Paris]

Well, the way I see it is that a BIG advantage of playing a lap steel over a pedal steel is portability. And if you want a good sounding, battery-powered lap steel amplifier, you have to go solid-state, such as one of the Roland Cube models. Then you can go anywhere!

[Peter Leavenworth]

Since I don't care for distortion in my own pedal steel playing, lap steel is where breaking up is what it's all about. And that calls for tubes. So I have the original Supro amp that my first Supro lap steel came with - but it has an 8" speaker and no tone control, but sounds wonderfully nasty.
I recently bought a Vox AC-10 and it's just fantastic for lap steel. I got it for that Class A tube sound for guitar but it also really works for blues or rock with the "string-through" pickups on the old Supros.

[Fred Treece]

I suppose there is a good reason why you never hear about “A great new tube amp that very effectively emulates the sound of the best vintage solid state amps ever made”.

On the other hand, I have managed on occasion to get crap tone out of a couple or three of the most highly regarded tube amps ever, and damn decent tone from mass-marketed SS gear. It’s all about tweaking those dials. I imagine if you put the same steel guitar through a vintage Twin and a Tone Master, sitting there side by side and being dialed in by someone who knows both amps inside out, you still might be able to tell the difference, but you would probably also say they both sound pretty darn good.

[John Limbach]

All great replies.

However, all you have to do to get the answer is listen to Bobby Ingano play. First time I heard him in person I asked him what he was using to get that fantastic sound. He walked me back to the stage and pointed to the Mobile Cube under his chair. I've since been with him several times and he was still using the little portable cube and making the rest of us sound like the hackers we are.

Conclusive proof to me that the as the old cliche goes "the tone is in the hands".

[George Redmon]

I can't think of a scenario where I'd prefer a solid state preamp over tubes.

Me neither......

The Peavey Nashville 112 was the last solid state amp i owned. I needed a light pak-N-go amp. I was told by both Mike Brown, and Bobbe Seymour, that the Peavey Nashville112 amp is probably not for me, and the styles i was playing.....but did i listen..... I talked Bobbe into selling me one anyways. Gawd i tried everything in that amp. From reverb tanks, to speakers, to the Ken Fox mod..... The reverb on that thing just roared on it's own... a nasty spring reverb circuit on it. I finally admitted defeat and sold it cheap with cover, here on the forum, with a smiling "good riddance".

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... +nashville

[George Redmon]

AAAhhh.... Yes Godfrey, The Dumble. In my humble opinion, the very finest tube amp ever made. Not only do i think so, but so did Merle Haggard. Merle had one custom built. Just think, for a mere $160,000 ..... chump change, weekend playing tips for some.

https://patch.com/washington/seattle/se ... ifier-sale

[Jack Hanson]

Me and my current fave:

1979 AA764 and vintage Jensen C8R in a late model Mojotone cab. Might hafta put a mic on it when you play Red Rocks.

[George Redmon]

Very Nice Jack.....

That's what i was exactly looking for, when i needed a small lite amp......dang