Peavey Session 500 Mark IV Series

Don Mogle · Post by **Don Mogle** » 13 Jan 2022 9:38 pm

I have a chance to get Session 500 Mark IV for almost a give-away price. It's blowing fuses and has no speaker. In other words, a good candidate to make into a head unit. Should I take a risk?

Please share your experiences with this amp. Thanks!

Don

Dave Hopping · Post by **Dave Hopping** » 13 Jan 2022 11:16 pm

I have one, from the late '70s.Brutally heavy,but sounds sublime.I vote yes.

Murray McDowall · Post by **Murray McDowall** » 14 Jan 2022 1:01 am

Hi Don,
I have done the same with my 500. I used 3/8” ply for the head cab and it still weighed in at about 42 pounds (19kg).
Great amp though. Just too damn heavy!! Depending on your pickups, you may need to use input 2 (lower gain), to avoid overdriving the first stage of the amp. Mine sounded a bit harsh in input 1.
I’ve had mine for many years and only ever replaced an output driver transistor, and had my right shoulder repaired!!!

Good luck with your project.

Don Mogle · Post by **Don Mogle** » 14 Jan 2022 9:08 am

Thanks Dave and Murray!

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 14 Jan 2022 1:05 pm

I had one of the original model Session 500's (smaller cabinet). To me, best Peavey steel amp I've had, if I disregard weight.

Considering age, I would suspect power supply caps. May be other problems too but check power supply first.

John Poston · Post by **John Poston** » 14 Jan 2022 1:23 pm

Session 500 is the best solid state amp ever built for steel in ny opinion.

I had a strange thing once where I needed one of the chips replaced and there are no replacements anymore so a different chip had to be used and put on a little bread board with a couple other caps or resistors or something.

I dunno it was a long time ago but thankfully had someone knowledgable enough to handle it.

Don Mogle · Post by **Don Mogle** » 14 Jan 2022 10:20 pm

Can anyone tell me if these amps ever came stock with a 1501 Black Widdow?

Murray McDowall · Post by **Murray McDowall** » 15 Jan 2022 1:08 am

I got mine SH without a mark on it with a BW 1501-4 in it.
As far as I know it was standard.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 15 Jan 2022 3:15 am

The 1502-4 was the stock speaker. If a different speaker is installed it was user added. Peavey used the 1502-4 in early Nashville 400's too. Didn't start using the 1501-4 until 1989/1990 in Nashville 400.

There were two cabinet sizes, the original "small" cabinet and a later larger cabinet. Peavey was considering an 18" speaker, but that never materialized.

Larry Moore · Post by **Larry Moore** » 23 Jan 2022 6:11 pm

I have a Emmons Hum-Bucker pickup It looks like the Emmons 108 pickups, but don't have 108 on the bottom side.
It has Emmons M5189. Can anyone help me I. D. this Pickup?
see picture below:

Thanks in advance
Larry

Larry Moore · Post by **Larry Moore** » 23 Jan 2022 7:14 pm

Don I'm sorry I clicked the wrong thing
MY Bad
I did not mean to do that.

Don Mogle · Post by **Don Mogle** » 24 Jan 2022 12:03 pm

No problem Larry...honest mistake

Don Mogle · Post by **Don Mogle** » 24 Jan 2022 9:44 pm

For those of you who have owned the Session 500, could you tell me HOW WELL the string effect and phaser actually worked?

Did the string effect sound close to the Boss Tone? Does a single string ride really sound like a violin(s)?

Did the phaser sound like the Boss units (or whatever Waylon used)?

Thanks,

Don

John Poston · Post by **John Poston** » 25 Jan 2022 1:23 pm

The string effect is just a bad (IMO) solid state distortion and I'm not really sure what string groupings were supposed to be used or reverb or other settings were supposed to be so I never got it really working for anything in any meaningful fashion.

The phaser sound is peak late-70s vibe and I think it sounds great. Only pedal I've used is Phase 90 and that had a bit of an overdriven sound when I really layed into the steel whereas Session 500 onboard is very clean.

Don Mogle · Post by **Don Mogle** » 25 Jan 2022 4:48 pm

Thanks John and Dave for the input on the string effect and phaser functions!

Patrick Huey · Post by **Patrick Huey** » 26 Jan 2022 4:58 am

Don Mogle wrote:Thanks John and Dave for the input on the string effect and phaser functions!

I don’t use the strings effect but the phaser is awesome. Don if you can make a head n cabinet out of it DO IT! It will make toting it way easier. Then you can have a nice speaker cabinet made….a nice Black Widow 4x15 maybe?

Murray McDowall · Post by **Murray McDowall** » 1 Feb 2022 9:40 pm

Hi again Don,
Another thing I remembered, after converting my Session 500 to a head unit, it had a hum that was very annoying. Turned out, the two chassis’ had to be insulated from one another. Probably an earth loop or something. Just a piece of gaffer tape does the trick.
All the best with your conversion.

Don Mogle · Post by **Don Mogle** » 1 Feb 2022 10:15 pm

OK...thanks for the tip!

I've noticed that most of theses two-part chassis have about 1/8" gap to deal with this issue.

Bobby Harris · Post by **Bobby Harris** » 7 Feb 2022 2:59 am

I had a peavey session 500 for years they sound good

Ronnie Sellers · Post by **Ronnie Sellers** » 29 May 2023 12:50 pm

Where can I find the same speaker grill material for my session 500.
It doesn't feel like cloth, more like plastic.
Any help would be appreciated

Patrick Huey · Post by **Patrick Huey** » 29 May 2023 1:55 pm

Ronnie Sellers wrote:Where can I find the same speaker grill material for my session 500.
It doesn't feel like cloth, more like plastic.
Any help would be appreciated

https://www.ebay.com/itm/325632906879?m ... media=COPY

The Steel Guitar Forum

Peavey Session 500 Mark IV Series

Peavey Session 500 Mark IV Series

Session 500

Session 500

Emmons Hum-Bucker

String Effect and Phaser

Session 500

Re: Session 500

S-500

Session 500

Speaker Grill Covering

Re: Speaker Grill Covering