What is your favorite steel guitar amp, past and/or present?

[Joe Shelby]

I'm partial to Fender tube amps. My first steel amp was a 1964 blonde bandmaster with a Fender tube reverb unit (1963-1964) which I used for practice and some gigs until I realized it wasn't powerful enough for what I needed at the time. I used a silverface super reverb with two of the speakers working. It had been modified (power amp?) by Magic Music Machines in Oakland. That amp wasn't mine, but that amp sounded the best
to me with the Sho-Bud Maverick I was using at the time.
I'm currently using a 1977 Fender twin reverb with a Catalinbread Topanga, which sounds better than the amp's internal reverb. I love the tone I get with it.
I'm asking what your favorite (amp/amps are). What has/had inspired you most. No regard for weight or recurring problems.

Joe

[Nick Fryer]

Sho-Bud Single Channel

[Dave Hopping]

My two faves are my late '80s Session 500 and '19 Milkman Half & Half 15" combo. I really like all the patch points on the 500, and I'm even more jazzed about the Milkman's feather-light grab-and-go-ness.

Close behind are my 2014 Twin Reverb Custom 15 and (Fox-chipped) 2007-ish NV112.

Never played through any of the other steel amps folks talk about (Steel King, Evans, Sho-Bud,Quilter, Webb, etc.) but I'd like to!

[Bill Duncan]

Early Session 400 with an Altec 15

[Erv Niehaus]

I bought a Fender Twin reverb back in 1966.
I ordered it with two JBL speakers and, as of this date, it is still my favorite amp.
Erv

[K Maul]

90s era Evans SE 150

[Tom Wolverton]

A late ‘63 non-reverb Deluxe

[Jack Stoner]

Past, SF Twin Reverb (AB768) with a K130 speaker.
Present Quilter Travis Toy 12. Best steel amp I've had since the Twin.

[Lee Baucum]

Evans

[Fred]

Mesa Maverick

[Jack Hanson]

LTD 400 w/BW 1501-4.

[Dave Mudgett]

If the band volume level permits it, I still love a vintage Deluxe Reverb. For steel, with a JBL D120F. Desert island amp for me, for either steel or guitar. With proper PA support, it can cut any gig for me.

I also love the tweed Fender 4x10 Bassman or blackface Fender Super Reverb. And of course, a blackface or early silverface Twin Reverb.

For practical pedal steel gigging volumes and ease of transport, I really like and use the Quilter Tone Block series with a lightweight cab and high-power 12" neo speaker. I'm using the 201, but the others also sound great to me. And for a solid-state Peavey amp, it's hard to beat the original 70s Session/LTD 400.

About 20 years ago, in a fit, I sold or traded several of my non-reverb amps, including a couple of tweed Fenders, opting for (mostly) Fenders with reverb. I quickly regretted that decision, and the advent of good digital reverbs makes lack of reverb, pretty much, a non-issue these days.

[Dennis Detweiler]

Past: 1974 Session 400. Still have it.
Present: Quilter amps and Revelation pre. Rack gear.

[John Poston]

Past, Session 500. Present, Milkman Creamer.
Interesting, they're very different kind of amps but some of the best at what they do.

Other amps I've played through that I can remember, Milkman 50W Sideman, Steelaire, TB202, The Amp 100, Nv112, Nv400, Nv1000, Fender Twin, Musicman HD212, Peavey Bandit 75, Blues Jr.

[gary pierce]

Past are Ltd 400 with Jbl k130, Telonics 500A, Stereo Steel
Present NV400 in a Huff cabinet with a TT115 speaker

[Johnie Helms]

Lab L9 for double duty.

[Noah Miller]

1947 National 1205. Warm, deep, round cleans with a good dose of compression.

[Peter Freiberger]

In the '70's I loved playing an S10 P/P Emmons with original s/c pickup through a friend's Twin with JBL's. Now a welded frame EMCI with a Telonics X10 pickup through a StereoSteel rig sounds great to me. Also through a Session 400, re-built to Brad Sarno specs.

[Fred Rogan]

A Milkman The Amp 100 into an 15" Eminence PF 400.

[GaryL]

Quilter Steelaire (combo amp, or rackmount(s) through cabs, depending on power needed)
Telonics preamp/ amp rackmounts (through cabs).
Cabs loaded with 15" Travis Toy speakers.

[Steve Mueller]

Milkman the Amp 100 through 16 ohm 12" Jupiter ceramic

[Doug Beaumier]

Quilter TT-15 (with Tone Block 202 head).

[Brett Cooper]

This…

[Tony Prior]

For me, for over 4 decades, it was a 1970 and then a 1971 Twin Reverb. Today its a DV Mark GH 250 (250 watt head-6 lbs) and a speaker cab. More than satisfied with tone and power.

Currently I am seeking a Styrofoam Double 10 which performs like the Emmons Legrand II.

[Richard Sinkler]

My alltime fave was a rack system with a Furman Sound PQ-3 Parametric EQ/Preamp, Furman RV-1 rackmount spring reverb, powered with a Peavey M3000 power amp. This fed into the Peavey/Jbl in a silver knob early Session 400 that the amp had died.

2) a Webb 6-14E head into a custom JBL spec'd cabinet with a K130.

3) Session 500

4)Nashville 400

5)Twin Reverb w/JBLs

6)Nashville 112

That lousy Session 400 does not even make this list. Worst amp I ever played through.