My 1985 Evans FET-500LV

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 5 Dec 2017 7:36 am

My old Evans amp has been in the closet for quite some time now. I've been using other amps at home and on the bandstand.

Yesterday I rolled it out and played my BMI through it for about a half-hour.

Sheesh! I had forgotten how wonderful it sounds!

My great-sounding Fender Steel King went into the closet for a while.

Lee, from South Texas

Graham Bland · Post by **Graham Bland** » 6 Dec 2017 10:23 am

Lee,

I know exactly what you mean!...I used mine last weekend and was thinking Derrell Stephens and Jim Evans hit it on the head with the creation of this amp!!!! and it didn't cost $2,500.00 either!!!

Danny Naccarato · Post by **Danny Naccarato** » 9 Dec 2017 8:59 am

Hey Lee. Did I sell that to you?

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 9 Dec 2017 6:09 pm

Danny - Derrel built the amp for me back in 1985.

Danny Naccarato · Post by **Danny Naccarato** » 10 Dec 2017 7:19 am

OK. I know I had sold mine to someone from South Texas about 15 years ago. I bought it from Bud Carter in '84. Derrell had built it for him just a couple of months before he sold it to me. He had put an effects loop on the back along with an attenuator. Wish I had never sold it.

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 9 Feb 2020 6:32 pm

I used the old Evans amp on the bandstand Friday and Saturday night. What a great sounding amp.

Tim Whitlock · Post by **Tim Whitlock** » 9 Feb 2020 9:35 pm

They are great sounding amps! The unique control options let you dial in classic pedal steel sounds from thin and twangy to fat and juicy. The big JBL E130 pumps out pure tone. Alas - I can no longer bear the weight of my FET 500 or my Twin Reverb. I schlepped them around for 20 years without a care but time has caught up with me. Gonna have to let them go.

Jon Light · Post by **Jon Light** » 10 Feb 2020 5:06 am

I really liked my HV FET500. Took it to a generator powered outdoor gig and fried it, years ago. Getting it fixed had been on my to do list forever. Then 3 years ago in the process of lightening up for my move, I gave it away to someone willing to come & get it. (Lloyd Schwartz of Tech 21 who just passed away at NAMM a couple of weeks ago.)

George Kimery · Post by **George Kimery** » 10 Feb 2020 8:27 am

Lee, you sound like me. I bought a new Derrell Stephens built FET 500 LV in 1985. It was my only amp for 20 years. I sold it and have went through every steel guitar amp built except the high end boutique amps I can't afford. I have been guilty of trying all the latest amps that people rave about on the forum.I am now back to Evans. I have a stereo rack mount and an SE 200 combo. I also have a Stereo Steel in my rack. To my ears, Evans is hard to beat.

I have a friend that I'm going to be getting with soon to try out his new Twin Tone Master. It's possible I may love it, especially if I listen to all the rave reviews, but this has led me astray almost every time in the past. After 50 years of experimenting, I will probably stick with my Evans and JBL's the rest of my life. And I have tried a lot of different speakers too.

Tony Edwards · Post by **Tony Edwards** » 11 Feb 2020 3:30 pm

I had an Evans FET500LV amp. It was the best sounding amp I ever had. I wish I hadn't sold it. I tried a Fender that sounded good, but came back to an Evans. I tried a Roland that sounded great, but came back to Evans. I tried several Peaveys and two Quilters and came back to Evans. Now I'm trying a Telonics. It's the closest thing I've had to the FET500.

Larry Dering · Post by **Larry Dering** » 12 Feb 2020 3:40 am

Tony, it will be interesting to see if you end up staying with Telonics over the Evans. I have been down the latest amp path too. Now I'm cooling my heels and trying to stay with my Sarno Revelation, Lexicon mpx1, and a power amp. For lightweight amps the Quilter micropro mach2 12 inch combo or the Fender Mustang 111 v2. Like George I have speaker cabs out the wazoo.

Tony Edwards · Post by **Tony Edwards** » 12 Feb 2020 8:00 am

Larry, I am keeping the Telonics, but I am also keeping my Evans SE-200 which has the new Peavey neo 1501-4 speaker from out of the new session 115 in it. sounds great!

Larry Dering · Post by **Larry Dering** » 12 Feb 2020 10:46 am

Good to hear Tony.

Dean Holman · Post by **Dean Holman** » 15 Feb 2020 1:25 pm

I have a Evans amp that Derrell Stephens built for me in 1990. I love that amp but I want to shed some weight off of it. What brand of Neo speaker do you all think would sound the best in that. I love the sound of the Eclipse that is in there, so even a Neo thatâ€™s sounds pretty close to the Eclipse, would suit me fine. For a solid state amp, I just really like the sound of that old Evans.

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 15 Feb 2020 2:06 pm

Dean Holman wrote:I have a Evans amp that Derrell Stephens built for me in 1990. I love that amp but I want to shed some weight off of it. What brand of Neo speaker do you all think would sound the best in that. I love the sound of the Eclipse that is in there, so even a Neo thatâ€™s sounds pretty close to the Eclipse, would suit me fine. For a solid state amp, I just really like the sound of that old Evans.

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Dean Holman · Post by **Dean Holman** » 15 Feb 2020 5:34 pm

Lee, how much would you say the Eclipse speaker weighs?

Steven Paris · Post by **Steven Paris** » 17 Feb 2020 7:33 pm

Are those Evans amps using discrete components or ICs?

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 6 Feb 2023 6:57 pm

It has been right at 3 years since I last used my Evans on the bandstand.

We played at a big fundraiser for a local Boys and Girls Club this past Saturday night.

My BMI sounded so good. I always forget what a great amp it is.

Willie Sims · Post by **Willie Sims** » 7 Feb 2023 11:43 am

STEVEN MY EVANS 500 HAS THREE MODUALS ,POWER IN ,POWER AMP OUT AND PREAMP IN.REAL EASEY TO WORK ON.THE MODUALS JUST PLUG IN.REMOVE ONE SCREW AND PULL THEM OUT,IF YOU NEED ONE REPAIRED JUST MAIL IT TO DERRELL STEPHENS.

Marty Holmes · Post by **Marty Holmes** » 8 Feb 2023 10:45 am

I bought a 82' large cab Evans Fet 500 back in July sent it to my technician he went through it and put brand new caps in it that is the most amazing sounding solid state amplifier I've ever heard in my life playing a Sierra and a lashley LaGrande through it has a Travis toy speaker just phenomenal amazing tone.

Tommy Shown · Post by **Tommy Shown** » 20 Feb 2023 1:49 pm

I remember when my NV 400 was in for repair. And I borrowed Billy Tam's FET 500. The reverb was broke so I had to hook up my Pro Fex to it. And I was blown away by how warm it sounded.

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My 1985 Evans FET-500LV

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