What amplification other than Peayey do you use - and why?

Martin Abend · Post by **Martin Abend** » 1 Dec 2000 5:27 am

I'm thinking about selling my guitar amp and getting a desent amp for my steel. Since Peavey's steel guitar amps are not available in Europe I have to search for alternatives, so I'd like to know from you what you use except for Peavey amps and cabinets, and what kind of sound you get with it.

Thanks!

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P Gleespen · Post by **P Gleespen** » 1 Dec 2000 5:33 am

Hi Martin,
A Fender Twin gets my vote.
Lloyd Green's playing through one on Charlie Pride's "Live at Panther Hall", and that's really sweet sounding.
They've got a real nice warm sound that's tough to get with solid state amps.

Matt Hutchinson · Post by **Matt Hutchinson** » 1 Dec 2000 8:16 am

I'm using a Fender 75. It's an '80s valve amp with a 15" speaker & good reverb. They're not too expensive compared to some other Fender valve amps either.

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 1 Dec 2000 7:40 pm

Martin, i use 2 Fender Twins w: JBL.
Unfortunatly, i don't find the 12" speakers
good for playin' on C6. E9 cuts it ok tho'!
Those who have the 15" speakers probably have the right sound.
Steel what ?

Sidney Malone · Post by **Sidney Malone** » 2 Dec 2000 6:23 am

Martin, I've been using one of Gerry Walkers Stereo Steel amps for about four years. It's got great tone plenty of volume and I haven't heard a better amp. Gerry is a great guy and when you talk to him your talking to the man that builds the amp. You can see his product and reach him at http://www.stereosteel.com

Good luck!!

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 2 Dec 2000 7:31 am

VHT 2/90/2 power amp with a Furman PQ-6 pre.

VHT 50st amp head.

With the VHT's I use a couple single 12"s in open back cabs.

An old Standel "the Custom" solid state combo.

I use these amps because I love how they sound. I'm in a great position in NYC to try out just about every amp there is in a working situation.
Fender amps do not work for me. There is a caraturistic dip in the mids that makes the highs sound shrill to my ear when I play. Other guys sound great through them so who knows ?

Check out bass amps. I have had real good luck with bass amps in back line rental in Europe. Also Marshall makes a great combo amp that should be available. When you check out tube(valve) amps I do not like those little EL84 power tubes. EL84's burn out real fast when you push them with a pedalsteel. They sound good but they don't last very long.

Bob

Tele · Post by **Tele** » 2 Dec 2000 8:34 am

Martin

if you really want a Peavey buy a used one and ship it to Germany. Shipping is about $200. I think you could find Peavey 400s for about $300 so it is affordable. Knowing what kind of music you want to play with your PSG I don't think that you would be satisfied with a Twin which I'd prefer over the Peavey.

Andy

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JB Arnold · Post by **JB Arnold** » 2 Dec 2000 9:45 am

It's the twin reverb. Definitely.

john

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Chris DeBarge · Post by **Chris DeBarge** » 2 Dec 2000 11:07 am

Martin,
Go for the Twin! A 70's Twin must be relatively easy to get over there, and with some TLC it can be made to sound great. Or if you get a newer reissue, be prepared to change the speakers and tubes.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 2 Dec 2000 11:47 am

I have a BF Twin Reverb, and a BF Super Twin Reverb. While the T/R has fabulous reverb, and is good for most tones, it just can't deliver the super-deep Chalker-type tones. The Super Twin (with its built-in graphic equalizer) can, and it is unmatched, IMHO. But, at almost 100 pounds, it's not for everyone! The reverb, too, is compromised in this amp because it's in the circuit ahead of the graphic EQ. Therefore, some tone settings virtually eliminate the reverb. But, if you want really monster power and tone in a small package, this amp has it!

I also use Peavey amps, and they do some things very well. I just wish they came with a graphic EQ.[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 02 December 2000 at 11:52 AM.]

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 2 Dec 2000 9:26 pm

I use a number of amps these days, none of them Peavey Session 400 derivatives.

Most recently, I have been playing with a Peavey Classic 30 with an external cab which is a Motion Sound guitar Leslie cab. The only efx I use with this setup has been a Full Drive 2 overdrive pedal (a TubeScreamer on steroids). This is a very cool sound, I disagree with Bob Hoffnar on EL84 tubes. In the right amp, they can sound great. I have noticed the same thing he did in terms of burning out tubes, but only with a Matchless amp. Groove Tubes has a very great EL84 tube that just came out which is clean but ballsy. It sounds great in the Classic 30, which is my favorite Peavey amp.

For larger gigs I add my THD prototype head, which is a 2Xel84 head, which has the most increadible dynamics of any amp I have ever played through (this is what I used for 90% of my album). I play this through either a THD cabinet with 2X10 speakers plus a JBL e120, or a single 12 cab with a Celestion. For efx I have been using the Lexicon MPX-G2, but since I lent mine to a friend I have been using the Boss VF-1, but just for echo, reverb, and wa effects.

So most of the gigs I do are easily handled by a 30 watt tube head plus a 15 watt head. But most of the work I do revolves around jazz, blues, rock and roll, or R&B, so I don't need a clean country sound.

For a loud, stone country gig, I would use my Kern bass preamp, the Boss efx, and my VHT 2/90/2 power amp.

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Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 3 Dec 2000 2:26 am

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 3 Dec 2000 2:48 am

To clarify I do like the sound of EL84 tubes. The amps that blew them out too fast where Matchless and VHT. I think that some amp builders run the plate voltage a bit too high in order to get them to sound like EL34's.

In Europe you need to be careful of with Fender amps. There is alot of weird crap over there that says Fender on it.

Have you checked out the Hughes and Kettner gear ? Anything I have used of theres has been real nice.

Bob[This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 03 December 2000 at 03:01 AM.]

Tele · Post by **Tele** » 3 Dec 2000 3:15 am

Martin,

you could find 70s Twins for about DM 800-1200 on www.ebay.de
If you like to buy one and are willing to put
a 15" speaker in it, I could help finding a JBL or EV. I'm trying to get a few for myself and a buddy of mine but the guy who sells them only wants to part with the whole lot.

Andy

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 3 Dec 2000 11:53 pm

Bob Hoffner is absolutely right about Fender stuff over yonder. I have see what looked to be a Fender Twin; be something with parts and speakers in it>I have never seen before.
Good advice brother Bob.
Oh and Bob; am I gunna see ya in New York this trip pal?
Ricky

Steve B · Post by **Steve B** » 4 Dec 2000 7:32 pm

My Ampeg rocket bass (100 watt single 15) sounds pretty good with pedal steel as well as acoustic guitar and bass (upright and electric). It looks pretty cool too. I also use a Bruce Zinky made tube head, kind of a Tone Master / Showman kind of thing w/ lots off power. It sounds pretty good, but I don't think the volume is quite there with psg.

Robert Parent · Post by **Robert Parent** » 4 Dec 2000 9:07 pm

For a rack system I use a Roland GP-100 processor with a Stewart PA100B power amp into EV EVM12L speakers.

I also have a couple Music Man amps with both JBL and EV speakers. Both systems work well and sound great. IMHO there are many good choices available on the market today other than PV.

J D Sauser · Post by **J D Sauser** » 5 Dec 2000 6:32 am

At a convention, I once saw one of the rack amp systems (sorry, forgot the name :O) Herby Wallace used to offer, from time to time, over at the Buy-Sell section of this Forum, at a quite low price. It's a tube pre-amp and a MOS-valve (SS) power amp. They had a 110V/220V switch on the back!
Funny thing was, that I had once asked Herby per e-mail, when he had a sale on these things, if he could get a 220V version... and he didn't know.
Anyway, this MAY be a good option for you over in Europe, as these things are relatively light (you can buy the speaker(s) in Europe).

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Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 5 Dec 2000 7:41 am

JD
I use a Mosvalve 500 (older model than Herby's which I believe is the 1500 -- basically the same amp) in my rack with a Digitech 2112 and it is NOT light weight. You may be confusing it with the Stewart power amp which is much lighter. John Hughey was using the Stewart with an Evans preamp and Lexicon effects in his rack when I saw him last April and it sounds very good (but I think John would sound good through anything).

The Tubeworks (Mosvalve) Website
On that website under Mosvalve 1500 Specs, it does appear to support 240V / 50/60Hz.

I don't like lugging it but, for larger gigs, it does deliver the goods. With a tube preamp you get some of those warm fuzzies, kinda reminiscent of a Twin only louder (if you need it). Just my opinion.

LTB

J D Sauser · Post by **J D Sauser** » 5 Dec 2000 10:26 am

I didn't think it was "light weight". What I meant to say, is that it is probably lighter than a combo amp (Fender Twin, Peavey 400/500/1000 or 2000) that comes with a big heavey cabinet and speaker or two, which he can easily purchase in Europe... The idea was to keep the shipping cost from the US to Germany down (not low.. just down a little...

)

BTW: It wouldn't surprise me if the Steward had a 110/220 switch.
And how about Gerry Walker. He makes his amp pretty custom... He may... you know (?)

... J-D.

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The future belongs to culture.

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Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 5 Dec 2000 12:34 pm

Import laws have eliminated that voltage switch aspect on many american amps.

Man, I would just find a German amp company if I was in Germany. Germans make good stuff. Plus it would be fun to work with local guys. Its easyer to get it right. An american amp like Peavey or Fender is not going to be any better than a well made local amp.

Bob

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Tele · Post by **Tele** » 5 Dec 2000 12:55 pm

there are not so many German amps mad over here. Actually I don't know a company that makes a decent clean amp !

Andy

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 6 Dec 2000 10:09 am

Germany
http://www.hughes-and-kettner.com/
http://www.engl-amps.com/
in Sweden
http://home3.swipnet.se/~w-33116/index.htm
Netherlands
http://www.koch-amps.com/

there are loads more...

If you include England as part of Europe

there are some of the best amp builders in the world. Harry Joyce himself is back at it. He built the Hiwatt amp which is one of the most famous for clean tone amps ever.

My personal favorite "clean" steel tone comes from using a VHT power amp that was designed for metal head guitar players. For the extra money it would take in Europe to buy an american made plain old consumer level stock amp you could have an amp hand built locally.

Try stuff out and base your choice on how it sounds.

Bob

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Franklin D-10

J D Sauser · Post by **J D Sauser** » 6 Dec 2000 4:33 pm

Yeah, Bob may be right. I wouldn't surprised that thereare some little geniouses out there building or with the ability to built a beautiful amp. Here, they call'em botique shops... Anyway, when I look at some of my best souding amps (sigle ended class A, 2x 6V6 power-tubes), there's almot nothig in there. There are also kits available. All you need is a 220V transvormer that gears it up to what... 300V? Anyway, a JBL and...
Grundig btw, made some of the very best tubes ever!

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The future belongs to culture.

jaydee@bellsouth.net