What amp you guys use for the pedal steel?

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » 14 Nov 2003 9:05 am

Raj,
My name is Mike Brown and I am a steeler and have worked for Hartley Peavey at the factory for close to 29 years. I have been playing steel since 1985 and continue to play in clubs on weekends now. My interest in the electric guitar began in 1963 or so. I believe that I am qualified to answer your questions about Peavey products.

First of all, the Nashville 1000 was never intended to sound like a tube amp, but maybe it does have some tube characteristics to some players. I personally prefer a solid state amp for my steel guitar and a tube amp for electric six string. It's subjective and as you notice here, everyone seems to have a different preference.

To provide a brief overview of our involvement in the steel guitar community, we introduced our first true steel guitar amplifier in 1974 and it was called the Session 400. Scotty and Peavey have been the major sponsors of the St.Louis Steel Guitar Convention since 1976, we have introduced more steel amp models since that time than any other amp manufacturer. We are also a sponsor at the Texas Steel Guitar Jamboree. I, as well as several authorized Peavey dealers(who are also steelers)participate on this Forum daily. You can inquire about Peavey products by calling our toll free consumer phone line at 1-877-732-8391 Monday through Friday from 8am-5pm CST.

I could go on and on with our involvement of the steel guitar community, but I think that the bottom line is that we are more involved than any major amplifier manufacture in the world. I invite your inquiries.

Dave Doggett, the Nashville 1000 has a paper cone. Always has.

Jeff, we began installing the Peavey mod kit into Nashville 400's starting with serial number 08575482. All Nashville 1000 amps have this kit incorporated into its circuitry.

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 14 Nov 2003 9:28 am

Gentleman,

You may post all the other amps you wish, and I believe you how much you like them, but the facts remain, the overwhelming amps that steel players use; is the Peavey.

As dear friend Mike Brown says, "sound is subjective". And indeed it is. But if there was ever a consensus when it comes to a PSG amp, it is Peavey, HANDS down.

I love my Fender Twin reverb when playing my pre war Rick bakelite steel. But NO way would I ever be happy with this amp on my PSG's. They simply are too warm for the sound that is in my head (and the sound I must have) when it comes to the PSG. And that sound has never come from any amp but a Peavey.

And from the looks of thing, I do not believe I am alone,

I laud Hartley Peavey and all his crew (including Mike) for their dedication to us.

carl

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 14 Nov 2003 9:37 am

Mike Brown, thanks for all your hard work on Steel amps over the years. Us players really benefit from your research.

BTW, I got the Vactrols for the Encore 65 out of Allied Electronics for $3.79 ea. Thanks for the help.

When did you post the note on the Peavey website about the purpose of the Pre-EQ out & In on the front panel of the NV400? The NV400 manual was kinda ambiguous about these jacks intended purpose. Thanks for clearing that issue up. Now I gotta get two more long cables for the foot pedal.

Emmons SD-10, Dekley S-10, Nashville 400, DeltaFex, Encore 65, Express 112 (Who's Peavey?)[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 14 November 2003 at 09:42 AM.]

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 14 Nov 2003 10:06 am

I also like the Nashville 1000, much better than the 400.

Dennis Wood · Post by **Dennis Wood** » 14 Nov 2003 10:32 am

I prefer my old model nash400 with the chrome corners over my Fender twin or my Peavey Tubefex for steel. The twin and effects processor are great for six stirng tele or lespaul but i want my steel to sound like a pedal steel guitar not an organ, piano, slide blues guitar etc. But as Mike B said,, tone is subjective. Just my two cents...
dw

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Sierra U-12 Crown Gearless, Peavey Nashville 400,
1971 Fender Twin Reverb,
Peavey Tubefex,
Peavey Stereo 212,
Peavey TT Bandit w/ex speaker. Regal Reso, Tele, Strat, 1970 Les Paul Std.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 14 Nov 2003 11:38 am

I'm a "combo" guy, so mostly, I use my Peavey Stereo Chorus 212. Good power (2x130watts), nice stereo chorus sound, and a decent digital reverb and delay. Adding the LeMay mod took the tone from "fair" to "very good" (Think Session 500.) It's my feeling that if this amp had a graphic EQ, and a variable reverb/delay (instead of presets...man, how I hate presets!), it would have today's ULTIMATE combo amp, bar none.

Nothing on the market (even "boutique" amps) could have competed with it.

Period.

The 1000 is a fine, and very powerful amp, but is slightly lacking in bottom end for my own tastes. As far as "tone heaven", my Fender Super Twin Reverb wins that award, hands down. GOD, it's an awesome amp! Weight and inadequate reverb are it's serious drawbacks, though.

Joerg Hennig · Post by **Joerg Hennig** » 14 Nov 2003 11:41 am

I have tried all the major Peavey amps, the Nashville 400, the 1000 and the new one with the 12 inch speaker, and have not been able to get the sound I want out of any of them. And yes, I did twist the knobs a lot and tried different "midrange" settings. Fender tube amps work for me. I used to have a 135 watt Twin, which is great for steel because it has the most headroom, but traded it in for a 100 watt Vibrosonic with JBL D-130F speaker, because I liked that one even better. Now and then, for smaller settings, I also use my MusicMan 210 which has a very agressive character but that fits my playing quite well. I don´t like that mellow sound that most seem to prefer these days. It´s just, different strokes for different folks. Try out a lot of amps and get what YOU like best.

Regards, Joe H.

Buck Dilly · Post by **Buck Dilly** » 14 Nov 2003 1:05 pm

I love my Vibrosonic W/JBL D 130. Every amp has drawbacks. THe Vibro is a bit noisy. But at regular volumes, even in the studio it is quite manageable. The punch is out of this world! I have a Lab Series L5 as a back up Amp. It sounds a bit like a Peavey or other transister amp.

Bill Moore · Post by **Bill Moore** » 15 Nov 2003 9:49 am

My ears prefer the sound of two amps or a 2 channel power amp with 2 speakers. The sound is bigger, wider and deeper. At every steel show I've attended, the players using dual amps or a power amp rig, always sound better, then those using a single amp. For example, Joe Wright played in Grand Rapids this spring, and did his usual fine job, using a single amp, but later in the summer, at Toledo, he used two NV400's, I think he used the same Profex II both times. The difference was instantly noticable and much better at Toledo. Herby Wallace always sounds great with his power amp rig.

Question for Steve Stallings: How would you compare the VHT to the ProfexII into the NV 400 and PX300? It may not be fair to compare the 2 channel power amp rig to any single amp. I think most folks would be very pleased with a Profex II into 2 NV 400,s or 1000,s. Certainly you would be getting a great value for your investment with that rig.

Just my few cents worth.

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Bill Moore...
my steel guitar web page

[This message was edited by Bill Moore on 15 November 2003 at 09:51 AM.]

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 15 Nov 2003 12:41 pm

i use the 2 lines out from my Hilton VP.
1 into a Nash1K w: a little reverb and 2 into my PA Peavey Euro 6 cabs /Crown amp/Yamaha Console for the effects side(MPX1)
of things.
it's as good to me as it is for me.....

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 15 Nov 2003 5:06 pm

I just spent the afternoon testing a couple prototypes for the Standel steel amp. I thought it was the best thing I've heard yet and it won't be inexpensive.

Gino Iorfida · Post by **Gino Iorfida** » 16 Nov 2003 8:33 am

Has anyone ever done a side by side comparison of the Nashville 1000 to one of the original Session 400's (not the 400 LTD)? I have an original Session 400, and love it, however, if the opportunity to do a trade for a nashville 1000 came up, I'd want to know if ti would be a worthwhile trade.

... and I'll say this, if a Peavey steel guitar amp is good enough for Buddy Emmons, Lloyd Green, and the countless numbers of the other 'big guys' hey, they are more than good enough for me.[This message was edited by Gino Iorfida on 16 November 2003 at 08:39 AM.]

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 16 Nov 2003 9:08 am

I wouldn't recommend it Gino. Keep the discrete j-fet circuit. That Session 400 is a magic box that has a warmth and sweetness the 1000 can never achieve. Not to knock the 1000, but more to praise the 400.

Brad Sarno

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 16 Nov 2003 10:58 am

Webb 614-E two piece
Peavey Session 2000
Peavey PX300
Peavey Session 500
Enhancer (small)
The Webb is the A team for me.[This message was edited by Gary Walker on 16 November 2003 at 09:22 PM.]

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 16 Nov 2003 11:47 am

steel guitar amp is good enough for Buddy Emmons

I had the good fortune to be able to test Buddy's Standel.....This isn't intended to be a slam on Peavey, but to temper what appears to be an infomercialand a recognition that the top players have other amps.[This message was edited by chas smith on 16 November 2003 at 01:17 PM.]

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 16 Nov 2003 1:24 pm

I have a slightly heretical system.
A TubeFex unit patched into a Hartke 350 W amp with a 2.5 bass cab which has a tweeter.
It has more balls than I ever need.

I have played a few classic D-10 push-pulls through a Peavey Nashville and an Evans.
The later was my preference, a very sweet sounding amp.

I also played a S-10 PP throught a Fender twin in open air, at a festival and it sounded pretty good like that.

I have played Crowbears, The Profesional andmy Pro-II through his system and it sounds sweet.

There is a used Transtube sitting under a stack of other amps at my local store, and I am likely to pick that up as a smaller amp that can duplicate my existing sound and still have midi patch changes.[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 16 November 2003 at 01:27 PM.]

Steve Stallings · Post by **Steve Stallings** » 17 Nov 2003 9:58 am

Question for Steve Stallings: How would you compare the VHT to the ProfexII into the NV 400 and PX300? It may not be fair to compare the 2 channel power amp rig to any single amp. I think most folks would be very pleased with a Profex II into 2 NV 400,s or 1000,s. Certainly you would be getting a great value for your investment with that rig.

I like the Profex II into the PX300 and believe that if I had two of the PX300's it would be great. I have played a Nashville 2000 into a PX300 and it was pretty impressive. I think the biggest difference between the VHT and the Peavey is bottom end. There also is a very pleasing warmth to the sound of the VHT from the tubes. I think the PV sound is very good.

I'm not slamming PV at all. I think they are great. I just don't agree that a Nashville 400 or 1000 is the equal of a several thousand dollar system.

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » 17 Nov 2003 12:22 pm

Ray, here's a link to my article from the Peavey website;http://www.peavey.com/media/pdf/steelgu ... qpatch.pdf

Gino Iorfida · Post by **Gino Iorfida** » 17 Nov 2003 2:34 pm

price does not equal performance in all cases. Sometimes one can hear differences in a more expensive system due only to the price.
I'll relay experience I ahve with 6 string guitar, and no doubt it will relate to PSG (which I'm a proud peavey owner there as well!) :
I built amps as a business for a while. They had 'the sound' to them, however, what do I gig with for my 6 string work? a Peavey Transformer. Any difference in tone? yes. was it enough to be heard mixed with oother instruments in a lve setting? no. Likewise, i could take one of my killer amps, and put in not so good tubes, or a different loudspeaker, and the tone wasn't as perfect. What am I saying? I went for years trying differnt rigs etc.. My first amp was a peavey bandit... loved it... moved to a rack setup into a peavey deuce, then tried the 'all tube' route with a Carvin. Hated it.. sold it and got a Classic 30 peavey. Loved it, however, I 'thought' a real marshall and/or real fender would sound better, so I had both. They weighed a ton, and didn't sound all that much different... So I enter a band that I need more versatility thatn the stock amps could deliver, so I added all the stompboxes to get what I want. The sound was there, but I had to riverdance between songs, So I went the modelling amp way (of course wanted a peavey,but got a deal I coulndt refuse on a vox... and didn't like it...) so what am I using now? A peavey transformer 212... point is, over the years, I've played and or owned pretty much every amp out there, and to be honest, anything that sounded even slightly 'better' (they all sounded DIFFERENT), wasn't THAT much better, and could only sound better at certain volumes in certain venues, and with certain guitars etc --had no flexibility. The Peavey's 99.99% of the time smokes the rest, and even when they fall even slightly short of the other rigs, the differences are NOT noticable in a live setting, or even recorded- only noticable when playing solo.
Now for that alone, I look at it this way, why play something more expensive, when I can get the same or better results for less money-- that's just simple economics. Why play something that does not have the reliability that peavey has-- that's just simple common sense... why play something more complicated (i.e. more patch cables etc)-- that's just more to mess up... why play something that may be rare/harder to replace (even financially!)--again common sense...
Hands down, I will probably always be a Peavey user. When you get the best quality sound, reliability, flexibility, repeatablilty/consistance, and replaceablility if something happens (falls out of the back of the truck and gets run over/stolen etc), you are willing to spend whatever it takes to get that, and will, however, when a Peavey offering is on average 2/3-1/2 the price of anything else out there, the choice is simple... I like to PLAY my equipment, not have to play WITH it.[This message was edited by Gino Iorfida on 17 November 2003 at 09:04 PM.]

Raj Natarajan · Post by **Raj Natarajan** » 17 Nov 2003 3:19 pm

I must say I like NV400 too, although haven't yet compared it to a NV1000. I have been playing with Hiwatt DR-103 tube british amp. I get a completely different sound out of my Shobud LDG through this rig. I have a 2x12 (200 watts) EVs connected to this amp through a TC Electronic's G-Major processor and I like this sound too, but is very different from what I get out of the NV100. I have a THD hotplate, so that I can turn up this amp without loosing my hearing and the sound is even more distinct, but starts to sound more like the rock band PSG than as the classic pedal steel tone. No wonder David Gilmour uses these amps and setup for this very reason. If I should be playing in a rock back, I guess this setup would be ideal but I am still learning the PSG. But it has been fun to play with these toys to see how different sounds one can get. So the point is that the amp and the setup can change for the application as well as meaning what type of music you play with your PSG. I guess for jazz, one can use a different setup to get that jazz tone. I am not sure what type of a setup one would need to create the jazz tone out of a PSG but this could be whole new topic. Certainly for country music PV does quite good indeed I think.

Jay Ganz · Post by **Jay Ganz** » 18 Nov 2003 7:22 am

Original '65 Fender twin reverb or Webb amps
with EVM 15L's in 'em.

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<a href=http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/568/jay_ganz.html>
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Steve Stallings · Post by **Steve Stallings** » 18 Nov 2003 12:31 pm

The Peavey's 99.99% of the time smokes the rest, and even when they fall even slightly short of the other rigs, the differences are NOT noticable in a live setting

There are obvious tonal differences between different brands of amps. Peavey has made it's reputation by building quality, low to medium cost gear. I like Peavey stuff but strongly disagree with the above statement.
... I and thousands of other musicians hear a difference. How boring it would be if only one flavor of amplification were available. Many such as I, thrive and embrace the different flavors available. Boutique amps such as the VHT are expensive for a reason. They are handmade with absolutely top notch components. True connoiseurs of tonality ( and those simply anal retentive about their sound

) will always be looking for "that sound"... and be willing to pay for it. As an example of a current country musician who is fanatical about his tone, look at Brad Paisley. Brad uses "Matchless" amps, which are gorgeous, high end amps. Peavey makes great stuff but they don't compete in that market. If you can't hear the difference it obviously is not worth your money. I would submit that the vast majority of guitarists outside the insular pedal steel world, would take issue with your statement.

Uwe Haegg · Post by **Uwe Haegg** » 19 Nov 2003 1:41 am

Nashville 1000.
Beats my Fender Twin anytime when it comes
that steel guitar sound.

Craig A Davidson · Post by **Craig A Davidson** » 19 Nov 2003 3:09 am

I use an Evans SE-200 or a 65 Twin depending on the size of the stage and if I have to play guitar also. A couple gigs I do there isn't enough room for two amps.

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1985 Emmons push-pull,Evans SE200

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 19 Nov 2003 7:03 am

First let me say that I own a LOT of Peavey gear, and happen to like all of it , or I wouldn't own it ..I also happen to agree with Steve on this one..There is a definite tone difference using a VHT amp like what he is using..This is NOT to slam Peavey...Peavey has made MANY GREAT PRODUCTS over the years that many people have had the privilige of using..Their dedication, and service, is 2nd to none, and they have wonderfull people like Mike Brown working for them..That being said, tone is very subjective...Peavey amps fit into a the budget of just about every musician out there from the person just starting out, or the Pro .. The price point for what you get is tremendous on some Peavey products..All the pedal steel amps that Peavey has made over the years are great amps ...To say that they are better amps or better sounding amps than some of the more expesive gear out there like Webb or VHT or some of the higher end gear is just NOT accurate !... If I put an ad in the buy and sell that said " Will trade Webb 6-14E for Nashville 1000" "Person who trades must keep the Webb and not sell it " ....How many responces do you think I would get ??...If I reversed the same ad and put " Will trade Nashville 1000 for Webb 6-14E amp" "Person who trades can NOT sell the Nashville 1000 " ..How many people would respond ??.... This is NOT to say that ALL more expensive amps sound better than a Peavey ... Some don't ..But some amps do clearly sound better than Peavey, and are built better than Peavey...Does that mean I'm gonna rush out to buy them ? ...For all intents and purposes my Peavey gear fills a niche that no other gear can fill ..It's price/performance ratio is tops ...Peavey puts gear into the hands of anybody who wants to play music, at a price they can afford and THAT'S what it's all about isn't it ??