I am new to the steel guitar..i admit that i am a regular guitar player, so i hope i don;t sound too stupid...Fortunately, i have found steel players to be a bit more down to earth and less snobbish than regular guitar players...i have a ton of tube amps...i understand that an amp for steel guitars must be 'voiced' for the instrument but what does this really mean?...how does it differ than say a fender vibroverb? Don;t flame me too badly...i am new at this..
Thanx
amps
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Jon Schwartz
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Mike Brown
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- Location: Meridian, Mississippi USA
Jon, welcome aboard! I am a pedal steel guitarist that represents Peavey Electronics in Meridian, Mississippi. Our company has been designing and manufacturing steel guitar amplifiers since 1974. Our first engineer was Hartley Peavey(presently the CEO and sole owner of Peavey Electronics) and our research and developement department were steel guitarists Julian Tharpe and Curly Chalker. Peavey is a worldwide company.
In the early days, the Twin amplifier did suffice as a steel guitar amplifier, simply because it was available in most locations. But, as music and technology progress, Peavey heeded the call for a bonafide amplifier designed to provide the power and reproduce the wide frequency range that the steel guitar produces. Our first steel amp was the Session 400 in 1974.
Since that time, we have consistantly offered at least two steel amplifiers in our product line. Our present models are the Nashville 1000 and Nashville 112 amplfiers. You may check them out here; www.peavey.com
Or, if you have further questions, feel free to contact me at Peavey Electronics. My toll free North American number is 1-877-732-8391, ext. 1180.
Mike Brown
Peavey Electronics Corporation
In the early days, the Twin amplifier did suffice as a steel guitar amplifier, simply because it was available in most locations. But, as music and technology progress, Peavey heeded the call for a bonafide amplifier designed to provide the power and reproduce the wide frequency range that the steel guitar produces. Our first steel amp was the Session 400 in 1974.
Since that time, we have consistantly offered at least two steel amplifiers in our product line. Our present models are the Nashville 1000 and Nashville 112 amplfiers. You may check them out here; www.peavey.com
Or, if you have further questions, feel free to contact me at Peavey Electronics. My toll free North American number is 1-877-732-8391, ext. 1180.
Mike Brown
Peavey Electronics Corporation
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Jon Schwartz
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David Doggett
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Jon, there are two ways a steel amp needs to differ from a regular guitar amp. First, you need 2-8 times more power. This is not to play louder, but to have the sustain you need to use the volume pedal properly. We're not talking about distortion type sustain, but the controlled sustain you get by attacking notes with the volume pedal about 1/4 to 1/3 on, and using the rest of the pedal throw to sustain the note as the string vibrations die off. Also picking with finger picks and fretting with the bar are not as loud. You need an 80-300 watt steel amp to compete in volume with regular guitars using 15-50 watt amps.
Second, a steel guitar is a single, solid neck/body with a hot pickup near the bridge. It generates tons of highs and mids, and so it needs an amp with a very fat bottom to compensate. Using a 15" speaker helps with this.
Because of the above two needs, most guitar amps are underpowered and thin sounding with steel.
As far as tone manipulation, it helps to be able to scoop the mids, and to control where the mid-point of the scoop is. Most steel amps have controls to do that.
Finally, there is the tube versus solid-state question. A steel needs a very clean playing amp, because of the thick chords used, and the swell and sustain that the volume pedal gives. That softened attack or "crunch" that regular guitarists love in tube amps would end up being just sustained and swelled distortion with a steel guitar. Because of this problem, and also to deal with weight and cost, most steel amps from the '70s on have been solid state. These have pretty good tone up through moderate volumes, but begin to sound cold and bratty at high volumes, for example in un-miked loud club situations.
If you love tube tone with steel, as I do, the silver-face Fender twin family (Vibrasonic, Dual, Super Twin) from the '70s are the way to go. Regular guitarists prefer the warmth, crunch and distortion of the earlier black-faces. But the cleaner and more powerful Fenders from the silver-face era are the best for steel. They have a huge built-in mid scoop that works great with steel. You can help the weight problem by putting the chassis in a head cabinet and using small speaker cabinets (even with a 15", steel doesn't need the huge reflex cabinets used for bass and PA). Another route is to use a good modern tube amp, such as THD, with solid-state powered speakers.
Hope this helps. Steel is a whole different world.
Second, a steel guitar is a single, solid neck/body with a hot pickup near the bridge. It generates tons of highs and mids, and so it needs an amp with a very fat bottom to compensate. Using a 15" speaker helps with this.
Because of the above two needs, most guitar amps are underpowered and thin sounding with steel.
As far as tone manipulation, it helps to be able to scoop the mids, and to control where the mid-point of the scoop is. Most steel amps have controls to do that.
Finally, there is the tube versus solid-state question. A steel needs a very clean playing amp, because of the thick chords used, and the swell and sustain that the volume pedal gives. That softened attack or "crunch" that regular guitarists love in tube amps would end up being just sustained and swelled distortion with a steel guitar. Because of this problem, and also to deal with weight and cost, most steel amps from the '70s on have been solid state. These have pretty good tone up through moderate volumes, but begin to sound cold and bratty at high volumes, for example in un-miked loud club situations.
If you love tube tone with steel, as I do, the silver-face Fender twin family (Vibrasonic, Dual, Super Twin) from the '70s are the way to go. Regular guitarists prefer the warmth, crunch and distortion of the earlier black-faces. But the cleaner and more powerful Fenders from the silver-face era are the best for steel. They have a huge built-in mid scoop that works great with steel. You can help the weight problem by putting the chassis in a head cabinet and using small speaker cabinets (even with a 15", steel doesn't need the huge reflex cabinets used for bass and PA). Another route is to use a good modern tube amp, such as THD, with solid-state powered speakers.
Hope this helps. Steel is a whole different world.
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Jon Schwartz
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David Doggett
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I grew up in Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee, and lived all around after that. For almost 20 years I have lived in West Center City Philly, then Mt. Airy near Germantown. Have fun learning steel - it's a lifetime trip. I gave it up for over 20 years, but came back and am now just as bad as I ever was. Amps are lots of fun to explore. 
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by David Doggett on 05 October 2005 at 08:38 PM.]</p></FONT>
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by David Doggett on 05 October 2005 at 08:38 PM.]</p></FONT>-
Mike Brown
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Jon, I'm sure that you are aware of our involvement in designing and manufacturing steel guitar amplifiers since the early '70's. Designing/voicing an amplifier for a particular instrument application takes years and years of research and developement and Peavey has over 30 years of this "experience".
The "voicing" an equalizer circuit that can be manipulated to provide the curve for desirable results that steel guitarists prefer, "voicing" a speaker that best reproduces the wide frequency response of the steel guitar. The speaker plays a large part in the way any amplifier sounds. In the earlier days, speakers that were used in guitar amps did not reproduce very low frequencies, whereas the requirements of a steel guitar amp has to be able to do this. Also, R&D provides information as to what cabinet design sounds best for steel guitar reproduction. This includes the type of wood used.
This is just a sample of what it takes to design a marketable steel amplifer.
Mike Brown
Peavey Electronics Corporation
The "voicing" an equalizer circuit that can be manipulated to provide the curve for desirable results that steel guitarists prefer, "voicing" a speaker that best reproduces the wide frequency response of the steel guitar. The speaker plays a large part in the way any amplifier sounds. In the earlier days, speakers that were used in guitar amps did not reproduce very low frequencies, whereas the requirements of a steel guitar amp has to be able to do this. Also, R&D provides information as to what cabinet design sounds best for steel guitar reproduction. This includes the type of wood used.
This is just a sample of what it takes to design a marketable steel amplifer.
Mike Brown
Peavey Electronics Corporation
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Garth Highsmith
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Jon Schwartz
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