How About A Smaller Fender Steel King?

Mark Eaton · Posted 12 Apr 2006 1:37 pm

The Peavey Nashville 112 has certainly gotten glowing reviews from many players, and I'm sure a lot of this has to do with being a quality amp in a relatively lightweight, compact package.

For the first time in a very long time, Fender has made an effort to cater to steelers with the introduction of the Steel King. Many fine steel guitarists are quite happy with it.

It seems to me that Peavey has hit the nail on the head with the 112, with the compactness, lighter weight, and the quality of the Blue Marvel speaker.

Does anyone know if Fender is taking a look at a smaller Steel King, say a "Steel King Junior" or maybe a "Steel Prince?"

I am impressed with the Steel King myself but I'm leaning toward the Peavey 112 for smaller venues and the fact that it doesn't weigh 66 lbs., which I believe is the weight of the Steel King.

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Mark

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

The Steel King pre-amp alone sound greta for direct recording. I wish I could buy that without the power amp and speaker.

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

I already sent Sam Marshall and his guys at Fender an e-mail, suggesting that very thing, Mark.

Those are incredible amps. I really don't mind the weight, but the depth of the box makes it a bit awkward. It sure does produce bunches of low end, though!

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Lee, from South Texas
Down On The Rio Grande

Mullen U-12, Excel 8-string Frypan, Evans FET-500, Fender Steel King

James Quackenbush · From: Pomona, New York, USA

I think that we have all come to the same conclusion , but we don't want to admit it ..If you want PUNCH, you have to have POWER , and if you want bass, you need a sizeable cabinet to handle the bass....Whether we want to admit it or not, we need these above items to achieve the sound that we are looking for ... The thing that is troublesome is the fact that all this adds significant weight to a rig ...So , the only way out that I can see , would be seperates !!.....Seperate amp, seperate preamp, seperate speaker cab ..YES it will cost more .....YES you will make more trips to your car/van/ truck to bring your gear to where you are playing , but it will be MUCH easier to carry, each piece will weigh less , and you will have the ease of putting the seperate pieces in places where your larger combo would not fit .... You could also buy a preamp from Brad Sarno , a power amp from Peavey, and a speaker bottom from Rick Johnson, or from Fender ...You could mix items up to get the best of all scenario's ..You have a small gig , bring a 12"cab...You have a larger gig, bring a 15" cab.....You have a much larger gig , bring both cabs !!....My vote is for seperates ...It's just plain easier IMHO .....Sincerely, Jim

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

I'm thinking the solution is like what Fender did in the late 50's and 60's..

two cabs..

an amp head

and a Speaker cab

Curt Langston · Posted 12 Apr 2006 4:23 pm

quote:
I really don't mind the weight, but the depth of the box makes it a bit awkward. It sure does produce bunches of low end, though!

Well, that is because the Steel King uses the old Bassman 60 enclosure. Fender decided that it would be easier to use the same templates from the Bassman, as opposed to redesigning a new enclosure. That is one reason for the good low end.

Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

I just bought a used Fender Steel King and have been playing it alongside and comparing it with my Nashville 112 and Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. Since so many people have reviewed it already, I decided against a separate thread posting of my opinions. The Steel King has thunderous bass! I can pretty much duplicate the sound of my old Webb amp in terms of warmth, bass and clarity. The Steel King's tone controls are much more powerful than the Webb's and much easier to adjust so I can get more sounds out of it including a very Twin Reverb like sound. Best amp out of the box I've ever tried.

The Peavey 112 is a great amp too. I'll keep it as a practice amp and the King for outside jobs. Thing is I got the King used for just a little more than a new 112.

Neither amp has the warmth of tubes like I get out of the deluxe reverb.

I say buy one of each, use them for 6 months and sell off what you don't want to keep. You really need to try them yourself with your style of playing and guitar to see what suits you best.

If downsizing the Steel King takes much away from the sound, you'll end up with something much like the 112. I think the sound we like is associated with bigger cabinets and bigger power amps, which don't produce much more volume decibel wise, but do seem to have a better damping factor and control of the bass response giving a nice tight bass without being boomy.

Greg

Rick Collins · From: Claremont , CA USA

John Lacey · From: Black Diamond, Alberta, Canada

I too tried a Steel King for a couple of days and was very impressed with it's tone and features. The straw that broke this camel's back was the weight. I took it back and bought an Evans. Still not as happy tonewise with the Evans, but at least I won't be up for a hernia operation.

Nicholas Dedring · From: Beacon, New York, USA

I had been playing a Session 400 LTD before, bought the Steel King, and haven't used my old peavey since then.

The intuitive quality of the controls, the footswitch to mute for tuning out of the addt'l tuner output, the pre/post switch for the balanced out, and the tilt knob all are sweet features...

Plus, for reasons I don't have the answer to, I just find it easier to dial in a pretty broad range of types of tone without a whole lot of fiddling, or just leave it at high noon all the way across and it sounds pretty good to me.

Finally, the reverb is really big and lush, which I dig a lot.

For me, 40 lbs. for an occasional amp, versus 60 for one that has me covered for pretty much everything (and has casters) is a no brainer...

Andy Zynda · From: Wisconsin

Just me, but I would never sacrifice tone for weight. In any case.
Hammond Organs, Leslies, Twins, SVT Bass Amps, and the Steel King all fall into that category for me.
I haul 'em all.
The audience is the payoff.
-andy-
(just my own 2 cents of course...)

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

Andy - Please tell me you're not hauling around a B-3 and a Leslie.

In addition to your steel gear?

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Lee, from South Texas
Down On The Rio Grande

Mullen U-12, Excel 8-string Frypan, Evans FET-500, Fender Steel King

John Fabian · From: Mesquite, Texas USA * R.I.P.

About a year and a half ago, I spent a couple of hours with the engineers and managers responsible for amplifier design in Scottsdale discussing the need and requirements for a smaller, lighter steel amp. They do know what you want. I don't know if we will see it (priorities and market size).

I would say that the fact that they wanted to talk about the next generation and were receptive to outside input is a good indication that Fender will probably not abandon the steel market and intends to participate even more fully.

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Tony, I had Rick Johnson make me an amp and bottom similar to Lloyd and Ricky's amps. A SF Quad converted to BF Twin, and a JBL 15 in the speaker cab. It's great!

Mark Eaton · Posted 13 Apr 2006 9:22 am

Don't get me wrong guys-I'm no wimp-but the Steel King weighs 66 lbs., not 60 lbs.

I'm 52, keep myself in decent shape, lift weights a couple times a week, and still move a fair amount of relatively heavy music equipment around each week.

But the clock is going in the older direction-not the younger.

That 66 lbs. is gonna get a little heavier each year!

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Mark

David Doggett · Posted 13 Apr 2006 9:25 am

I don't think for steel we really need a big speaker box the way you do for bass. Most of the extra bass response you get with the bass-size box is lower than you need for steel, even with C6 or E9/B6 unis. I have a 15" in a vibrasonic cabinet (about the same internal size as a SK) that has a closed back and a shelf below the amp cutout, to convert it to a Thiele type bass reflex box. I also have 15s in smaller Marrs boxes (like Lloyd Green and Ricky Davis use). I improved the Marrs boxes by putting a stiffer closed back on them, and putting inexpensive plastic tubes in the reflex holes. The bigger box has slightly better bass response, but the modified Marrs boxes have plenty of bass response for steel. I find the two smaller boxes more convenient to carry, and more flexible for turning at angles to cover the odd shaped rooms in the dives I play in. I think the NV112 also demonstrates you don't have to have a big box for steel.

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Student of the Steel: Zum uni, Fender tube amps, squareneck and roundneck resos, tenor sax, keyboards

Terry Gann · From: Overland Park, Kansas

Why not "Steel Prince?"

Anyone played a bass guitar thru a Steel King?
I cover bass on about a third of a typical night.
Might be another good reason to buy a FSK if it could pull double duty as a smallish bass rig. Then again, anyone play steel thru a large bass rig? I've got the SWR 750 with the 4-10 Golliath box and never thought of trying the steel thru it.

James Cann · From: Phoenix, AZ

quotes:

How About A Smaller Fender Steel King?
You mean...dare I say...a "Steel Queen"?
...and maybe an even smaller "Steel Jack".

Forsooth! What knaves, what knaves you rascals be! (Iambic P? Well, of course!)

[This message was edited by James Cann on 13 April 2006 at 02:21 PM.]

[This message was edited by James Cann on 13 April 2006 at 02:22 PM.]

James Quackenbush · From: Pomona, New York, USA

I don't sacrifice my tone at all no matter how much my rig weigh's ....When I was playing keyboard for a living , my rig was a B3 with 2-122 Leslies !!.... The Leslies were modded and had EV speakers in them also , to make them even HEAVIER !!....

...... So for me , after doing keyboard gigs, pedal steel gigs with one or two amps is a walk in the park !!.... I DO understand the weight issue though....Is it me or does everything I carry get heavier every year ? ....

...... Jim

David Doggett · Posted 13 Apr 2006 4:41 pm

Terry, if you do a search in electronics with "Bass" in the subject line, you will find many discussions of playing pedal steel through bass amps. The amps work pretty good, but there can be problems with the speakers. The main problem is that many bass amps and speaker cabs have horn tweeters to give definition. Steel guitars are naturally very bright, and can sound harsh with a tweeter. A bass amp with one or two 15" speakers can work well for steel.

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Student of the Steel: Zum uni, Fender tube amps, squareneck and roundneck resos, tenor sax, keyboards

Andy Zynda · From: Wisconsin

When we gig, I haul:
1 Chopped Hammond CV (Still weighs 200+)
1 Leslie or Elkatone 610
4 Peavey SP2's
4 PV 115H Monitors
2 Mackie 1400 watt Power amps, EQ's, 16 Channel board, 12 Mics, Congas, Lights, Kbds
1 Fender Twin, w/JBL's, (replaced the SK)
1 Super Reverb, 4 P10n
(Sometimes a Vibrolux Reverb too)
1 Fender Custom Triple 8
1 each, Strat, Tele, Gretsch 6120W, Steel-o-caster,
1 Godin A6 Ac El Guitar

Like all guys who have ever hauled hammonds and leslies, you get smart or get hurt. Proper hauling tools and appliances, along with acquired wisdom and tricks to make the job easier. That's the ticket.

I hope that I can always say that the sound comes first. Always is a long time though.
-andy-

Larry Robbins · From: Fort Edward, New York

Right on Andy,
I dont care what I have to haul weighs as long as I dig the tone! These days its a SHO~BUD D-10, Tele,Steelking, and a Twin Reverb....and I still SMILE when I hear the tone I get. Makes it all worth while.

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SHO~BUDS,FENDER AMPS& GUITARS, TUT TAYLOR RESO'S

"What a long, strange trip it's been"

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