The Steel Guitar Forum

Had mine for 6 months, sound better than my Peaveys. Cons: reverb is horrible and it's heavy and bulky IMHO.

George, The 1501-4 BW speaker seams a bit smoother and takes some of the edge off the highs. There are some that love the stock speaker and some that don't. I have always found the stock speaker a bit too bright for my taste. If you have a hard time controlling your highs, then a change may be in order. The BW speaker will also take more volume with heavy chords before breaking up. The BW speaker does make the amp lighter as well. It is just preference.

Thanks Morton, That's exactly the info I was looking for. I think I'll go for the Black Widow. George

Tore Blestrud wrote:Had mine for 6 months, sound better than my Peaveys. Cons: reverb is horrible and it's heavy and bulky IMHO.

Fender reverb....horrible?

I LOVE my Steel King...and the main reason is the speaker. Putting a BW in it would defeat the purpose of the great sound this amp puts out, IMO.

I've always been a Fender Fan, but the SK is the best Fender I've ever had. I've had it for about a year and love it. The only issue is the weight, but at least it's got wheels.

I love the Reverb in my Steel King. For over 20 years I used rack mount reverbs (instead of the reverb in my Peavey amps). Now that I have the Steel King... I'm back to using the reverb in the amp. First time since the mid 1980s.

Reverb preference is a very personal thing. I think the Steel King reverb is pretty terrible compared to a Fender spring/tube reverb, a Lexicon reverb or my RV-5 stomp box. I will admit it's much better than I am used to getting on a steel amp with the exception of the Webb 6-14-E which has awesome reverb (so it is possible to have a good sounding transistor driven spring reverb). Having to use the RV-5 is actually great though because it gives you a remote reverb control right next to your steel. I can switch from hall to plate reverb and change the effect level effortlesly.

Greg

Well I picked mine up yesterday and played it for about an hour. So far I love it and I like the reverb and the speaker as well. I like the highs that will cut through and still have the warmth this amp has. Warmth is the optimal word here. To me this is a real steel amp and with reverb the way it should be. Near as I can tell it's a spring reverb mounted at the bottom like the old Peaveys so it's got to be in the electronics or maybe it's a three spring reverb but whatever it is sounds mighty good to my ears. Using it with my own guitar was really the best test I could give it. Going out and playing through a guitar you never played before with different p-ups than you're used to really isn't a good way to test drive an amp. I don't care how much it weighs long as it has great tone. Does anybody here know what wattage the stock Emminence speaker puts out?

Supposedly the Fender speaker is very much the same as the Eminence Commonwealth Patriot and modeled on hte JBL D-130F. Commonwealth data:

* Nominal Basket Diameter 15”, 381mm
* Nominal Impedance* 4 ohms
* Power Rating** 225W
* Resonance 52Hz
* Usable Frequency Range*** 50Hz-4kHz
* Sensitivity 100.8
* Magnet Weight 109 oz.
* Gap Height 0.29”, 7.2mm
* Voice Coil Diameter 4”, 101.6mm


Eminence Patriot Commonwealth summary specs

Eminence Patriot Commonwealth .pdf specs



My latest recording with the Steel King:

You're The Only World I Know

Greg

Gee, I have found the Fender Steel King to be a very nice steel guitar amp, I have always been a Fender kind of guy. I do like the reverb in the amp and I can get a real nice sound without any processors with this amp. I have an Evans SE-150 that always sound good, but it is a little weak in the reverb department, and lacking in power compared to the Steel King. Just my 2 cents worth.

Ernie Pollock

Has anybody compared the Steel King to a Vibrosonic Reverb from the 70's? I've got the VSR and love it to death. Wouldn't mind having a great backup if it compares favorably.

Another thing I like about the FSK is the XLR out on the back and the fact it has it's own level control. Perfect for my home studio.

JW