The Steel Guitar Forum

The Twin is used NOT for volume but for extremely clean headroom and overall performance.

Right - except there's a law of diminishing returns; if you're playing with that Twin in a tiny club (or at home, or in an apartment) it's going to sound like crap. I LOVE the sound of a Twin being run hot enough that the sound "blooms" (as described previously), which can be clean as a whistle...but most players do not know how to make adjustments on amps and tub amps just are not "plug 'n play" - you HAVE to do some tweaking, and the same settings will not work in all situations.

The rules don't change just for steel guitar - many, many 6-string players have an "amp stable" of 3-4 amps, and players who dabble in more varied styles (like I do) might have a dozen. Each has a particular tonal purpose, or handles a particular type of room better than another. One high-powered amp is extremely limiting IMO - you'll sound great at an outdoors festival with unmiked amps, but at home you'll wonder where all your tone went (and you can stare at your hands all you want - it's not in there either... ).

High power and stiff, clean-tone speakers work great at higher volume levels, but are not so good a low levels. And while I can warm up a high-powered amp for somewhat decent sound at medium volume or clean up a low-powered one for higher levels, I fail to comprehend how any player really concerned with decent tone can use just one amp in all situations.

right now my "fender" is a musicman.

when the economy stabilizes and I am sure i still have my job (please god) I will be getting into some fender heads. (or the unemployment line..one or the other)

I have a Headstrong lil king knock off of a Princeton that I have been using for pedalsteel gigs that is absolutely amazing. I had them modify it with 2 KT 88 power tubes, a bigger transformer and an old Fane 12".

Small, light and plenty of headroom for most of my gigs.
Plus it might just be the best sounding, most responsive amp I have ever owned.

With all these great small builders out there who needs low bid labor market researched phony retro Fenders ?

Plus you know you money is going directly to a guy who needs it that actually did the work.

Oh, those headstrong amps are amazing. So awesome.

Ideally i would love a two amp setup, but ideally i would like someone else carrying my gear. hahaha.

I use and love my SF Deluxe for guitar, hate it for steel. Just bought my son a killer guitar rig, a SF Bandmaster with reverb, and a tremolux 2x10 cabinet that has been rebaffled and fitted with 12s . After going thru it and a fine tuning, man does that amp scream! The kid runs his strat thru it and loves it. It is a very loud and clean 45 watts. I wonder about that head for steel. JP

Going through the reverb side on my vibroverb clone it a little too gainy and it overdrives much easier than on the normal channel. Im sure it would be similiar with the bandmaster, it does get pretty loud. That is a sweet rig for your son.

I've gone full circle...from a Vibrosonic Reverb or a SF Twin w/JBL's in the '70's...to NV400's (still like them alot)and for the last couple of years a NV112. I picked up a '65 Twin Reissue recently and now think it's worth the size and weight. I run a banjo (no smartass coments please) with a magnetic pickup in channel 1. No other setup seems to work as well for me playing steel, dobro and banjo.

I feel we can talk about this in a circle forever,we all have experience and an opinion, we as Steel players really do not have much choice in the matter, we need a clean amp for a small gig or a big gig, it's just the nature of our beast. Twins , can handle it all, and after that it's all downhill ! I personally used a Twin which I bought new in 66 right up to the early 90's, it had a D130 in it. I never considered what gig I was playing, only if I had a gig. I never gave any thought to practice, small room, big room, etc, I had one amp, it handled the Steel and any guitar I could throw at it. It served as single duty or double duty and it played every room I was in for just under 3 decades.

Today, good grief, we have amps for practice, small rooms,, rehearsals,big rooms, etc. Me too.

Maybe we are in a new era, the one where we need to match the gear to every gig.

I don't own the Twin anymore, no regrets, I use a Nashville 400 for Steel only gigs, A Fender Hot Rod Deville for Steel/Telecaster gigs, and a Peavey Classic 30 for Telecaster only gigs.

It appears I have arrived into the new era !

t

For me personally, I used to just bash it out on whatever was handy. i had one amp, one guitar and one effect pedal...this went on unchanged for maybe a decade. now granted I was playing a single style of music which has a very narrow sonic palette, on a single instrument. Not doubling on steel and guitar and playing both soft ballads and screaming leads. but even so I was a total minimalist in terms of gear and in no way particular about what I used. If it was fre or cheap or was sitting int he studio or cluib..I'd use it happily.

a couple years ago I started getting into gear and I noticed the more you get into it, the more you THINK you NEED. Now I have a whole stable of amps, a dozen or more guitars and literally dozens of stompboxes anmd I still feel like i dont have all the tools I need. I need a univibe. I need a fender head maybe a couple, a small fender combo, I need a dl4, I need a new mandolin, a new baritone and on and on..it never ends once it starts it seems.

GAS: its not just for breakfast anymore

What was the question ? 1969 rebuilt Twin w/12" Altec Lansings on most gigs. 1969 Pro with 12" JBL'sometimes. 1969 rebuilt Princeton w/ 10 jenson,recording and acoustic rehersals. Mesa Boogie Mark III combo or head, because they need to be started and driven once in a while. 2005 Zum. single 10. But thats just me. Thanks

I like my Fender Steel King amplifier...almost as much as I like my old Evans FET-500.

Fender HotRod Deluxe at home, so I have never cranked it up to hear how it really sounds. Nice and warm at home, though.
-Jim