The Steel Guitar Forum

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<font face=radagund><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Jay Ganz on 16 August 2004 at 07:54 AM.]</p></FONT>

Will there be a Steel King amp booth in St. Louis ?


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Bob
intonation help

I am pleased to announce that Shane Nicholas and I plan on being in St. Louis at the ISGC and showing the Steel-King. I look forward to meeting and speaking with many of you there.

Sam<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Sam Marshall on 10 August 2004 at 12:10 PM.]</p></FONT>

Sam,

I've been a electronics hobbiest for many years and am delighted that you are willing to offer such an insight.

Bob
Ve1RLL

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Sam,

I hope you don't mind me asking this, but: In your opinion, or (in the alternative), as far as you know, what is the probability of Fender offering a steel guitar for sale in the U.S.?

I can't speak for anyone else, but my interest in such a prospect (however remote it might be) is substantially greater than heightened. Thanks.

Just remember; this is a solid state amp and will NEVER sound like a Fender tube amp...>just so you don't get mixed up that a Fender solid state amp will sound like a real Fender Amp.
Oh and this is my opinion based on my ears only...ha.
Ricky

Ricky is right, but Fender is also now making the Twin Custom 15, which is a tube Twin Reverb with a 15" speaker. I doubt that it sounds as good as the old blackface and sliver face Twins, but it is probably about the same as a Vibrasonic, which is pretty good, and way better than any solid state amp.

<SMALL>the same as a Vibrasonic, which is pretty good, and way better than any solid state amp</SMALL>

Well then in that case, why do 80% or more of steel players own solid state amps? It certainly is possible to get great sounding amps that are tube or solid-state, but to make the statement that one particular tube amp is better than any solid state amp in existence is patently absurd.

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Jeff's Jazz

The Fender Twin Custom 15 that I tried sounded fabulous, right up there with my Webb which is solid state. I soon as I can get some extra cash I want to get one.

I have a Steel-King on order which is due in around the end of September.
<font face=radagund><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Jay Ganz on 18 September 2004 at 08:09 AM.]</p></FONT>

Technically Jeff is right. My statement about tube amps being better applies only to me and the many tube and solid state amps I have tried. I eventually stopped searching for a solid state amp that sounds as good as a tube amp - life is too short. I think many steelers use solid state amps because they cost less, weigh less, are more reliable, require less maintenance, and because there are several manufacturers of solid state amps designed specifically for steel. Lately there have been no off-the-shelf clean high-powered tube amps designed for steel. You had to put rack pieces together, or get an old Fender and upgrade it with new parts and a 15" speaker. Suddenly Fender has come out with both a solid state and a tube amp designed for steel. We live in good times.

Received via email on July 29. Sorry for the delay (still catching up on my vacation emails): <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica">quote:</font><HR><SMALL>I took some pictures last week at the NAMM show in Nashville. Of particular
interest to you and users in your forum might be the ones from the Fender
Steel - King party/jam in the Rennaisance Hotel on Friday night. I'm not a
member of the forum but thought the folks there might enjoy them. Please
feel free to share the link with them http://www.pbase.com/jroy/steelparty

Thanks,
Jim Roy
scottymoore.net</SMALL><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Just to be clear that the place of manufacture is Mexico: this is a quote from the link in Bob Wood's early post. It was posted there by Miguel e Smith.

<SMALL>Where: Designed in Scottsdale, AZ., USA. Manufactured in our facility in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.</SMALL>

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Jerry Clardy on 19 August 2004 at 10:34 AM.]</p></FONT>

Yes, the Steel-King is manufactured in Fender's factory in Ensenada, Mexico.

Regards,
Sam

Sam, has Fender ever considered reintroducing a Fender steel guitar in the US? Thanks.

sorry,I could not resist it,what a blonde babe,mamma mia...woowww

Db
ps
no wrong ideas here please,I`m talking about the guitar..

I do not know of any plans to reissue classic Fender steels from the past. To be honest, though, since I work in Scottsdale, AZ, I do not get to see a lot of the activities that go on with Fender's guitar development.

Gretsch does make some lap steels which Fender does sell. We will show them in St. Louis. see: http://www.gretschguitars.com/gear/index.php?product=G5700&cat1=&cat2=&q=&st=1 , and http://www.gretschguitars.com/gear/index.php?product=G5715&cat1=&cat2=&q=&st=1 .

Regards,
Sam

One of the music stores here in town has a Steel King amp on the floor. I'm suprised,because they don't even carry steel guitars,or anything related to steel guitar.

Hi Sam -- thanks for the reply. I've seen the Gretsch lap steels and they look pretty nice.

I guess one thing I sort of had in the back of my mind when I asked you the question about Fender steels is that it's my understanding that Fender Japan still manufactures Fender "Deluxe" 6-string and 8-string non-pedal steels.

I'm also aware of the fact that Fender appears to continually rotate Fender Japan products through the US market. For example, a while back it was the paisley and blue flower tele's, P-basses. Recently, Fender Japan '52 Tele and '62 Tele reissues w/Bigsby vibrato tailstops were offered.

Currently, the newest Fender Japan product offered in the U.S. appears to be the Aerodyne Tele and Strat models. It also seems that when Fender offers a particular Fender Japan product in the US it's at a considerably lower price than what you could purchase that product for directly from Japan (e.g. Ishibashi Music).

So, naturally, the thought popped into my head that, "wouldn't it be cool if Fender imported the Fender Japan steel guitars?"

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed.

Buddy wouldn't know how to get a bad tone out of anything!

A couple of weeks ago I got to go to the Fender plant and met Sam Marshall. Sam not only showed me around the plant, but let me play my steel guitar (MSA Universal 12) through his cool new amp, but then played my guitar while I listened.

Now that was cool!!

I like the Steel King amplifier, but I will keep my Nashville 400 for now.

The Fender amp that I am most impressed with is the Hot Rod Deluxe! I couldn't believe my ears! What a good sounding amplifier. It must be the tube sound that blows my sock off.

b0bby, thanks for the link!!!

Drew

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Fessenden D-10 8+8 / Magnatone S-8 (E13)

Can anyone compare that "Tilt" control on the Fender with the "Body" control on the Evans?

Brad Sarno

I hope the support for the Steel King is better than the support for my Twin. I found out the hard way about it. Fender isn't what it used to be. Folks beware. When things do go bad and it needs to be sent in, it just goes to some repair shop that is supposed to be Fender certified. And when it comes after what seems a lifetime you are told there isn't anything wrong with it. But it is still doing the same thing. I had a Tele that wouldn't play in tune. When it came back it still didn't. So the store buys it back from me and then hangs it up for sale again. AS a new guitar.

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1985 Emmons push-pull,S-10 Marlen,Evans SE200,Hilton pedal

Brad,
I used to have an Evans throughout the 90's.
I'll have a Steel-King in late Sept. and
see what the story is with that "tilt".
I hope it's not like the "tilt" that lights
up on those old PinBall machines!!!
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<font face=radagund><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Jay Ganz on 18 September 2004 at 08:12 AM.]</p></FONT>