The Steel Guitar Forum

anyone know the diiference in these two models??? Thanks (not the Session 400 LTD, the small cabinet one one) but the regualar Session 400 and the Session 400 "limited" ....

regarding the Session 400 and the Session 400 Limited..and there is another recent thread on this , the difference between the two, in MY mind is one is great ( session 400) and the other doesn't even make the worthy list.(Session 400 Limited)

two totally different beasts...other than the names Peavey and Session written on it.

The LTD you speak of is the exact same amp as a Session 400 in a smaller cab, this too is a great amp.

My friend David Mullis here in our area just put the Sarno cap upgrades in my Session 400 and I can't wait to get it back, it was great before now it is better than great he told me !

tp

The older Session 400's had discrete components (transitors), the 400 Limited has IC op-amps, quite a difference in the preamp circuitry. I'm not sure what all speakers were used in older Session 400's, but the Limited that I had, had a 1501-4 Black Widow speaker in it.

Does anyone know if the 'mod kit' would improve the 400 Limited to the old session 400's?? What has anyone done to max the 400 Limited? Thanks...

I was 'under'whelmed with what the the mod kit did for my Session 400 Limited. The highs were a little less abrasive maybe, but the midrange honk remained. Even after the mod kit it probably didn't sound much like the old Session 400. I've never actually heard a Session 400 live but you can pretty much go by the opinion polls around here and it looks like a near concensus that they're one of the all time best steel amps.

I don't see ANYTHING wrong with them. It depends on what you're putting into it. I hardly ever use mine anymore cause I have others but it sounds ok to me. The only amp I had the problem with having the nasal honky tone was the Nashville 1000. Impossible to get rid of no matter what.The limited has the same op amps as the Vegas 400,Nashville 400,etc. so I'm told.So that must not be the problem. The larger cabinet gives it a little more low end too. And it has more patch bays if you like that. Depends on user preference I suppose.A lot of people still use them and like them.

I still love mine. You just have to be patient to dail in the right setting. Once you do, you will be surprised.

My experience with modding the Session 400 limited was like Bill Miller's. After the mod, it was still distinctly a Session 400 limited, and very different from the 400 LTD I had.

Hans

Is it possible that the speaker plays an important role? I have one which originally came with an 1501-4dt, which has a kevlar kone. This speaker could sound a little bit harsh, and on stage "boxy" to me. From earlier posts on this forum i understood that Peavey wasn't entirely happy with this speaker, and developed the 1501-4sb, which is their current speaker. Later 400 Limiteds came with this speaker. I changed mine to the 1501sb, and it sounded darker and more even. I have used it only at home, so i can't speak about the sound on stagelevels.

I still love mine. You just have to be patient to dail in the right setting. Once you do, you will be surprised.

Chris, just put the SHIFT on 800 and the MID at -4. The BASS at +5, and the HIGH at +2.

You will be amazed!

MY NAME IS MIKE, IM BRAND-NEW WITH STEELS. I JUST BOUGHT A MULLEN G2 AND IM LOOKING FOR A AMP. MY QUESTION IS SESSIONS 400 OR 400 LIMITED.CAN SOMEONE HELP. THANKS, MIKE IN SOCAL

The general consensus holds that the original Session 400 has a much mellower and broader tone, and the 400 Limited tends to be kinda sterile and harsh.
They're both good amps, but I prefer the original.
Be warned, unless either have seen a doctor recently, they might need caps: the 400 is forty years old, and the Limited is over 20.
I LOVE my LTD (not the same as Limited: the LTD is the same guts as the original 400, but in a narrower case) and think the 400 is one of the two best steel amps Peavey ever made (the other being the Session 500).

The original session 400 is much warmer sounding then the 400 limited, especially at higher volume levels. I got the best tone with my 400 limitied when I used a parametric EQ.

There are a couple of different mod kits that were made for the 400 Limited. I got the John Lemay mod, and it made my 400 Limited into a great-sounding amp. It got rid of the nasally mid-range honk. I don't think that mod is available anymore.