The Steel Guitar Forum

I've been playing my lap steels through various amps; a Roland Jazz Chorus, a Carvin 2x12, all solid state. My band leader rearranged his studio recently for rehearsal and I ended up playing through his vintage Fender Super Reverb. My GeorgeBoard S-8 and Melobar Rattler have NEVER sounded so good! I couldn't believe the difference! (I put a Seymour Duncan '59 model in the Melobar some time ago). Now what do I do? I don't want to play out of a solid-state amp anymore!

p.s. It's been fitted with a 15" speaker. I don't know which one.

Yup! Tubes just sound great. I played many years with a Peavey Vegas. I hated it, but never had much cash. Got back to a Twin, and am most happy!

David Simenson wrote:p.s. It's been fitted with a 15" speaker. I don't know which one.

The fender super reverb is a four speaker amp isnt it?

theres no going back from tubes.
figure out how many tube watts you need to gig with, then start looking into cheap vintage tube amps in that wattage range.

I am guessing the tonal differences you are apprecaiting are not so much specific to the super reverb or the 15 inch speaker as they are just a function of giong from ss to tube. In other words i think there are gonna be ALOT of other tube amps you are going to like, maybe even more than the super.

good news! vintage tube amps can be had for cheap still. with research and patience of course.

I am not sure of the sound you are after, but I use a Blackface (orignal cosmetic only) 135W Ultra Linear Twin Reverb. This is very close to the Super. It has the best of both worlds. Tons of headroom, actually clean all the way to the top, and the creamy smooth tube sound with a sweet response. I tried all kinds of SS and the only ones that I favor are the Hybrids. I guess you cannot even call them true SS. I just do care for that SS sound coming from my amp.

I traded Ken Fox for a '67 Super Reverb a few months back. I had a '68 (still do) at the time. By far these are my favorite amps for live lap steel guitar and six string. Plenty of spank! Roll off the volume control a little and they will clean right up. They also seem to cut through any stage mix I've encounterd. You can't beat a tube amp for lap unless you want it sterile clean.

If you are looking for "that sound" & some tube warmth on the cheap. I'd look at a Fender Blues JR. I use one of these for small gigs and am very satisfied. Can be a very loud 15 watt amp. I'm not saying the BJ sounds like a SR but it's a very cool little tube amp for around $500 new. The NOS tweed model with the Jensen speaker sounds the best IMO.

BF Supers are a marvel of tone. My friend has a '67 and it is jaw-dropping. I gigged my Strat with it all last weekend and had musicians in the audience giving me that "holy crap" look. Truly a special amp. Sparkly and rich are the best words I can use to describe it. I even ran my steel through it. Sure it broke up, but oh so sweetly.

I sat in with the Derek Trucks band and used his
'spare' 66 Super, and it did indeed sound great with my lap steel.

Yeah, I think it's the warm, liquid tube tone that I'm in love with, and not just the Fender Super Reverb. From what I've read, 12" or 15" speakers are the way to go for steel guitars. I don't understand why. But I'm no longer content with solid state tone.

I just scored a 70 watt Super Reverb with a 15" JBL and I think ears have been ruined too! I've taken out twice and other musicians and non musicians were commenting on my tone, which was pretty good to begin with (IMHO) .

I used it with an S12 string pedal steel. It has enough juice to keep up with a loud band but sounds good at moderate volumes too. I used the #2 input on the reverb channel and set the volume just shy of three and filled a good sized room!

dave

David Simenson wrote:Yeah, I think it's the warm, liquid tube tone that I'm in love with, and not just the Fender Super Reverb. From what I've read, 12" or 15" speakers are the way to go for steel guitars. I don't understand why. But I'm no longer content with solid state tone.

A large part of why a SR sounds like a SR is the 4-10's. 12's or 15's definitely sound different! Speakers make a huge difference in tone, headroom, breakup, volume, etc.

I don't know how I ended up with 5 Super Reverbs in various conditions, but they are a great amp and work in just about any situation. I like them better than the Twin because they edge out so much easier. They make a Tele twang like no other amp. Even Wes Montgomery played through one for a while! Great amps.

I've noticed that a lot of guitar stores will plug you right into a super if you are trying out a guitar. I tried out a tele with noiseless pickups once to see if I wanted to buy a set for my tele. They sounded great, but when I got them home they sounded very sterile. It was then I decided what I liked was the Super, not the PUs.I don't fall for that one anymore.