The Steel Guitar Forum

I imagine that this topic has been covered before, but I can't seem to find the posts on it.

I have a NV400 that I really love the sound of, but it is often just too loud for many of the situations that I end up playing in.

What amp do you look to when you need good (great?!) tone at a relatively low volume??

Thanks for your input in advance!!

Nashville 112!
JE:-)>

Nashville 112

Fender Deluxe Reverb and/or Fender Blues Junior.

Fender Deluxe Reverb!

http://www.gregcutshaw.com/Deluxe%20Rev ... everb.html

Greg

Technically, I don't think of a NV 112 as a small amp, since it has ample power for most jobs. I have used a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe on low volume church services and really liked what I was able to get out of it.

Nashville 112

Wow!! Thanks for all the replies. Looks like it might be time for me to look for a Nashville 112.

I use my Princeton Reverb. My NV112 is the big amp.

The Fender Blues Jr is hard to beat. Small, light, great tone, enough power for small venues.

...must be a 72

If you come across an old Yamaha G100-112 you may want to check it out. They're seemingly bulletproof, and go cheap. I like mine even better with a JBL D120, although it does add to the weight.

I dont even own a NV 112 yet,
but that's what I would use if I couldnt use my NV1000.
You didnt say how small,
but these are my favorite really small amps for steel:


Peavey Blazer 128
Single channel 15 watts with a Blue Marvel and reverb.
Headphone jack disables speaker which is nice for practice.



Peavey Solo



This old Solo outputs 10 watts using 8 "D" cell batteries (for those afternoon jams in the park), or 15 watts AC powered. It doesnt have reverb, but its got two channels: a line input and an XLR/line input.

Needless to say, but I will...they're light!

Clete

I just repaired a friend's '67 Princeton Reverb. I happened to have my Sho~Bud at work today, so I played through it before he picked it up. Now, it's certainly my favorite.

Flat SICK about getting my BLues Jr with upgraded tube sockets an OLD from end tube and a Weber Blue Dog stolen. Probably 700 bucks alltold.. Best amp I've ever heard my stuff through.

My fave for what you mentioned is the Fender Frontman65r.

I just bought two of them to replace the stolen stuff, and am gonna BlueDog one of them for miking.

They're the best amp for the 200$ pricetag that I've found.. Light, lots of bass, and I haven't seen of heard a downside to them yet. A little trebly maybe.

JMHO



EJL

Another vote for the Fender Deluxe.

5D3A Fox Vintage

I just used my Peavey Studio Pro 110 for my onstage amp in the "Stand By Your Man" stage show at a Theater in Va. Beach. It's a little jewel with 65w RMS and a 10" speaker. I just looked at the speaker and it has no name on it so I don't know what kind it is.

I had only used it at home before the show but I took it to the first rehearsal only intending to use it for that. Then in the second week I went to rehearsal and they announced that we'd be moving to the main stage for the rest of the rehearsals. I didn't have another amp with me and to my surprise and delight, the little 110 just totally shined in that situation. So much so that I used it in all the performances and it sounded great. They put a Shure Beta 57 in front of it and ran it through the sound system and monitors.

I don't know what they cost new but I got mine from a private party a few years ago for about $50........JH in Va.

Here's one that works great for steel but it's pricey.
When I was messing around with chord melody guitar playing I picked one of these up. I tried it for steel and was very impressed.

I like class D bass amps from Eden, Acoustic Image, and Genz Benz, driving 12" or 15" Neo speakers. The whole rig weighs about 25lbs, and by being two pieces it's really easy to carry around.

Here's an Acoustic Image SL-R, 350 watts at 2 ohms, plus a great sounding digital reverb. The head is smaller than a cigar box.


Here's an Eden WTX260 with a Holy Grail reverb, a great sounding combination. 260 watts at 4 ohms.


I have a couple of other models of Acoustic Images, as well as a new Genz Benz that puts out 600 watts. I have a Nashville 112, but use these amps a lot more.

Peavey Special 130 is great for small to medium venues, one 12-inch speaker.

Darvin, do the Genz Benz amps truly sound good with PSG? A local music store has all their GB amps for sale, half off, and I can probably get a deal on top of that, so maybe I should consider that route. More details, please, and model recos.

Best tone ever for me with steel is achieved with either my BF or SF Deluxe Reverb.

No question,

my '68 Fender Deluxe Reverb with a JBL K120.


Brad

Mike Greenberg wrote:What amp do you look to when you need good (great?!) tone at a relatively low volume??

Relatively low is relative.

I did a small room concert once with a Roland Micro Cube, miked into the PA. It sounded great!

The traditional Fender Princeton Reverb tube amp works very well for most small rooms. As a Peavey fan, you'd probably prefer the Nashville 112 though. The N112 is more powerful than a Princeton.

I use my Mesa/Boogie Maverick for almost every gig. It's 40 watts and with an alnico speaker in the cab it's not heavy. For big gigs I carry an extra speaker.

A lot of people who own an N112 find that it meets all of their needs. Nowadays, most of the loud venues insist on miking the amps anyway, so you don't need as much power on stage as you did 20 or 30 years ago.

I use an AER Compact 60/2 with a "dual" 8" speaker with my EXCEL U-12. Sold my NV400 due to weight (and old age).
Lee Holeman