The Steel Guitar Forum

Has anyone tried their pedal steel thru a fender frontman 212 ? i was thinking about getting one until i can afford a twin reverb.

I started out using one of those Fender frontman practice amps that I had left over from my 6-string days when I first bought my psg (although mine was just a single speaker). It certainly "amplifies" the guitar, and I never had the volume higher than 3 out of 10 in my bedroom...but it does leave a lot to be desired when it comes to tone.

If you don't already have something like a digitech RP155 or like effects processor for reverb, make sure you get the frontman "R" series, which has reverb in the amp. It's definitely not voiced for steel, which makes the equalization a little tricky, and I personally prefer the sound of a tube amp myself, but if you're on a budget, or you find a great deal, the Fender frontman will do the trick for practicing.

Also realize the Frontman 212(R) is not a small amp, and I believe it's about $300. I would prefer spending that kind of a money on a used steel amp like a peavey special 400 or get a small tube amp for about the same price if you're practicing on your own. Greg Cutshaw has some cool samples on his website of his steel played through the different Fender tube amps. You can often find a Blues Jr. or a vibrosonic Reverb used for about the price of a new frontman 212. Then again, the tube sound is a personal preference, and if you need the volume that 2 12in speakers provide, but don't want to spend $500+ for a princeton or twin reverb, the frontman can't be a horrible choice.

the atttack of a note from a pedal steel requires a LOT of headroom to avoid distorting, especially if you "dig in" with your finger picks on a certain phrase
with a lower wattage practice amp, you're going to hear some "dirt" in the attack of your notes...
whether you like the sound or not is personal preference, but classic clean steel sound needs a lot of power (over 100 watts? and maybe even a 15 inch speaker) to give you a sweet clean singing tone
I guess it depends on what sound you need/want and who's listening... just my 2 cents worth

Long term i am thinking i will build a kit form fender twin reverb head and have one or two 15 cabinets made for it . i saw someone on the forum that makes nice cabs. i'll have to search for that post. I am a definate tube amp guy, ive used them for 40 years of lead playing. i would grab a session or nashville if it came up. but longterm i want a twin and with the price of a new 15 inch loaded twin i can build that setup for about the same money and have what i really want. thanks for the replies: allen

When I think "practice amp", I think of something that fits under your arm like the Fender Sidekick 15 w/8" speaker and reverb I use (which I lucked into for free). A 2x12 or 1x15 or even my 1x12 Deluxe Reverb hardly seems like a "practice amp". If a Twin is your ideal practice amp, I'd love to see what you gig with!