New Steel Guitar Amplifier

Howard Smith · Post by **Howard Smith** » 12 Jul 2013 10:34 pm

Just got a preview of the new Quilter "Steelaire".....very impressive!!
Class D Amplifier
15" Neo Speaker
200 Watts
Built in Rev/FX
35lbs...!!!!
$1299.00

Available August/Sept

Not on the website yet, but they are at the NAMM Show right now in Nashville, and just got them to email me the brochure. Think this is gonna be a winner. Pat Quilter is the original designer of QSC amplifiers and quite an engineer. I've been looking at their guitar amps now for about a year, and this is a new amp in the Aviator line. The guitar amps have an amazing tone, and have come as close as anyone yet to sounding like a tube amp. Finally a new super light weight, super powerful, made in the USA Steel Guitar Amplifier. May have to rob the piggy bank and give this one a try. Also if you buy one, and don't like it...they will even pay the shipping back.

Here's a link to the website....they should have the Steelaire on it before long.

www.quilterlabs.com

Bill Asher · Post by **Bill Asher** » 12 Jul 2013 10:59 pm

Oh, that sounds very good. I am interested in checking one out when they become available!

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 16 Jul 2013 10:51 pm

WOW. Everybody has traded their Session 400's, for a Milkman, or Little Walter amps. Pat Quilter must really believe in his product, to unveil a new steel amp right now. Good luck, Pat. I sincerely hope that your amps "make it."

David Pinkston · Post by **David Pinkston** » 17 Jul 2013 8:54 am

Nothing without tubes sounds like tubes.
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Steven Finley · Post by **Steven Finley** » 17 Jul 2013 3:30 pm

Quilter has built a steel amp to out preform all the rest,Pat Quilter is a electronic genius,I hope Quilter sound will have me as one of californias
first steel guitar amp endorcers,Quilter amps is a product I believe in,so Quilter sound if your interested,email me at steelman054@yahoo.com

Tomi Graso · Post by **Tomi Graso** » 19 Jul 2013 5:19 am

Hi Howard,

Can we hear a demo of a steel guitarist using the amp, really interested to hear this ! Sounds like a real deal !
Many Thanks
Tomi

Howard Smith · Post by **Howard Smith** » 19 Jul 2013 8:32 pm

I'm patiently waiting for them to send me an amp for beta testing. Haven't heard anything from them yet. They offered, I"m waiting.

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 30 Jul 2013 8:21 pm

OK, I plead ignorance, here. What is "Beta Testing?

Howard Smith · Post by **Howard Smith** » 30 Jul 2013 9:04 pm

beta test
noun
a trial of machinery, software, or other products, in the final stages of its development, carried out by a party unconnected with its development.
verb ( beta-test) [ trans. ]
subject (a product) to such a test.

Al Risbeck · Post by **Al Risbeck** » 31 Jul 2013 5:52 am

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 1 Aug 2013 6:29 am

Pat Quilter was kind enough to come by my shop yesterday and let me try the Steelaire and several of his other amps and his products are very impressive! Everything he has produced is 1st rate, done with thought, and quite light. He was/is involved with QSC Audio and obviously knows audio quite well. I was so impressed that I am carrying his entire line of equipment just so that I can have it to show to my customers- very impressive!

memphislim · Post by **memphislim** » 1 Aug 2013 6:59 am

So Jim, what did you think of the Steelaire? How does it compare to other steel amps?

Steven Finley · Post by **Steven Finley** » 1 Aug 2013 7:08 am

Jim,great choice of sound equipment to stock in your
store,hope you sell a bunch of them.

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 1 Aug 2013 7:26 am

The Steelaire is very versatile lightweight amp- physically appearing similar to the old Standel Custom amps w a 15" Eminence neo speaker in it. It comes w a foot switch to engage the various functions (reverb, boost, tremolo, etc) that we discussed changing to a clip on leg mount in a different configuration and is connected by what looks like a common Cat5(network) cable. It has high and low mid pots as well as the bass and treble and I was able to get pretty much everything I wanted to hear out of it and at 200w RMS was as loud as most folks would ever want to hear w plenty of headroom. It will be available as a head-only for those who want to use speaker enclosures and can support 2 speakers at 4 ohms. Pat has designed other amps including a Micro series w 8" speakers that will simply blow you away. Lottsa features w obviously considerable thought.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 1 Aug 2013 9:56 am

David Pinkston wrote:Nothing without tubes sounds like tubes.
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ha ha...tube snob!
what would you think about a 'better' sound at half the price and half the weight? i've been waiting for this and i really hope pat's amps turn out to be a great thing!

consider the great albums recorded with pv solid state and others (minors aloud) and all buddy's convention recordings. (tube amps would have been thin, pushed and distorted in these situations.) i've seen pics of john and weldon in the studio with ltd400 or similar amps. the steel sounds great to me through peaveys.. and yes, tube amps have recorded well also in some situations. but keep in mind this is in a recording studio where time is spent to dial in tone, one way or another, where you can play your tubes at low volume. i've done lots of recording with 'no' amp (through the board) that sound fantastic to my ears.

tube amps in a live bar don't cut it!

i'm hoping we'll soon be saying, 'when you want to fly, fly 'steelaire'!

memphislim · Post by **memphislim** » 1 Aug 2013 10:05 am

You're playing the wrong tube amps if you don't think they cut it. I've got a 70's Vibrosonic and not only is the sound superior to every solid state amp I've owned, (NV400, Randall Steel Man, Webb, Evans and NV112) it has been plenty powerful for every club I've ever played. If you can't hear/appreciate the difference, that's another thing altogether. Tubes rule imho. That being said, not all tube amps have that "sound" or can handle loud stages. The Milkman is a great amp. The 90's Vibrosonic was not.

Howard Smith · Post by **Howard Smith** » 1 Aug 2013 5:23 pm

Thanks and glad to hear the report on the Steelaire amp Jim.....also glad to hear you are supporting the entire line of Quilter amps.....don't see how you can go wrong with that decision. Looks like I'm going to be paying through one real soon.

Douglas Schuch · Post by **Douglas Schuch** » 1 Aug 2013 6:32 pm

Howard and Jim P - when you say it is a 200 watt amp, is that 200 in one channel, or like the other Quilters, 2 x 100w channels?

Wally Moyers · Post by **Wally Moyers** » 2 Aug 2013 2:11 pm

This is an emailing just received...

Hi Wally. It won't be available for some time. (Probably near the end of the year.)
In the meantime, please feel free to check out the brochure. (link below)
I also included brochures for our other product lines.
http://www.quilterlabs.com/misc/STEELAIRE.pdf
http://www.quilterlabs.com/misc/Aviator-Brochure.pdf
http://www.quilterlabs.com/misc/MicroPro-Brochure.pdf

--

Howard Smith · Post by **Howard Smith** » 2 Aug 2013 10:06 pm

Douglas I'm honestly not sure....I would think that it would be a similar circuit to what they've designed so far...although this is a dedicated Pedal Steel Guitar Amp, so it may be more powerful. I will say that 100 watts of class D power will probably deliver all the sound pressure level you will ever need on any stage, and the Class D amps sure sound very good, and warm to me. I'm currently using a couple Yorkville Elite E10P (class D) powered speakers running direct through a mixer, and all I need is one speaker which gives me way more volume than I need in my practice room. In fact I"m not even using a quarter of the available power. Also Class D amps don't need an elaborate cooling system or dust collecting fans to keep them running cool. Can't wait to hear this thing.

Douglas Schuch · Post by **Douglas Schuch** » 2 Aug 2013 11:59 pm

The brochure (posted by Wally) seems to imply it is two X 100 watt channels, but with the option to link them for 200 watts.

The MB200 head that I and many other steelers are using at the moment is a class D 200 watt amp. I am very happy with the tone I get from it, but am always interested in what else is out there. It will be interesting to see when it comes out, how people think it compares to other class D amps. Jim P. says they will have a head only version, so it would be competing with the MB200, Evans AH200, etc. These are not made specifically for steel, so perhaps Quilter can get something unique going on that makes it stand out. If not, well, hard to compete with the MB200, which despite recent price rises is still only $299.

I look forward to more reviews, particularly those comparing it side by side with other amps.

Doug

John McClung · Post by **John McClung** » 3 Aug 2013 11:10 pm

Pat Quilter is bringing a couple of Steelaire prototype amps to our Men of Steel rehearsal this Monday, and loaning them out to anyone who wants to kick tires at home. We might even play through them at our August 11th show.

I'll let you know how we like it.

Pat is a lap steel player, so he's a member of our tribe.

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 14 Aug 2013 9:02 pm

Smitty, are you gonna be repping for them, like you did with Yorkville?

Howard Smith · Post by **Howard Smith** » 14 Aug 2013 9:08 pm

No Steve....25 years as a factory rep. was enough for me. I retired. It's back to being a full time musician/producer these days.

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 15 Aug 2013 12:46 am

I can dig that.

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