The Steel Guitar Forum

I heard a rumor from the NAMM show floor this morning that Peavey is going to introduce a new steel amp. 500 watt class D built in reverb delay and chorus and it's just going to be a head . They are going to offer 2 different speaker cabs . A 2 12" or a 1 15" . It's going to be some steel player's signature model.
Remember guys this is a rumor , I don't work for Peavey I have not talked to anyone at Peavey this is a rumor at this point going around the show floor.

Sounds interesting. 500 watts is a lot though! Keep us posted if you hear anything more.

Wasn't the Session 500 rated at 500 watts? I believe that is probably "peak" power. The actual power is probably around half of that. A steel guitar player would never need a 500 watt amp.

I posted some time ago that a prominent steel builder had posted on Facebook that there was a new amp coming, he had been told this by a very very senior Peavey management member.Most people replied that this was very unlikely, let's just wait and see.

They posted their NAMM announcements yesterday and this was not one of them:

http://peavey.com/namm/

Although who knows.

I going to the show tomorrow , so I will find out for sure!!
What I posted today was what a friend over heard at the peavey booth and maybe not something that is to be known yet.

John,
If you see the Carvin booth, stop in and say "Hi" to my friend Neil Zaza. Goof on him and tell him "JB says Hi." You'll crack him up!
JB

Funny you should mention Neil he is a good friend of mine.
I had planned on visiting with him already .

John!
I'm stunned! Neil is my best bud! I'm taking care of his kitty whilst he's away. His Mom lives a few doors away. I recorded with him on his "Staring at The Sun" cd. Please goof on him for me!
JB

here are the specs:

From the undisputed industry leader in steel guitar amplification comes the all new Robert Randolph
Signature Steel Amp. This amp has a classic Peavey appearance that will be immediately familiar, but is
jam-packed with modern features designed with and for Robert Randolph, one of the most recognizable
and accomplished steel players of the modern era..
Pre Gain, as normal; Front end boost circuit (remote switchable); Pre-EQ loop for volume pedals; Classic Peavey Low, Mid, Mid Shift, High, and Presence
EQ; Post-EQ effects loop (remote switchable); Spring reverb level (remote switchable); EFX Parameter controls for Chorus Depth/Rate, Plate Reverb level,
Delay Level/Feedback; Remote switchable Tap Tempo for Delay; Remote switchable digital effects defeat; All delay and reverb "tails" remain intact during
any switching; Master Gain control; 500W RMS Stereo Power (250W per side into 4 Ohms); Proprietary MIDI Remote Controller included; MIDI protocol for
remote switching to allow for numerous remote switching options; Stereo MSDIs with ground lifts; 1/4" Speaker outputs; Stereo Effects loops (rear; remote
switchable) which sum to mono in tandem when only one cabinet is used; 03615060; 212-RR Enclosure;18mm plywood construction closed back;

Sorry! Zero interest from me. One of the best days of my musical life was when I ditched the Vegas for a Twin with a 15. Really don't like SS amps.

Yep, was right, there is a new peavey steel amp.

Well, if the sound is tailored to RR's sonic tastes, I guess not many other steel players will want it. That is a sound I have no need for.

The big question is, will it only get RR's sound, or can it also get the classic Peavey steel guitar amp sound? I think that is the only way this could get a good amount of sales. I would think Peavey would know better than to put out such a specialized amp, to a small market, made even smaller by the amount of players that don't like RR.

I'm making a few uneducated guesses here:

Robert Randolph is likely the only known steel guitarist to many young six stringers, and the six string market is a dramatically larger market to target as potential steel converts.
Is it possible this amp is aimed at them?

I've mentioned before that the steel market didn't likely justify the R & D and start up cost to offer anything new from a major manufacturer. I'm thinking maybe they agree, but see a market potential of six stringers looking to play steel, and that those players want the R.R. Sound.

From what little I've listened to, R.R. Had a blues/rock tone, which likely would be easy to get on a traditional guitar amp. I'm sure peavey has done their homework.

I'm guessing this amp isn't targeted only at those of us seeking a traditional steel tone, but one that could serve the needs of a changing market.

How much does it weigh?

What's the price point?

We're lucky to have so many great amps to choose from today, especially considering the limited size of our market. Companies are listening to our desires for various features, be it tubes, transistors, tone, size, weight, power, cost, etc. The fact that many amps can do crossover duty for other chores and styles is a bonus for us and them.

Any company striving to serve the needs of our meager market deserves credit and support from us. Adding another choice from a major manufacturer is a blessing.

I wish them much success with this amp. It's performance will probably be a large factor in determining future support for the steel market.

Steve Spitz wrote:I'm making a few uneducated guesses here:

Robert Randolph is likely the only known steel guitarist to many young six stringers, and the six string market is a dramatically larger market to target as potential steel converts.
Is it possible this amp is aimed at them?

I've mentioned before that the steel market didn't likely justify the R & D and start up cost to offer anything new from a major manufacturer. I'm thinking maybe they agree, but see a market potential of six stringers looking to play steel, and that those players want the R.R. Sound.

From what little I've listened to, R.R. Had a blues/rock tone, which likely would be easy to get on a traditional guitar amp. I'm sure peavey has done their homework.

I'm guessing this amp isn't targeted only at those of us seeking a traditional steel tone, but one that could serve the needs of a changing market.

To me, that seems to be a huge gamble. I haven't seen a mad dash of guitar players buying steel guitars. If I was Peavey, that amp would be designed to fit both markets. Those who want clean, and those that want an overdriven tube sound. And, if you could switch between the two with the push of a button, I would want it. While I do like RR, I wouldn't want to sound like him ALL the time. I would also think most six string players would be already in love with tubes, with exceptions to that rule, and would stay on that path.

Darrell Birtcher wrote:
Any company striving to serve the needs of our meager market deserves credit and support from us. Adding another choice from a major manufacturer is a blessing.

I wish them much success with this amp. It's performance will probably be a large factor in determining future support for the steel market.

I think it's great, too. Especially since we have several builders in the USA, both large and small, and everything in between, that give two hoots about us. One thing I have always associated with Peavey is rock solid performance. That we have a new amp coming that "goes to eleven" is alright by me. Something to level at drummers!

I don't see anything in the description that suggests that it would NOT deliver a good, clean sound for trad pedal steel. And having built-in chorus, reverb and digital delay could be very nice for everybody, not mention stereo effects loops. It has a lot of bells and whistles that could satisfy both trad and blues/rock/sacred steelers. Weight could be an issue in the trad market but then again, they've separated it into a separate head and cabinet, which should help that. 500 Watts is overkill for many applications but should provide loads of clean headroom... Don't think that just cuz it has RR's name on it, that it can only deliver RR's sound. That would be silly (and a bad business move on Peavey's part)

Jim... I agree. I would have loved an amp like this, as long as it gave clean sound too.

And I agree it's something to level the drummer with. One speaker on each side of him, pointed at his ears should do.

GD Walker's Stereo Steel amp is 300 watts per side, and I don't hear anyone complaining about that being overkill.

Seems useless as t**$ on a nun to the pure of heart country honky tonk steel player like myself. I'll stick to my fenders and music man amps I reckon

Well someone beat me to the punch here but here it is .
They are not making a big splash with it yet because they are still working on it and won't be shipping them for a while. Sounded great with the Lap Steel of course I didn't hear a pedal steel through it .