The Steel Guitar Forum

Ok so I’m very torn. Currently I’m playing out of a little POS line 6 combo amp so anything is an upgrade but I’d like to do it right, and I very much trust the opinion of the people in this forum. I spent the money on a beautiful Mullen royal precision so I’d like to do it justice with the correct amp. I’ve heard people talk about how the 15” speaker seems to only be necessary for C6 tuning and I will only be playing E9, just in case that affects your decision.

Option A
Milkman “the amp”
Cab is tbd and I was wondering what you guys would pair that with given the chance.

Option B
Buy a used combo amp such as Nashville 400/fender steel king

Bonus question. Lol
Would the price tag on something like the peavey 115 be better than the milkman/cab combo.

Total newbie here. Thanks so much for your help guys

From a price point issue, the Peavey 'Nashville' series would be my suggestion. Normally found in the $300.00 to $400.00 range, they are a real bargain. A 12" speaker cab loaded with a Telonics or Eminence speaker designed specifically for pedal steel plus the initial cost of the Milkman 'Amp' will most likely place your total in the $1000.00 plus range. Unless a pre-owned unit becomes available, the new 'Session 115" will add an additional $400.00 to that figure.

Used Nashville 112 or new or used Katana. Either one will set you back around $300.00 and both are proven performers for steel guitar.

Hi Sean,
What type of musical environment do you see yourself playing steel in?
Some people need a powerful amp like a Nashville 400, and others don't. I haven't tried "the amp" but I'd guess that it doesn't have the same kind of power of a Nashville 400, or Milkman half and half.

Another consideration is what kind of sound you're after. I've owned a bunch of Peavey steel amps, and even though I think they sound good I know if I were playing through one these days they would lack that sweet tubey vintage sound that I've grown accustomed to.

I bought and sold a ton of amps before settling on what I use now, and I think a lot of pedal steel players have probably done the same. What works for me now is a 50 watt tube combo amp with a 15" JBL. It has the right balance of tone and power for me, and if I need more I bring two.

I’d also go with a NV 112 , or 400. I played both. I found the 112 to be as loud as I needed.

Can be had for cheap, and its a proven commodity. Plenty of pros using them and sounding great. If it needs service, Peavey is great.

As your playing evolves, you might have a better idea of what sound you’re after. You can always upgrade to something pricier, and pass the peavey along to another player.

Tubes sound great, no doubt. I love them too....No wrong choices, just saying start simple and inexpensive and enjoy the journey.

If you’re like me, you’ll own them all at some point.

About the Milkman “the amp” . Isn’t that a half and half without the speaker and cab ?
If so, its as much power as you could want. If I’m wrong, someone jump in here.

Congrats on getting the Mullen, its all you’ll ever need.

Half and Half = 300 watts
The Amp = 100 watts
Both class D power

“The Amp”. Is a different beast than a standard combo. You can output it into a powered speaker or the PA and it sounds worlds better than any of the other amps mentioned. You can also plug it into a standard cab and it sounds great. Super light and versatile.
Without a powered speaker to beef it up it might not be loud enough for some gigs wher you need to push the room.

Nash 400’s are great reliable amps. They are getting pretty old though. And this stuff doesn’t last forever. They ar cheap and will cover just about any gig situation.

Steel king is unreliable, heavy and I personally don’t like how they sound. You are better off with just about anything.

Keep in mind that an amp doesn’t need to be built for a steel to sound good. List your needs and see what fits.

I can be reached toll free in the U.S. at 1-877-732-8391, if you have questions about our products.

Very happy with ‘The Amp.’ I’m running it through a Milkman speaker in an old RCA Victor lightweight aluminum cabinet from a film projector. Best tone I’ve ever had!

Thanks for the clarity on “the amp” .

And Bobs point about NV 400s being old is not wrong. It’s really amazing how well these have held up over the decades. Knowing peavey service is top notch makes an older amp less of a gamble. Not disposable like some newer amps.

Lots of cool choices.

Thanks for the clarity on “the amp” .

And Bobs point about NV 400s being old is not wrong. It’s really amazing how well these have held up over the decades. Knowing peavey service is top notch makes an older amp less of a gamble. Not disposable like some newer amps.

Lots of cool choices.

The best thing you can do (if possible) is try out a few different amps and see which one you prefer.

I'm currently using a Quilter Steelaire. I used a Music Man 212-HD for years. It's a fantastic amp, but it weighs upwards of 70 pounds. The Quilter weighs half that. I'm 73 now, and not as strong as I used to be, so weight is a big factor for me.

Sean - a correct amp for what?

If you will only be playing at home a low output, high quality tube amp would give you excellent tone at home volume level. you DO NOT need a `5" speaker anywhere - that's a personal preference, but for home playing you need something you can turn up enough to both drive the amp and speaker enough for a good clean tone (assuming that''s the tone you want - if you want rock distortion, that's a different ballgame).

But a big 100-200+ watt amp suitable for gigging will generally sound like crap at low bedroom volume. "Too much amp" is a very common problem - you want to be able to hit the "sweet spot" of the amp's headroom (the top of the clean volume) - that's where they sound the best - but there's a caveat in that you need to have the right speaker for both the amp and instrument!

Forget pedal steel for a bit a do a bit of reading about amplifiers and guitar tone. While pedal steel has a bit wider frequency range than other guitar it is STILL a guitar and the same tone parameters apply.

Focusing ONLY on pedal steel amps will lock you into a very small "personal preference", proprietary market that contains a limited number of options - but there are HUNDREDS of other amps that will work as well or better for pedal steel. If you are truly interested in finding something with the best tonal properties for your guitar spend more time on research outside these walls.

Sean, You might also want to consider a silver face Twin Reverb. They can be found for between $700.00 and $1000.00 - very reasonable for a vintage amp. A little work at the amp shop, maybe a good pair of JBLs and you won't find a better sounding amp in my opinion. I don't know much about a Steel King, but I believe it's a PC board amp - for a couple hundred more (from what I've seen) you can get a real, point to point wired vintage Twin (yes, I'm a little biased about old Fenders, as I've never found anything that sounded better - particularly in a live situation).The newer solid state stuff have a lot more bells and whistles, but for me, I like to spend my time playing through an amp that already has superior tone, than fiddling with knobs and gadgets.

I've followed Milkman and over time have owned pretty much every amp Tim makes...I've settled on "The Amp". It weighs 2 lbs and sounds amazing! And you don't even have to bring a speaker with you if you don't want to - just use the XLR output with the cabinet Sim switch on and go right to the pa. Or use a speaker, but get extra power by also running to the PA...
I use a Jupiter Ceramic speaker - Tim told me it is usually what he uses. After a bit of break in, it sounds truly delightful...adds some personality, in a good way. I put it in a Mojotone Lite 1x12 cab. It is 50 watts with the 8 ohm speaker, and it isn't worth going to 4 ohm to get 100 watts, the difference would be would be nearly imperceptible. This thing is REALLY loud!!!
If you need more volume, nowadays there probably is a PA to go through...
With the amp and a few pedals on a pedaltrain pedalboard, the whole thing goes over my shoulder = no hands needed!

Jim Sliff wrote:Sean - a correct amp for what?

exactly

It may be good to define what it is you are needing the amp for .

Small amp for home practice or are you looking for a regular duty gig amp ?

Loud is not really how we should gauge an amp regardless, clean headroom is the primary factor. Even a Fender 15 watt Blues Jr can be defined as LOUD but don't expect it to perform CLEAN on a bandstand.

Are you wanting an amp with extended clean headroom for bandstand volume at gigs ? Are you also playing another Instrument thru it such as guitar ? These things may matter.

I own probably a dozen different amps, all different purposes. The only Steel "ONLY" amp I own now is the Nashville 112 combo. . All of the big brothers are long gone. Weighs around 40 pounds, plenty of clean gain, can cover home and probably most gigs.

I would say, without really knowing what your immediate need is, grab a nice clean N112 , they can cover a ton of ground and not break the bank.

Play, practice, go out and gig, get some experience, you will then come to learn what your real need is. One thing we all know, whatever amp you purchase now, it's only temporary.


Oh yeah, whats your budget ? $300 or $3000 ?

Thanks for the reference Tony. You took the words right out of my mouth.

Mike Brown
Peavey USA

Mike Brown wrote:Thanks for the reference Tony. You took the words right out of my mouth.

Mike Brown
Peavey USA

thats why I'm here Mike !

Yep-Nashville 1-12...you can't go wrong!