The Steel Guitar Forum

I'm considering a new tube amp for my Mullen G2. One with plenty of head room. I have a Peavey Session 115 and really do like it. But I don't have a good tube amp that's specific for the PSG. I prefer to have both a solid state and a tube amp for go-to's. I've heard Milkman is a good one, but have never heard one. Any good suggestions?

There are a ton of variables here - how loud and clean do you need, how heavy can you tolerate, what type of sound do you want, what kind of music do you play, how much do you want to spend, and on and on. And there are lots and lots of previous discussions on this - dozens if not hundreds. So there will be lots and lots of different but reasonable suggestions.

But based on the fact that you say you like your high-power loud-and-clean Session 115, I'd say a hand-wired Twin Reverb for 2x12" or its 15" speaker equivalent - Vibrosonic Reverb or Dual Showman Reverb with a 1x15" cab with a 4-Ohm speaker in it. Or if you want even louder and cleaner - the early 80s Super Twin (some had reverb, some didn't).

Thanks for the reply. I like it loud and clean. Musically, I like all kinds, so I play whatever. Weight is not a problem either.

My Twin easily gets loud enough to be painful, which means it's time to turn down, or risk going deaf or living with tinnitus. A good condition vintage Twin (or Dual Showman or Vibrosonic) would be an excellent choice.

I have the Milkman Half and Half--Tube front end,a 300 watt class D power amp into a 15".It really is the sweetest-sounding and lightest weight of all my steel amps(Peavey NV112,Session 500, Fender Custom 15 Twin-Reverb).A good deal pricier than the others, but worth it to me!

If you are wanting a NEW all tube amp with good power, and have the budget, you should consider the Milkman 85 and the Little Walter (not sure of the model numbel). There are probably others as well. I just remembered, a forum member, I believe it is Mike Saggs, has just introduced a new line of amps call P2P. They are getting great reviews.

Does it HAVE TO be a tube amp? I have a Quilter Steelaire, which is solid state, and sounds just fine.

I recently acquired a Fender Vibrosonic Reverb (you could just get a Twin Reverb if you don’t want to search as hard for the factory 1x15” configuration) and it delivers the familiar and delicious steel tone we know and love. I now realize I should have tracked one down years ago.

Just be ready for some new electrolytic capacitors and/or tubes and you cannot go wrong.

If your budget is larger than mine was, I would get a new Milkman 85 watt.

Also, if it helps you at all, my Mullen G2 is often used with this amp.

Well, it is a tough choice...IMHO, you need to decide between the Milkman 85 watt Pedal Steel Amp, the Milkman 300w Half-and-Half, the Milkman 50w Sideman, the Milkman 40w Pedal Steel Mini, and the Milkman "The Amp"....

All have various tube flavors...I've owned them all (he kept introducing yet-another-great-amp as time marched on), and they all have slightly different personalities, but all have tone to die for, reliability to live for, and a designer/builder who is a pedal steel player and a great guy.

Overall, the 85w was the monster, more sweet, warm clean than you could ever need, and the Pedal Steel Mini was my personal favorite - I liked being able to push it into really sweet "angels singing" overdrive now and then...

Give Tim a call/email and he'll talk you through it...

By the way, I mostly kept changing to reduce the carry weight, and now play through "The Amp", on my pedalboard...and I'm quite happy with the tone...and being able to carry my whole rig in one hand...

James: Not that it matters, but since no one asked............

Why do you want a tube amp?
How long have you been playing?
Do you play out or only at home?

Wow what a question that’s almost as bad as ask me somebody who are you going to vote for lol lol

AJM, I'm not a professional, but I do play out on occasion when I have the opportunity. I'm a converted guitar player (still play) and only have 4 years experience with the PSG, and working hard at getting better. I've always used a tube amp, and only bought the Peavey since none of my amps fit the PSG and it was a good buy.

I also play a G2 and have owned a few of the amps you're considering. I've had a 112, a V8/Tone Block rack, a Milkman PS mini (w/d120) and a Quilter TT12. I've had Mike Scaggs p2p Bad Dawg for a month and it blows everything I've ever heard or played through away by a long shot. I can't emphasize that enough. And it sounds killer with 6 string, too!

I always shoot for the 'save, research, buy the best, buy it for life' strategy as much as I possibly can and the Bad Dawg is just that, the end of the amp hunt, for my anyway. And Mike couldn't be a nicer guy who stands behind his product. You can tell very quickly he puts passion and perfectionism into everything he builds, from his p/p restores to his amps.

I’ve been a Little Walter PF 89 for two years now and could not be happier. I am using two
Little Walter cabs loaded with PF 350’s. Plenty of headroom, unmatched tone. Give Phil
Bradbury a call: 9103152445. Super nice guy and of course can answer all your questions. Keep Pickin’, Larry Hamilton, Lewisville, Tx.

A good Fender amp is hard to beat, and they are plentiful. Here lately I’ve been using an old Peavey LTD400 for steel and playing guitar thru one of these smaller amps.

People say these are pretty good:




Good bang for the buck too.

http://www.jimsguitars.com/s/3888/Ampli ... Singer.htm

Tal Herbsman wrote: Good bang for the buck too.

http://www.jimsguitars.com/s/3888/Ampli ... Singer.htm

Good buck for the bang.

And look! They're in stock!

I'll take 2 while you're at it.

It's hard to beat a Fender Twin Reverb for a PSG tube amp. The issue I've been having is finding one that doesn't need any work, but my search continues.

Milkman and P2P amps make great units if your looking for boutique amps. Reviews and demos Ive seen look promising there, I havent had the chance to test either myself.

Since you have a soild state you're happy with, you dont meed the tube amp immediately. I'd work on trying out some of the suggestions listed above (Dumble excluded of course) and see how it sounds to your ears.

Another option, is getting a Steel Guitar Black Box (tube pre amp) and feeding your Peavy with that. Might just fill the niche without having another amp to buy.

It appears that whenever the Tube Amp discussion comes up many of us revert to VOLUME, such as a Twin Reverb is really loud or maybe TOO LOUD. We read this often on forums, even the 40 watt HRD is TOO loud many say. Then they follow with " all you need is a Deluxe Reverb" which is a 22 watt amp that breaks up early on the knob, before the volume gets out of control. Of course they are comparing Apples to Peanuts. Try getting additional clean stage volume out of a Deluxe Reverb. We can't, that's not what that amp is about.

Its not about volume its about can we achieve CLEAN with adequate GIG volume, which is where the Twin shines. 4 x 6L6's give is that option. But don't expect it to give you breakup early on the V-knob.

CLEAN volume and too LOUD are unrelated entities.

Those among us that are pushing a tube amp to the point of break-up may very well be playing too loud on the bandstand, especially if your are trying to do it with a Fender 4x6L6 amp.

I suggest that when we talk about TUBE amps, preface what we are looking for, an amp that breaks up early on the V-Knob, or an amp, such as a TWIN where it will remain clean volume for your gig duty. NOT LOUD volume, clean volume.

Please keep in mind that this Fender 4 x 6L6 platform ( clean volume) was designed / developed long before STOMP BOXES were even dreamt about. Bands were using these amps on larger stages so guitars did NOT distort.

Remember the Beatles ? The VOX AC100's ? They were not initially designed for the CROWD to hear the Beatles, they were designed so the BEATLES could hear themselves on stage over the noise of the audience. The speaker cabs could be tilted towards the players, that was the point. But we all know what happened after that, the BIG STAGE AMP volume wars began.


So, what are the requirements for the desired Tube Amp?

no breakup at gig level- 4x6L6 Twin Reverb territory
some breakup at gig level- 40 to 50 watt 2x6L6 territory
a lot of breakup at gig level-15 to 22 watt territory

Its not about stage volume its about CLEAN stage volume. Even a 15 watt Blues Jr or a 22 watt Deluxe Reverb can blow you out of the room, but it won't be clean.

I would also recommend giving Tim a call,(Milkman) tell him what your desire ( need) is !

I use a '69 Dual Showman Reverb with a Fox cab that has an Eminence EPS 15C 4 ohm and it is fabulous. Used a Music Man 115-65 with a D130 for decades starting in the mid 70's but now prefer the Fender..I also have a Session 400..I think you'll probably prefer the Fender...a Twin,Dual Showman Reverb, or Vibrosonic...

Call Mike Scaggs ... If I were to get a Tube amp I think this would be the one... We all know the quality of work that Mike does on older Push Pulls of which many have been highlighted here... His attention to detail on them is spectacular. His amps are made to the same high standards with the best parts to make them sound like they do.

Here's a video with some of the finest Steel Men (Wayne Dahl, Travis Toy, Randy Beavers) on the Planet playing through one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlfhktYkUjg

James Simiele wrote:AJM, I'm not a professional, but I do play out on occasion when I have the opportunity. I'm a converted guitar player (still play) and only have 4 years experience with the PSG, and working hard at getting better. I've always used a tube amp, and only bought the Peavey since none of my amps fit the PSG and it was a good buy.

What amps do you own now and why don’t they suit the pedalsteel ? Most players out on the bandstand or in the studios use whatever amp they like or whatever amp that is currently working. All of the holy grail recordings of steel guitar used the same amps as everybody else.

Bob Hoffnar wrote:

James Simiele wrote:AJM, I'm not a professional, but I do play out on occasion when I have the opportunity. I'm a converted guitar player (still play) and only have 4 years experience with the PSG, and working hard at getting better. I've always used a tube amp, and only bought the Peavey since none of my amps fit the PSG and it was a good buy.

What amps do you own now and why don’t they suit the pedalsteel ? Most players out on the bandstand or in the studios use whatever amp they like or whatever amp that is currently working. All of the holy grail recordings of steel guitar used the same amps as everybody else.

I have a Fender 65 reissue deluxe reverb for a tube amp. Its a great amp, but at 22 watts, I dont think it has the headroom for the PSG. It sounds terrific and does have good power. I'm thinking of trading this amp for a new Twin reissue amp, and from what Im reading in the replies that the Twin at 85 watts is a very good PSG amp. Ive also considered the Milkman, but I'm not excited about paying that price without testing it out for myself.

Tony Prior wrote:It appears that whenever the Tube Amp discussion comes up many of us revert to VOLUME, such as a Twin Reverb is really loud or maybe TOO LOUD. We read this often on forums, even the 40 watt HRD is TOO loud many say. Then they follow with " all you need is a Deluxe Reverb" which is a 22 watt amp that breaks up early on the knob, before the volume gets out of control. Of course they are comparing Apples to Peanuts. Try getting additional clean stage volume out of a Deluxe Reverb. We can't, that's not what that amp is about.

Its not about volume its about can we achieve CLEAN with adequate GIG volume, which is where the Twin shines. 4 x 6L6's give is that option. But don't expect it to give you breakup early on the V-knob.

CLEAN volume and too LOUD are unrelated entities.

Those among us that are pushing a tube amp to the point of break-up may very well be playing too loud on the bandstand, especially if your are trying to do it with a Fender 4x6L6 amp.

I suggest that when we talk about TUBE amps, preface what we are looking for, an amp that breaks up early on the V-Knob, or an amp, such as a TWIN where it will remain clean volume for your gig duty. NOT LOUD volume, clean volume.

Please keep in mind that this Fender 4 x 6L6 platform ( clean volume) was designed / developed long before STOMP BOXES were even dreamt about. Bands were using these amps on larger stages so guitars did NOT distort.

Remember the Beatles ? The VOX AC100's ? They were not initially designed for the CROWD to hear the Beatles, they were designed so the BEATLES could hear themselves on stage over the noise of the audience. The speaker cabs could be tilted towards the players, that was the point. But we all know what happened after that, the BIG STAGE AMP volume wars began.


So, what are the requirements for the desired Tube Amp?

no breakup at gig level- 4x6L6 Twin Reverb territory
some breakup at gig level- 40 to 50 watt 2x6L6 territory
a lot of breakup at gig level-15 to 22 watt territory

Its not about stage volume its about CLEAN stage volume. Even a 15 watt Blues Jr or a 22 watt Deluxe Reverb can blow you out of the room, but it won't be clean.

I would also recommend giving Tim a call,(Milkman) tell him what your desire ( need) is !

Thanks Tony for the excellent response. I follow you on that.