Steel Guitar Amplifier History

Wade Black · Post by **Wade Black** » 2 Apr 2023 4:41 am

Steel guitar amps deserve their own documented category in history and I wondered if others might share what they know about the early brands of amps that were targeted at steel players. The lapsteel amps seem to be relatively well documented because of all of the research related to the early history of electric Spanish style guitars. However, the development of Definite Purpose pedal steel amps seems kind of scattered.

Bud Isaac’s says in the interview at this link that he originally used “…a Fender amp, I think. It might have been a Standel.”

https://www.fretboardjournal.com/featur ... interview/

And, the fuzzy history begins.

- I’ve read a few accounts that Fender started targeting pedal steel players with 15” speakers on the Vibrasonic.

- Maybe there are those of you that know if/how/when Standel targeted pedal steel players with features.

- There is already a thread on Webb amps: https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=354584

- There is a short archived thread on Sho-Bud amps: https://steelguitarforum.com/Archives/A ... 08778.html

- Peavey was definitely the leader for many years and I found this link that attributes Julian Tharpe with development of the Session 400: https://assets.peavey.com/static/peavey ... lifier.pdf

It might be cool to eventually layout the historical timeline of pedal steel amp development, the builders and players that were involved. I am sure there were multiple people and companies working in parallel along that timeline.

Dave Hopping · Post by **Dave Hopping** » 2 Apr 2023 6:28 am

Since Leo started off making lap steels, he was aware of the need for clarity in the amps he was building to accompany them. The tweed Pro had a 15" as far back as 1947 and JBL's were an option for most of the lineup back in the '50s.

The ad copy for the Tweed Twin had the words "tremendous distortionless power". The Vibrasonic was something of an anomaly. I knew then it was something real high-end, but Fender didn't publish power ratings and I thought at the time it was essentially a 4 6L6 hi-power gussied-up Twin with a 15. Wasn't until years later I found out it's much more like a brownface Pro.

In those days if you wanted clean you got the biggest Fender you could afford. Standel was then much more a boutique amp. The Milkman of its time?

Noah Miller · Post by **Noah Miller** » 2 Apr 2023 7:31 am

I don't think Standel ever specifically marketed to steel players. Although they did distribute Sierra pedal steels, the catalogs only mention guitar, bass, and vocal amplification. Same with Fender catalogs of the time - no specific mention of steels when it came to amps.

It wasn't until the late '60s when distortion became a big thing on records that anyone really thought about marketing "clean" amps differently from "dirty" amps; prior to that, they were just "amps" and could be used with any instrument.

Jon Light · Post by **Jon Light** » 2 Apr 2023 8:03 am

To add clarity -- or confusion -- it needs to be kept straight that there was a Fender Vibrasonic, a Vibrosonic Reverb, and a Custom Vibrasonic. Each a different animal.
Just fwiw.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 2 Apr 2023 8:24 am

What Jon said. I believe it was the Vibrosonic that was used for steel that came out in the early 70s. Basically a master volume Twin Reverb with a 15" JBL D130F. Later, a 135 w version.

All these amps were before I started playing in the late 70s so I'm certainly no historian nor authority. I know Gretsch, Sho-Bud, Webb, Randall and of course Peavey and Evans all built dedicated steel amps.

Wade Black · Post by **Wade Black** » 2 Apr 2023 8:48 am

Thanks for the replies.

The Sho-bud thread link says that Jim Evans designed the first amps for Sho-Bud around the mid-60s. Maybe those were the first amps tailored to pedal steel frequency range and marketed as Definite Purpose pedal steel amps?

I just bought the book: Fender The Golden Age 1946-1970 by Martin Kelly, Terry Fisher and Paul Kelly. Interestingly, there is a picture of Alvino Rey on page 28 pictured with a Fender 1000 and an amp…but I can’t make out the amp model. The book says the Fender 1000 was introduced in mid-1957. Could this be the first advertisement of a player endorsing a pedal steel with a brand of amp?

Does anyone know if Hise, Bigsby, Multi-Kord, Gibson or others advertised their products with an amp prior to mid-1957?

Bill A. Moore · Post by **Bill A. Moore** » 2 Apr 2023 9:23 am

The size seems to be about a Bassman cab.

Christopher Kux · Post by **Christopher Kux** » 2 Apr 2023 9:24 am

If reliable/accurate, Thai page has some interesting info about the beginning of Jim Evans / Sho Bud.

https://jaazz.me/2011/01/06/evans-custo ... w-history/

Clean all the way up, so the early ones were hijacked as PA systems for rodeo callers.

We have a local store that has a few Evans on the floor right now, along with a Peavey Nashville 400 and a Session 500 IV. Now that last one is louder than heck.

Wade Black · Post by **Wade Black** » 2 Apr 2023 11:24 am

Christopher Kux wrote:If reliable/accurate, Thai page has some interesting info about the beginning of Jim Evans / Sho Bud.

https://jaazz.me/2011/01/06/evans-custo ... w-history/

Clean all the way up, so the early ones were hijacked as PA systems for rodeo callers.

We have a local store that has a few Evans on the floor right now, along with a Peavey Nashville 400 and a Session 500 IV. Now that last one is louder than heck.

Very cool article. It appears that Jim Evans and Bob Crook appreciated the pedal steel market enough to consider specific features for pedal steel players as early as mid-1960s….maybe sooner? Would be cool to find the earliest old catalogs or flyers that showcased pedal steel features on Evans, Sho-Bud and Standel amps.

I think statements/features like distortionless, “clean all the way up”, 15” speakers, etc. are definitely geared toward pedal steel. Early amp endorsements by pedal steel players would, of course, be indicative also.

Wade Black · Post by **Wade Black** » 2 Apr 2023 11:36 am

Here is a Sho-Bud amp catalog from 1972. It is the earliest one I have found in my web searches thus far:

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Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 2 Apr 2023 1:07 pm

Wade Black · Post by **Wade Black** » 3 Apr 2023 4:15 am

Dave Grafe wrote:

Very cool. Don Randall was known to be one of the greatest trendsetting marketers in the music biz. I did not know about this amp…but no surprise. Do you know what year this amp was introduced?

Brett Lanier · Post by **Brett Lanier** » 3 Apr 2023 1:41 pm

The first Standel was made for Speedy West. Bob Crooks built it, and then rebuilt it after Speedy tried it out with his Bigsby.

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 3 Apr 2023 1:57 pm

I believe the Randall RSA500 / Steel Man 500 was brought to market in the mid-1970's, originally with 4-ohm JBL K130.

Larry Dering · Post by **Larry Dering** » 3 Apr 2023 4:56 pm

I never got to play or hear the Randall amp. We're they a strong competitor to Peavey and Fender? How do you describe their tone in comparison with the other steel amps of that period?

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 3 Apr 2023 5:13 pm

I've owned and gigged and recorded with a few. An FET front end is warm and growly when turned up but always clean and clear in the top end. Reverb EQ on a great spring tank, and a very well designed 5-band graphic final EQ. It has both a dedicated line out and a usable effects loop that with some creative outboard gain management allows an effective master volume while keeping the input high to get the FET working hard. 300 watts at 2 ohms, will blow a 4-ohm K130 on a loud stage but the heavy old E130 just goes ahead on.

Randall never had the distribution that Fender or Peavey had, and the dedicated steel amp was mostly promoted in magazines, although they could be found in some larger stores. It doesn't have the scooped midrange of a Fender or Webb built in but has the controls to get there easily. It's not so warm as the Fender at low levels but makes up for it on stage. I prefer it to all Peaveys except the Session 500 and the Randall is still lighter, about 60-70 lbs depending on the speaker.

Here's some tunes I recorded a few years back with a ShoBud Pro I, VP, and Randall amp with a 4-ohm JBL E130. No external effects at all, live takes to tape with diverse tonal scapes representative of the nature of the beast.

https://youtu.be/w2mlnEm1heQ

https://youtu.be/CRH6PkvFxkE

https://youtu.be/g6JFeJWB82U

https://youtu.be/Ta_9WCC3TD8

Wade Black · Post by **Wade Black** » 6 Apr 2023 4:33 am

Great playing and I really like the tone of that amp.

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 6 Apr 2023 5:09 am

As there is no built-in voicing it can be a challenge to dial in at first. Here is my default setup:

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 6 Apr 2023 9:37 am

In 1964 Fender launched the revamped 1x15" AB763 Vibroverb Amp loaded with a JBL D130F, hoping to catch a slice of the growing pedal steel guitar market, but the smaller 1x12" Deluxe Reverb already had the recording market and the Vibroverb's 45 watts were no match for the Twin Reverb on stage, so the model was dropped in 1965. One of my all-time favorite amps, there is a reason SRV loved them.

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 6 Apr 2023 9:53 am

Although not necessarily designed with the pedal steel guitar in mind, I'll bet I'm not the only steeler using this rig back inna day. One bonus was you could sit on the amp on a tight stage.

The photo above of Alvino Rey shows a similar amp which has to be either a 4x10" Bassman or 3x10" Bandmaster which was only slightly smaller.

Gordy Rex · Post by **Gordy Rex** » 6 Apr 2023 12:42 pm

If you want hear a Randall 500. The great Jim Murphy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b5qW0L-7_w

David Wren · Post by **David Wren** » 6 Apr 2023 7:11 pm

Hey Dave G., my mom's 1961 D-8 Sho~Bud was played through a Fender Bassman, just like the one you posted.

When I bought a used D10 Sho~Bud "permanant", probably in 1968, I played it though a "black faced" Bassman head, and two D130's (separate cabs)... later in 1970 I got a new MSA D-10, and a wonderful Standel 2-12 amp, that I put 2 EV "SROs" in... man what a great amp! Got stolen sadly.

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 7 Apr 2023 8:09 am

Jon Light wrote:To add clarity -- or confusion -- it needs to be kept straight that there was a Fender Vibrasonic, a Vibrosonic Reverb, and a Custom Vibrasonic. Each a different animal.
Just fwiw.

Yes, these three were entirely different animals, and worthy history in its own right.

Fender introduced the original, 40 watt brown face Vibrasonic (with an "A") in 1959 as their new top of the line model. It was the first Fender amp to use James B Lansing's 15" D130, and was instrumental in the development of JBL's "F" update to the line. It lacked reverb and was not included in the 1964 AB763 black face model lineup, being replaced by the short-lived 45 watt 1x15" AB763 Vibroverb, Fender's last effort at selling an all-tube 15" combo amp until the 100 watt silver face Vibro(with an "O")verb.

The "Custom" Vibrasonic is part of Fender's reissue series, a 100 watt tube amp delivered with a single Eminence 15" speaker, essentially a more powerful version of the reissue series' later 85 watt "Custom 15" Twin Reverb.

Lastly, the Vibrosonic - with an 'O' - was a SF 100/135 watt Master Volume Twin Reverb with an 8 ohm OT and a single 15" speaker. A great steel amp when loaded with a proper speaker, I have owned a couple over the years.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 7 Apr 2023 8:38 am

Pictured is the Gretsch Nashville amp I mentioned earlier.

My understanding is that it was also built by Kenneth Cain of Sho-Bud amp fame, but with more finesse and upgraded components.

I believe these were built during the Sho~Bud-Gretsch-Baldwin era.

I've only seen one of these as one of our steel club members played at one of our meetings. I don't recall if it housed a JBL D130 speaker v. the Altec pictured above.

Appeared very well built and sounded great.

Read the story from Bob Guichard's post as linked below.

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... sc&start=0

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 7 Apr 2023 9:29 am

That is very cool, Jerry, bet it sounded hige.