The Steel Guitar Forum

Is there any small portable amp out there - about the size of a Pignose - that can handle the output from a steel guitar? I have a crappy Dimarzio that runs on a 9V and yes, I can hear my lap steel but it doesn't sound very good. Is there anything over the counter or boutique in this size?

Hey Andy,
I compiled a basic overview of what I thought worked well(within its limits) in the Peavey line of amps a year or so ago. Here's what I wrote about the Peavey Blazer 158 and Envoy amps;
Mike Brown
Member
From: Meridian, Mississippi USA
posted 08 December 2000 04:24 PM profile send email edit
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I've been asked for several years if various non steel Peavey amps would sound good for steel guitar applications. Without having "tried them out" using a steel guitar, I am rather hesitant to recommend any amp other than a "bonified" Peavey steel for steel guitar, until I try it out myself.
I know that many players do not perform on a bandstand with a band, but rehearse using a CD or tape deck and a set of headphones. This past Saturday I took my steel guitar to what we call our demo room(actually,we call it "The Fishbowl" as it looks like a fishbowl storefront) here at Peavey that has just about every amplifier that we manufacture in it. Surprisingly, I found that there are a few low wattage Peavey amps that work very well for steel guitar at "less than stagelevel volumes". I have listed my preferences below. Feel free to check out the features of these amp on the Peavey website at "www.peavey.com"

Blazer 158-This amp surprised me as it had pretty good tone with a 8" speaker and all of the features(headphone out, CD/tape input, reverb) and 15 watts that steel players have been asking for. This one works well within reason. Here are the settings that I finally landed on for the clean channel;
Vol-5
Low-10
Mid-5
Hi-4
Rev-4

The distortion channel could be used for lap steel with no problem.


Transtube Envoy II-This amp is rated at 40 watts with a 10" speaker, external speaker jack, reverb and 3 band equalization.

Vol-5 1/2
Low-7 1/2
Mid-3
High-5
Rev-3
Note;Both MODERN and HIGH GAIN switches can be used for different EQ settings.

Same for the lead/distortion channel here; can be set for use with lap steel.


Hope that this helps. If you have questions that I can answer for you, please call me toll free here at the factory. I can be reached at 1-877-732-8391.

Mike Brown
Peavey Electronics Corporation

OK, I'll let the cat out of the bag.

Sage Harmos turned me on to the Magnasync Moviola URS. It is a high quality tube amp made for 16 mm Film Editing machines. It is about 9" long and 6" high and it gives you INSTANT DICK McINTIRE sound out of a 4" speaker. It was retrofitted to take a 1/4" plug ...a bit noisy but WOW!!! I bought two.

Needs to have a grounded plug put on. Sounds like you wanted a battery powered one but these are too good !!!!!!!!!!!

Hey - I remember those from my days on a flatbed editing 16! Thanks for the tip. Where do you find these babies, Rick?

I have the Pignose 'Hog' 30w & the smaller 20w and can say that neither of these amps cut it for steel. The're great little battery amps, just not for steel.

Andy, Sage knew a guy who bought up all that Univ. of Minn.'s media dept. had (they were gettin' rid of their obsolete stuff I guess) and put in the 1/4" socket. I think I bought his last 2.

I've seen them on Ebay...went for $50. Magnasync Moviola equipment is listed there often...usually fine pieces of equipment VERY cheap.

Funny how such "once" state of the art equipment can be rendered obsolete.

Keep this on the "Hush"...wouldn't want these LITTLE GREEN MONSTERS to start commanding the astronomical prices that Ebay is famous for on non-pedal steels.

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Rick Aiello on 26 February 2002 at 09:01 AM.]</p></FONT>

That is cool, Rick. The Moviola URS's really are fun- old point to point hand wired tubes in a little institutional green box that is too small to put a satisfying lunch into. Low watts, dead simple. They are accumulating in my appartment like little bugs (I think I have about 5 of them now). If you plug a decent speaker into the "headphone" jack, it sounds even better. Great for lap steel, not nearly enough teeth for most pedal steel requirements. Yes Rick, it is a 'secret' worth keeping to find a real tube amp that weighs less than most lap steels. Good for intimate house parties, practicing at home, or small coffee house gigs.
Andy, there may be some hiding in old A/V institutional closets near you if you ask around. I think that they were also used as sound extention units for movies in larger rooms. Perhaps in schools, hospitals, old companies, etc. It would probably be easier to wait for one on ebay. They are still cheap.
Simple modification required to perform as a guitar amp. Comes complete with memories of 16mm high school movies blaring overwrought string section sountracks of car crashes and weird health science flicks.
T. Sage Harmos

p.s.- I don't need 5, and will part with some- but I don't have time to go through them until mid-April or May. <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Sage on 27 February 2002 at 10:51 PM.]</p></FONT>

I have a small battery powered Peavy Solo with an 8" speaker that sounds quite good with my little MCI/w E-66. This is for clean sounding playing not distortion. No problem with the steel overdriving it. It has two channels and one tone control but a RV-3 or something gives you all need for low volume pratice and it is light and doesn't take up a lot of room.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Jay Jessup on 04 March 2002 at 06:50 AM.]</p></FONT>

Following Andy Volk's lead, I bought one of these little guys on eBay the other day. It arrived in great condition from what I can tell, but I'm not sure how to rewire it to accept a 1/4 inch guitar jack instead of the four prong input jack currently in there. Pins 1 and 4 are for optical playback; pins 3 and 4 are for magnetic playback. Am I correct in assuming 3 and 4 should be the wires I use for the jack?

Any suggestions appreciated.

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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

This is one I've wanted to try - anyone out there have one??

Songworks
Little Lanilei Super 50
http://www.songworks.com/index1.htm

Harmonycentral amp review has a review from a steel player.

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Chris Kennison
Ft. Collins, Colorado
"We can't afford to let Nature Run Wild" - govt. offical - Alaska

Hey fellows I have a Pignose Hog 20 that I have used for 5 Years with my dobro w/p'up. I first run it through a Rv 3 and that works great for louder applications..the steel does do a job through it. IMHO I think my little Carter 10 is too bright to begin with but it serves as a practice amp in a pinch. I't sounds low power but carries the message.

Hi Brad-
Did you get a Moviola URS? I haven't done the mod yet myself so I can't help you at this point. I'm planning on taking an unmodified one out to Chris (seldomfed) in a few weeks when I come thru. Maybe he can help you out... I'm past my eyeballs in work right now .
p.s.- hey Chris- I'll be coming thru in a few weeks-
T. Sage Harmos

I, too, have a Peavey solo that I got so I can be self-contained in my fifth wheel and sneak into bluegrass festivals with my pedal steel ("Blasphemy!," shouted the chorus of banjo players). It runs on 12V so you can buy a straight-through car adapter and power it from your car, truck, or RV. It also runs on AC with a fairly expensive not-included wsll wart, or a bunch of D cells.

If you go that route, you'll miss reverb. I did. My solution--to continue to be self-contained--was to get a little DigiTech RP100 Modeling Guitar Processor. Out of its built-in 80 sounds, it has two nice reverb sounds, a few crunchy tones good for lap steel, and a whole bunch of sounds that would compel most listeners to scream, plug their ears solidly, and go running for the next county. YMMV. But you can program your own sounds in, overwriting the presets. It runs on an AC adapter or several AA batteries.

The amp does work nicely for low volume playing with acoustic instruments, but if you're used to one or two Webb amps with external JBL cabinets, it's kind of puny.

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Pete Grant on 22 April 2002 at 07:39 AM.]</p></FONT>

Hey Sage, see you when your here - let me know.

So did ANYONE check out the Little Lanilei
URL http://www.songworks.com/index1.htm yet?

Any comments? They ref. some Harmony Central
amp db comments and one is from a pedal steel guy that seems to like it alot!

chris

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Chris Kennison
Ft. Collins, Colorado
"We can't afford to let Nature Run Wild" - govt. offical - Alaska