The Steel Guitar Forum

Are there any differences in these mods?
Is one better than the other?
Just curious, going to try one on my profex


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Tim
1990 Lashley Legrande D10 8 & 4. Profex II, Blue Tube II, Nashville 400
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Timmy Witt on 28 June 2002 at 11:12 AM.]</p></FONT>

Yes. Call John Lemay.

Larry Behm

I have heard several people say that the LeMay mod sounds better. Mike Brown could probably tell us if the parts in both mods are identical. I do know that Peavey was worried about speaker damage, and that's why the lows in their amps were limited by design originally (Mike said that here on the Forum). The mod kits restore the "fullness" to the sound that the amp was capable of, but probably do make it easier to push the speakers to destruction because of the enhanced bass response.

Personally, I like the sound much better with the mod kit installed...it's like a different amp!

Both the Lemay and Peavey mod change out analog IC op amps to a lower noise, better quality unit (in the Profex mod). I have tried both and could not hear any difference.

Thanks Ken,
that is what I was needing to hear. Peaveys price is definetly better.

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Tim
1990 Lashley Legrande D10 8 & 4. Profex II, Blue Tube II, Nashville 400

how do the mod kits effect the reverb, has anyone noticed a difference?

No advice, just an observation.

Different people that I respect have advised that:
<UL>
[*]Lemay is better, and worth the extra $
[*]There's no noticable difference, except one Cap's value and the $
[/list]

I don't know, that's why my main amp, a Nash 400 is un-modded.

I purchased it from a Pro's studio. He didn't need the mod to sound great, still I wonder...

I hear that it makes the profex quieter and that is mainly what I'm looking for.

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Tim
1990 Lashley Legrande D10 8 & 4. Profex II, Blue Tube II, Nashville 400

There seems to be some confusion in some of the replies. Some members are referring to the Nashville 400 mod. The Profex 2 mod is only OpAmps, no caps. Both mods use a lower noise, higher grade OpAmp in the audio preamp stages. I have seen and heard both, could not tell any real difference. I am sure both help with lower noise, especially important if recording. I am not sure there's a real big advantage in a live situation, as signal to ratios in that situation is not as easy to discern.
Again, it's a matter of personal taste on the Nashville 400 mod. I have done about 1/2 dozen Peavey mods for fellow steeler's. All were very, very pleased with the difference. The change adds more than sufficient bass response to the amp, excellent control of mids and highs as well. Technically speaking, I think the mod has the advantage of not allowing enough bass response to blow the speaker out of the frame!
I must confess, I have never heard the Nashville 400 mod by Lemay. Perhaps someone else has done a side by side comparison and could enlighten us further.

I installed The LeMay mod in my Nashville 400 about a 6 months ago. It definitely changed the tonality of the amp, for the better. The low end is more definite, and the highs are crystal clear. The only problem I have is with the mid range. I can't seem to nail it down, where I want it.But, all in all, I'm happy with the mod.Maybe a little more tweaking, and I'll find THE SOUND

Doesn't it say something about the original design of the Peavey Nashville 400 that it has to be moded to sound decent? Something was wrong. I had one when I first started steel and it was the worst sounding amp I ever played steel through. No highs or lows, just total mid range. The mod makes it so much better. Thank goodness for Jim Webb for designing a real steel amp.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Kevin Hatton on 30 June 2002 at 11:27 AM.]</p></FONT>

Modification kits have been available for various manufacturers amplifiers for years and years. Third party companies "modify" stock amplifiers to achieve they think is a better tone, and in some cases the results are favorable.

The Peavey '400' series of the amplifiers were manufactured in the early '80's and used good quality components that were available at that time for production quantities. As time passes, technology improves, so we prefer to change also. We made some component changes in the EQ circuit of the Nashville 400, Vegas 400, Session 500 and the Session 400 Limited which basically allowed you to achieve more low end response without damaging the speaker and a cleaner mid range and the ability to boost the high frequency ranges. Our intention was to offer these kits at a much lower cost to our customers.

Here is our overview of mod kits in general;
Since the audio amplifier became a reality years and years ago, there have been many tricks, variations and hype offered by individuals ranging from "tube/parts swappers" to audio engineers that tend to make a consumer believe that there is "magic" in designing an amplifier. The fact is that there are no "magic tricks" in the field of electronic technology. However, some of the "magic kits" that are popping up tend to lead you to believe this. More times than none, the costs involved to modify a circuit are merely the price difference of the parts themselves. After all, "swapping" parts in an already designed circuit is not the actual redesign of the circuit. So, why should these "magic" kits cost so much?

In some circles, players are considered "less" of a player if they are playing "stock" amplifier. If you take two identical setups and have two different players play through this same setup, one player will usually sound better anyway, regardless if the amp is "modified" or not.

With over 112 engineers on our staff who set an objective for a product, research the market, create an idea, layout a plan of action and place that plan into motion by designing and manufacturing the finished product, there is no doubt why Peavey steel guitar amplifiers are the leading edge products preferred by pro and amateur musicians all over the world

Our engineering teams at Peavey have done massive research. We have documented equalization curves of the various Peavey amps that are being "modified". These mods are really simple and inexpensive to install. We have even provided circuit board layouts with the necessary parts values for those with proven technical skills.

There is usually a "down" side to modifying the original circuit of any brand of amplifier, but in most cases this is not considered by the company that is recommending their mod kit. But more than likely there are disclaimer statements through the literature that attempt to release them from any responsibilities should the results be undesirable.

The bottom line is that there is no "magic" in electronics, so beware of those who imply that there may be. Amp design is mostly science with a little "art" added to the mix. Mostly just the application of proven technology and a lot of "common sense"! 'Nuff said.



The reason that we introduced the Peavey Profex II Tone Enhancement Kits was to offer the more up to date IC's at a reasonable price. Modifications to the internal EPROM chip is not reasonably possible. However, selecting quieter IC's is possible and that is what both our kit and the LeMay kit consists of.

Mike Brown
Peavey Electronics Corporation

I have Peavey kits in my Nashville 400 and my Session 500 and I can't tell the difference in mine and the Lemay kits. I am so glad I put the mods in though. No longer do I have that unnerving honk in the mid-range. Either mod works for sure though. It is up to the individual. Kind of like do you prefer an Emmons or a Zum?

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1985 Emmons push-pull, Session 500, Nashville400, 65 re-issue Fender Twin, Fender Tele

I have one of each, they sound about the same.IMO you can't go wrong with either one.
Harley

I have two 400's, one has the peavey mod and the other is standard. They do have a different tone between them, however they both sound great.I am a EE, and as far as mod's go, I would only trust the people that designed the product in the first place.I have been playing peavey for years and have never had any kind of a failure.

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I like the Lemay best for N-400.A bigger low end.And just a little sweeter to my ears.I've never had 2 moded Profexes, at least at the same time to compare.Just my 2 cents.

I installed a LeMay mod in my Session 500 last year and the improvement was wonderful. The tone is even across the spectrum with more definition and the bass is more responsive. The amps have the well know bark in the mids and the kits nullify this problem.

I highly recommend the Peavey mod kits. I put them in my Profex II and N400. They do exactly what they're advertised to do. My two units sound cleaner, the N400 is clearer and more brilliant across the board--both units just sound better. They are very reasonable in cost, if you have technical skill they are easy to install. Peavey provides excellent instructions with the kits and also great customer service. Ed

Just wondering...is their any "downside" to just replacing the chips to the newer, low noise chips? (i.e., not changing any capacitors or other components requiring sufficient soldering skills)

Conversely, are there any benefits to changing just the chips?