The Steel Guitar Forum

First Post!! Getting a Carter Starter in the next couple of weeks and am now looking at amps. I have my eyes on a Peavey Reno 400. I can get one for about $250 but with one caveat, the pots are a little scratchy. Should I keep looking? What are your suggestions?

You would be better off spending an additional $100 and getting a used Nashville 400. You will be much happier with the sound, and it is a PRO amp suitable for any electric stringed instrument except bass.

Bill Ferguson

Carter D10, Nashville 400 or Nashville 1000

I agree. The Reno I had sounded bad for steel. I tend to blame the speaker (Scorpion where a Black Widow would have been better).

And I wouldn't worry about scratchy pots on the amp.

Pot are easy to clean. Another side of this is you buy the Reno and Carter starter, play a while, to see if you like it. Trust me you will always be upgrading. Down the line buy a pro guitar and more powerful amp and off you go.

Just a thought. I don't like my students to spend a lot of money up front, only to discover they don't want to continue.

Larry Behm

Tom, What will you be using for a volume pedal? This is very important for pedal steel. If you get a pedal with a pot in it, you should be sure to get a Matchbox (or other preamp) to match its impedance to your amp. This will make even inexpensive amps sound way better. You can probably get a decent used volume pedal and Matchbox here on the Forum. If you don't see them in Buy and Sell, then post a Buy query and I'm sure they will turn up for you.

You're starting on a long and rewarding journey. Good luck.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by David Doggett on 09 July 2003 at 07:21 AM.]</p></FONT>

In the interim I will be using my Boss ME-30 multiple effects as my volume pedal. I plan on getting a Goodrich or a Fender pedal after I recover from my initial purchases.

Carter Starters are pretty good sounding steels. You don't need anything special for an amp. Reverb is nice and if you are going to play with a band you need something loud enough. Don't spend your money on gizmos. They won't help anyway. The main thing is get something that works and get on with practicing.


Bob

May I suggest a new Peavey Nashville 112 amplifier? Here is a link to this amp from the Peavey website;http://www.peavey.com/news/nashville112.cfm

If you have any questions concerning this or any other Peavey product, please feel free to contact me here at the factory toll free at 1-877-732-8391 and I'll be glad to assist you.

Mike Brown
Peavey Electronics Corporation

I'm not sure what the Boss ME-30 volume pedal is like. As an FX unit it probably has a preamp, and so may not need a Matchbox. However, the "throw" and feel of a volume pedal are important. With some pedals not made for steel the throw is too short and steep or uneven, and you will never be able to get that solid, even sustain characteristic of a good steel player. This is one of the more difficult aspects of the instrument for newbies, so start with a good pedal made for pedal steel (used is fine, but you may have to replace the pot).

The new Peavey 112 Mike Brown speaks of would be an ideal steel starter amp. Even at new amp prices it is very reasonable and will have useful features such as an earphone jack for practice and tuning, a 3-cord hookup to the volume pedal so you don't need a Matchbox, and EQ controls designed for steel. The power output is not intended for a big live sound, but looks like it will be plenty for practice and small gigs. Because of the reserve you keep on the volume pedal for sustain, a steel amp needs to have 3 or 4 times the power output of a regular guitar amp. Pro steel amps are in the 200 to 300 watt range, and these play alongside regular guitar players doing fine with 50 watt amps.