Music Man amps for steel

Nathan Golub · From: Durham, NC

Hi, I'm new to the forum, and pretty new to the pedal steel. I've been playing through my Music Man 112RD combo. It's one of the later models, with an all solid-state preamp and a tube power amp at 100 watts. I was wondering if anyone else plays steel through Music Man amps, and how they feel these amps compare to other steel amps.

Robert Parent · From: Gillette, WY

Welcome to the Forum....

Several people here have Music Man amps. I have the same amp with an EV speaker. It's a great sounding amp. I also have a slightly older MM that is 50 watts with a JBL.

To each their own on comparing equipment. I like the MM or my rack system over anything else I have owned or tried.

[This message was edited by Robert Parent on 08 August 2006 at 09:58 AM.]

Andy Zynda · From: Wisconsin

I play (Lapsteel, PedalSteel and 6 string) through a blonde MM HD130.
It is... heaven.
Compared to any other amp I've ever tried.
Music man amps are absolute killers.
Welcome, and I applaud your taste.
-andy-

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

I have an RD 50 112 that I use sometimes on smaller gigs, for steel and lead guitar. I really like it. I had it up for sale here recently, but I'm glad it didn't sell, really.

David Doggett · Posted 8 Aug 2006 5:41 pm

I have a MM 112 RD. It has amazing volume for such a small, light amp - lots of clean headroom. For pedal steel, I place the tone somewhere between a Peavey solid state amp and a silver-face Fender tube amp. The tube power amp does give it some tube tone, especially if you keep the master volume cranked all the way up. But it has very piercing ice-pick highs that I have never been able to tame. Possibly a different speaker would help warm it up a bit. As it is, I prefer the all-tube tone of my Fenders.

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Student of the Steel: Zum uni, Fender tube amps, squareneck and roundneck resos, tenor sax, keyboards

John Bechtel · From: Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.

David; Have you tried putting a Tone~Control ahead of your v/p to kinda tame the highs? 500K Audio [with either a .047uF, .033uF or .022uF Cap.] Just 90° CCW should cut all the Highs necessary to soothe the ears! JMHO

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“Big John”
a.k.a. {Keoni Nui}
Current Equipment

Paul Honeycutt · From: Colorado, USA

The last time I saw the Doobie Brothers, John McFee was using a Music Man 130 head powering a 2 X 12" cab with EVM's for Guitar, Pedal Steel and Fiddle. Sounded pretty dang good as I remember.

Tim Whitlock · From: Colorado, USA

I have a MM RD112 (on loan) 50 watt that I use frequently in place of my Twin. It takes up less space on stage and is plenty loud for small venues. It has the best reverb I have ever heard. I still prefer the sound of the Twin whenever possible, but the MM is like half a Twin and works very well in these situations.

David Doggett · Posted 9 Aug 2006 5:58 am

John, I haven't tried cutting the highs before the volume pedal. I just keep the MM as a backup, and haven't gone beyond the amp tone controls. Maybe someday...

John Bechtel · From: Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.

There was a steel player/singer here in Nashville back in the late 70's/early 80's by the name of Bill Sterling who played a Sho-Bud(?) through a Musicman 2x12 and it sounded good and was more or less compared to a Fender Twin at the time!

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“Big John”
a.k.a. {Keoni Nui}
Current Equipment

Rick Alexander · From: Florida, USA, R.I.P.

Jody Carver uses a Music Man HD 150 4-10 and it sound killer with his Fender Custom.

I have 2 Music Man HD 130 212s that sound great for Steel. Herb Remington used one of them with a Steelmaster and a Rickenbacker BD6 when we recorded TUFF FUN TAB and the songs for our upcoming CD. 2 of them can be heard here and here.

Here is a closeup of the Music Man Amps:

They are the 70s models and they've been re-tolexed and re-grillclothed. One of them I bought new in 1978 and the other one I got on eBay about 5 years ago. They were originally black with silver grillcloth.

They are great amps.

[This message was edited by Rick Alexander on 09 August 2006 at 09:42 PM.]

Ben Jones · From: Seattle, Washington, USA

I have the RD210. It was my first substanial guitar amp and I bought it new in 1979 in think. It has the worst "distortion" I have ever heard in my life. I was a kid and wanted to rock out, but the salesman conned me into buying this thing somehow. i was pissed when i saw that only country dudes (and clapton who i didnt like anyway) used em. hehe.

with two tens , its not really meant for steel, but sounds ok...I use it as a practice amp at home..the highs are a bit brittle

Don Barnhardt · From: North Carolina, USA

I had one. Don't know the model but it weighed a ton, had plenty of volume and a 12" speaker. I didn't like it for steel and eventually got a Steel King which I like much better. I gave the MM to my grandson who has a Strat and a Les Paul and he loves it.

sonbone · From: Waxahachie, TX

At one time I used a Music Man 130 head with a homemade 212 cabinet. Worked great for both steel and guitar. Traded it in for a Fender Super Twin. That turned out to be a mistake! The Super Twin's were just not reliable. Wish I had kept the Music Man.

Sonny

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http://geocities.com/sonbone1
sonbone@geocities.com

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

My Music Man 112 was great with my Sho~Bud Pro 1, but my Carter D-10 with humbuckers just stresses the amp out big time. I no longer use it live. My Session 400 handles the Carter quite nicely. I did use the Music Man last weekend for a tele gig, and it smoked as usual.

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