The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi, I wonder which kind of amps and effects you use for steel. At the moment I play over a Fender BF Deluxe and an old tube reverb plus an Echoplex EP1. What are you using?

For practice, I use a 1970 or thereabouts Fender Princeton Reverb. On stage I use an old Peavy Musician power head and a 15" Black Widow speaker cabinet if I'm only using the steel. If I also have my keyboard set up, I use a Yamaha EMX-660 stereo power mixer with a Boss digital reverb on the steel input channel and the same speaker cabinet.

Hi Martin. I have a number of different amps for different needs, moods, ears, etc. But for small room/lightweight/portable I have been really liking my SF Deluxe reverb. One thing that I have done to make it better for steel is to bias it for 6L6 tubes, replace the rectifier tube with a Weber solid state copper cap and put in a high wattage speaker--in this case a Weber California, ceramic (rated at 80w.) The amp now can stay pretty clean, pretty loud. Just thought I'd tell you about this since you mentioned the Deluxe.

I've been playing my National Dynamic through a 1977 Fender Princeton Reverb (silverface) with a Celestion speaker. It sounds great to me, but I'm only playing in small clubs. If/when I play larger venues, I suppose I could use a similar era Deluxe Reverb, but I'd probably just want to mike the amp I'm using now.
It's portable and plenty loud enough for what I'm trying to do.

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

In my studio I mostly use a "Route 66" compressor/overdrive trhough my POD and get fairly good results with that.
I have a 30W Peavey Delta Blues with the 15" speaker for live use (with the "Route 66",- I love that box!).

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

Tubeworks 60 watt solid state head bought from a fellow forum member with a 12AX7 tube drive section that can be blended and adjusted with the clean ound in several ways. Includes spring reverb . Driving an Avatar 1-12 with adj.horn bass reflex cabinet with a Eminence driver that is one of their best models .These Avatar cabs are available direct from the company or on ebay. The best speaker cabinet and company support for the dough and made in the USA too ! I hope to pick up a small vintage tube amp w/ reverb at some point in time.

I have a number of amps for my electric guitars (Bogner, Top Hat, Dr Z, Carr, Fender, Diezel, Mesa) but the only amp for my steel is a GD Walker Stereo Steel.

Crate GX-15R

Not bad at all. I haven't heard my guitar through much else and I think I would have a hard time parting ways with my lil' amp. It makes the sound I want to hear and I'm sure the neighbors don't mind when I go ahead and turn it off.(although I don't play very loud)

I play through my,....well, I was going to make a joke here, butt I won't......

Bill and Brad;

I found a used Fender Princeton downtown for $200 and it doesn't sound bad. I wasn't sure about the sound with the steel though. I think I will pick it up. Thanks for your replys.

Sherman

Sherman, is that a Princeton or Princeton Reverb? Either way, $200 should be a good price if it's in good condition.

I play through a Fender Blues Junior which is a great little modern tube amp similiar in size and power to a Princeton. For effects I use delay, tremolo, a Fulltone Fulldrive for distortion, a Keeley compressor, and Goodrich volume pedal. This is the set up I use for Americana and Blues gigs on lap-steel. For western swing/old-school country stuff, the effects stay at home.

67 Marshall PA head through 15" JBL with Holy Grail analog reverb.

With my Airline 6-string or Supro 8-string, I use Fender Vibro-Champ, Princeton Reverb, or Deluxe Reverb depending on how much volume I need. Have also toyed with a Crate VC-508 for higher distortion at low volume to play with acoustic guitars in the living room.

I use a Fender Blues Jr -- sometimes I kick in a Guyatone OD-2 for light overdrive. I play Americana/alt-country, so this gies me a pretty bluesy tone.

I also have a Morley JD-10, which is an overdrive pre-amp that I can run straight into a PA. Before I got the Blues Jr, this was my main "amp", now it's a great backup for the real amp, and it sounds terrific for direct recording.

Hey, Steinar -- tell me more about the Rt 66 -- I've been looking at them for a while.
Peter

Small room ... a Fender Pro Junior.

Big room/outside ... a 70's Fender 135 watt Twin.

No effects, no reverb on the Twin.

I have a bunch of other small tube amps that I enjoy in my basement but when I do have a chance to play out ... I go with the above two Fenders

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<font size=1>www.horseshoemagnets.com </font>

Fender Blues Jr. w/ no effects. Movieola "lunchbox" amp for practice (or with an el cheapo stick-on piezo pickup for acoustic guitar if I need more volume in a jam session).

Peter,- not that much to say about it really..

The compressor is very good, I've never really liked using compressors in live settings, but this one is very natural and 'musical', better than any other I've tried.

The overdrive is very tube-like and dynamic, built over the classic Ibanez Tube Screamer. It goes a bit further than the TS, and also has a nice 'bass boost' switch that can come in handy if you want a more 'heavy' drive.
When combining both comp and drive you can get the kind of drive that's just 'there',- you don't recognize it as 'fuzz' or heavy 'distortion', it's just a nice warm sound with lots of sustain.
And of course,- you can go 'balls to the wall' if you want to.

This is the kind of pedal that I can bring to any gig where I have to play through someone elses amp, and feel confident that I will easily get 'my' sound from the amp.

Here's the manufaturers website: http://www.visualsound.net/

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

Andy, I just "blew a tube" or somethin' in my Moviola ...

All was fine ... then I heard a squeal followed by a screech ... then nothin'

Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue retubed with JJ tubes. Crate Limo rechargeable battery powered amp (10" speaker) for jamming outside or at conventions/hotel rooms etc.

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website


<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 01 May 2004 at 07:56 AM.]</p></FONT>

For larger stages & rooms I play a National Dynamic, or a Oahu Tonemaster through a Mesa Boogie DC-3(35 watts with a single 12'), for smaller rooms I really like my Fender Blues Jr.(15 watts-single 12'). I also carry a Gallien Krueger lunch box for back up, & for really small stages, or run through the PA, it sounds great.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Terry VunCannon on 01 May 2004 at 08:11 AM.]</p></FONT><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Terry VunCannon on 01 May 2004 at 08:13 AM.]</p></FONT>

Thanks, Steinar -- I've been toying with the idea of using a compressor, and having a combo unit with an 808-type overdrive makes sense, especially with the bass boost. I'm going to have to find one and give it a try.

By the way -- I love the photos on your site. And the Eric Brown steel is way cool.

I play through a BF Deluxe Reverb, stock, and a BF Super Reverb, which has the normal channel changed to become master volume, also different tubes to get a little earlier breakup. No effects other than reverb.

The Super is perfect for my EH-185 with the CC pickup. Every note expands, and with the right settings and volume, gets to the point of feedback but doesn't. A totally entrancing sound. By contrast, my little supro regular guitar with a lap steel pickup much prefers the Deluxe. Have to turn the treble down to 5, bass up to 6. Add volume and the walls shake.

The stringmaster sounds good through anything.

I play my 1954 Fender Dual Professional through my 1950 Fender Pro Amp.