Amp-Need Help

j bradley · Post by **j bradley** » 5 Dec 2001 3:14 pm

Ok all.....I want to buy a good quality amp, right now I have a small one--a practice amp, I need my personal one for when I'm out playing, not sure what kind to choose, which is better--solid state or tube? And which brands? I hear the Fenders & Peavey's are very good brands.
Thanks,
JB

Cairo Zoots · Post by **Cairo Zoots** » 5 Dec 2001 4:05 pm

Hey jb....The criteria for an amp choice can be as simple or as complicated as u want. Ur profile gives no clues to ur age, or geographics, so guessing that u'd be humping ur own gear to gigs like the local Eagles, Elks, Mooses, and the like - and playing with a mixture of undependable/unreliable outcasts of society, I'd say just about any combo amp (everything in one box) with a 15" Black Widow or JBL speaker, reverb, and at least 100 real watts, would be sufficient. Peavey made great solid state amps that have been used by everyone at one time or another, and models like the Vegas 400, Session 400, Nashville 400, or variations-have proven their worth and can be found just about anywhere for a reasonable price...anywhere from $100-$400. Used Fender amps tend to be higher in price because of their boutique value with "collectors", but are renowned for their warm "tube" sound. Once again 15" spkr combo models reign supreme especially if equipped with JBL or Altec brand spkrs-which does add substantially to the overall weight of the amp. I guess volumes have been written about this very subject, and I don't profess to being an authority but in my opinion, new or used, if ya go with Peavey or Fender, ya can't go very wrong pal. U can also do a search on the Forum here. b0b has made this wonderful feature available and it comes in real handy for researching stuff like this. Good Luck!

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ree-00-dee-doo

Bob Knight · Post by **Bob Knight** » 5 Dec 2001 4:46 pm

I have a Peavey Vegas 400,$350. Nashville 400 SOLD!, Session 500,$375. CS200,$250.

A Sho~Bud 115,$1200
all are very good to excellent cond.

Prices do not include shipping.

Thanks,
Bob

bknight@setel.com
(606)886-0767

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<H4>Bob</H4>
'71 Emmons D10, 8&4
Peavey DPC 1400
Peavey TransTube Fex
Peavey Classic 112es BW
Peavey Classic 115es BW

[This message was edited by Bob Knight on 07 December 2001 at 07:44 PM.]

Jerry Roller · Post by **Jerry Roller** » 5 Dec 2001 6:43 pm

Bob Knights Vegas at $350.00 might be hard to beat. That is a good steel amp. I have a Randall Steelman which is great. I also use Evans and Webb and they are also great.
I think I would suggest an Evans FET500 or one of the Peavey steel amps for the most amp for the money. Webb is wonderful also but tend to be more pricey. If cost is no object then Webb should also be on the list.
Jerry
[This message was edited by Jerry Roller on 05 December 2001 at 06:44 PM.]

Jerry Brightman · Post by **Jerry Brightman** » 5 Dec 2001 6:55 pm

I'll agree with Jerry Roller on Bob's amp. Plus, you can't ever go wrong dealing with him. He's a good guy and a good steel player I might add.

Jerry

Buck Grantham R.I.P. · Post by **Buck Grantham R.I.P.** » 6 Dec 2001 4:40 pm

For all around use I like the Nashville 400 better than the Vagas. I used a pair of Vadas amps for a few years then switched to Nashvilles and had a better sound.That's what I am using now.

winston · Post by **winston** » 7 Dec 2001 11:56 am

Hey Bob Knight, what kind of speaker is in the CS 200?

j bradley · Post by **j bradley** » 7 Dec 2001 3:07 pm

Thanks guys, you've been a great help! I'm leaning toward the Peavey because my practice amp is the same brand; thanks again.
JB

Bob Knight · Post by **Bob Knight** » 7 Dec 2001 7:41 pm

Winston,
The CS200 has 4-21" JWBs Rated at approx. 17,000 Watts each.

Bill Crook · Post by **Bill Crook** » 8 Dec 2001 8:56 am

17,000 Watts each ???

Bob Knight · Post by **Bob Knight** » 8 Dec 2001 9:35 am

Bill!!

winston · Post by **winston** » 9 Dec 2001 8:10 am

Wow Bob, that's a lot of power. If I buy that can I get louder than our lead guitar player?

PLAYSTEEL9 · Post by **PLAYSTEEL9** » 9 Dec 2001 7:26 pm

i have a nashville 400 with wheels and a fender vibrosonic custom if you are interested, the nashville is a 8 out of ten, the fender is in new condition, has factor cover and wheels, lie i said in new condition
take three fifty plus shipping for the nashiville and will take 750.00 for the fender plus shipping
wayne

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"Asleep at the steel"

Bob Knight · Post by **Bob Knight** » 9 Dec 2001 7:42 pm

I'll sell my Nash 400 for $200, in new cond.
shipping included.

SOLD!![This message was edited by Bob Knight on 10 December 2001 at 09:26 AM.]

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » 11 Dec 2001 8:29 am

JB, if you have questions about Peavey gear, you may call me toll free at 1-877-732-8391. Being a steel guitarist myself, I've had a chance to play quite a few Peavey amps as well as other brands. If you might be interested in an entry level type of amp, check out this FORUM posting/review that I wrote in December of last year;

Mike Brown
Member
From: Meridian, Mississippi USA
posted 08 December 2000 04:24 PM
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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.

Transtube Studio Pro 112 II-I didn't like this one as much as the Envoy II, basically because of the voicing that I got from it, but it "worked", just not as good(in my opinion). Here are the settings that I came up with;
CLEAN CHANNEL
Switch at VINTAGE setting
Vol-6 at the maximum
Low-6
Mid-3
High-6

LEAD CHANNEL
Switch to MODERM setting appealed to me on this amp.
Vol-6 at the max
Pre Gain-6 1/2
Low-8 1/2
Mid-3
High-6
Post Gain-4

Note; High gain input distorted with these settings, use low gain input for steel guitar.

For tube enthusiasts, I tried the Prowler, which is a 45 watt, dual channel all tube amp. This amp has spring reverb, an external speaker jack and resonance control which helps control the floppiness of the low frequencies.

As I said, I was real excited about this "discovery" after I tried these amps out, and I don't mind recommending them for small rehearsal amps after I've tried them.

I know that this may come off sounding like as a "sales pitch", but it is not intended to be. I'm just trying to give players an idea of what amp will work for steel guitar. I have basically "blown off" this question in the past unless I had happened to try certain amps, but now I don't have a problem with this after verifying my suspiciousions.

Please understand that each steel guitar varies a bit in output level, so you may have to use the LOW GAIN input instead of the HIGH GAIN input in your situation.

I did try our KB series of keyboard amps(closed back) and a couple of our small bass amps(closed back) and they didn't appeal to me at all.

I hope that this helps players out.

Mike Brown
Peavey Electronics Corporation

Bob Dell · Post by **Bob Dell** » 17 Dec 2001 10:05 pm

J Bradley,
Please e-mail me or call me. I have some information that I would like to get to you.
Bob Dell
BDell47@aol.com
501-736-8995

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » 18 Dec 2001 9:43 am

You can check out the Peavey Nashville 1000 here;
http://www.peavey.com/guitaramps/nashville_1000.html

Again, if you need further assistance, please let me know. You won't find another amp manufacturer that has been designing and building steel amps longer than Peavey Electronics.

If you have questions, I can be reached toll free at 1-877-732-8391. I look forward to speaking with you.