Fender Steel-King = One KILLER amp!

Jay Ganz · Post by **Jay Ganz** » 26 Sep 2004 7:24 am

<img src=http://home.hvc.rr.com/jsganz/Steel-King1.jpg>

Well, all I can say is Sam (Marshall) really
did his homework when he designed this thing.
It is pretty impressive to say the least.
I can't remember the last time I was able to
get an excellent tone out of a new amp without
even adjusting any tone controls! Full tonal
flexiblity is there if needed though.
The range of each EQ control is excellent.
Boosting the treble can rattle the fillings
in your teeth. Increasing the bass really
adds a ton of rock solid punch.
The best part is the tilt control.
By simply tweeking this knob, you can
compensate for almost any room you're
playing in. The reverb is smooth & lush
with great sustain.
What really makes this amp shine
is the speaker. I've never been a big fan
of Eminence speakers, but this design
(which emulates the JBL D130F) really
adds a nice sheen to the top end without
any harshness whatsoever.
<center>
<img src=http://home.hvc.rr.com/jsganz/Steel-King2.jpg> </center>

Another added bonus was how great my old
Strat sounded through the amp. No more
lugging a seperate amp just for guitar.
So, anyhow.... plug into one of these
when you get a chance. I think you will
really be amazed.

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 26 Sep 2004 8:21 am

I did at ISGC and it was a very nice amp.
The tilt control is a very intersting one, though I didn't of course get to move it to other rooms.

The semi parametric mids eq is a keeper for sure.

If it had 2-3 different inputs with volume controls for several instruments, like guitar and lapsteel and the reverb hum issue frm another thread addressed (if possible) it would be an extrordinary amp.

For a first generation it is a real solid unit.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 26 Sep 2004 8:49 pm

I too have had a Steel King for a couple of weeks and I pretty much agree with what's been said and so does everybody who's heard me play thru it. It's very smooth in the upper mids and highs. This was always a problem area on my Peaveys,even tho the EQ mods hepled quite a bit. I don't much like spring reverbs for steel and normally use a Nanoverb with my Peaveys but the spring reverb on this new Fender is also very smooth - not at all boingy and grainy - and is close enough to my liking that I don't need to bother with the Nanoverb. I have read about one guy who had hums and buzzes in a Steel King reverb but mine has no such problem and I'm sure that was an isolated incident. I have no real problem with it having only one input jack as I normally use an A/B footswitch when playing 2 instruments - either my Excel pedal guitar + my Stringmaster or my Excel + my Elec mandolin - never all 3. The Stringmaster and mando both sound great thru the Steel King as well BTW. I'm pretty happy with the Fender and will probably stick with it for a while. If I had any kind of complaint I would say that I wish it had a skoshe more headroom but I'm not likely to need it on the gigs I play. Plus,in time I might get another one and play thru a pair of them so that would take care of that issue. It's just that I've pushed it as far as I can with big C6th chord stuff just to find out where the crap-out limits are and I'd say Peaveys have about maybe 15% more HRBCO (headroom before crap-out).It might be the speaker - I dunno. At some point I'll put a Black Widow in there just to see what that sounds like - but for the moment I'm good to go. It's got some great features - I like it! All you L.A. cats who want to check it out in a night club situation,come on down to Viva Fresh. -MJ-

Jay Ganz · Post by **Jay Ganz** » 27 Sep 2004 5:31 am

I haven't had to push mine that hard yet,
but the great thing about this design is
having two overload indicators.
If the preamp LED light comes on, you can
kick in the -10db pad. If the power amp LED
lights up, you can switch on the limiter.
I supposed if they're both engaged, you'd
have an awful hard time getting the amp
to break up I would think.


[This message was edited by Jay Ganz on 27 September 2004 at 06:33 AM.]

Morton Kellas · Post by **Morton Kellas** » 27 Sep 2004 6:28 am

I thought the highs were a little too shrill for my liking. I installed a new BW 1501-4 SB in the amp and it took care fo that issue. I prefer the overall tone of the BW over the stock speaker. Some may disagree, but I find the tone much more pleasing with the BW speaker. I am not saying that the stock speaker sound bad, in fact it sounds pretty good. I just prefer the overall tonal characteristics of the BW.

Don Benoit · Post by **Don Benoit** » 27 Sep 2004 7:38 pm

How come no one is talking about the weight?

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http://www.steelguitar.ca

Morton Kellas · Post by **Morton Kellas** » 28 Sep 2004 4:29 am

I forgot to mention that the amp is lighter with the BW installed. I did not weigh it, but it sure felt easier to lift.

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » 28 Sep 2004 4:49 am

Give it time and you'll see them on the 'Buy and Sell'.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 28 Sep 2004 7:16 am

It doesn't seem to be much heavier than my Nash 400. I know it is a few pounds heavier but only a few. Anyhow both amps have wheels and the only time I really have to lift either one is from the ground into the trunk of my car and out again. In any practical sense,both amps are about the same size and weight. -MJ-

Travis Bernhardt · Post by **Travis Bernhardt** » 28 Sep 2004 1:11 pm

I only tried the Steel King for a short time at the ISGC, but I wasn't terribly impressed. I too felt that the highs were a little shrill, and I wasn't thrilled with the reverb. It definitely sounds like a Fender, with that kind of "crispy" high end that I don't like, but obviously, tone is very subjective! There may be settings or guitar/amp combinations that I would prefer--like I said, I only tried it for a short time (I did like the NV 112).

-Travis

Buck Dilly · Post by **Buck Dilly** » 28 Sep 2004 2:05 pm

So...what do they retail for?

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 28 Sep 2004 7:38 pm

They list for a grand - street price I'm guessing should be seven and serious change.

Tim Whitlock · Post by **Tim Whitlock** » 29 Sep 2004 3:47 am

GC price is $699.99.

Jay Ganz · Post by **Jay Ganz** » 29 Sep 2004 5:46 am

I ordered mine through a local yocal Fender
dealer for $629. They even let me try it out
for a week to see if I liked it. The amp
definitely has the classic Fender tone &
with some tweeking can come really close to
my old blackface Twin. Of course, it's 200
watts (compared to the Twin's 85).
As far as tonal variation goes,
it's sure alot easier to adjust the EQ tilt
& treble instead of changing the speaker.
You can get that "fat & mellow" tone
with no problem (if that's what you're after).



[This message was edited by Jay Ganz on 29 September 2004 at 06:59 AM.]

Morton Kellas · Post by **Morton Kellas** » 29 Sep 2004 6:30 am

You can change the tone of the amp by adjusting the tilt, but each speaker has a different voicing or tonal characteristic which you can't duplicate by a tonal adjustment. I have a few JBL's, Eminence and BW's. I tried each one by wiring them individually to the Steel King prior to installing it in the amp, just to be sure I would like it. I wouldn't switch back, but that's just my opinion.

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 1 Oct 2004 5:55 am

Jay,
I called John to order a Steel King....I think that Fender just might keep their ear's open to us steel player's now ...They did NOT expect the rush of orders on the Steel King and they are back ordered !!
There IS strength in numbers !!...

Don Benoit · Post by **Don Benoit** » 1 Oct 2004 10:41 am

A lot of people like the sound of an old Emmons or Sho-Bud guitar because of the tone. Those guitars are not as bright as the new ones. To get close to the old sound, you need a mellow amp which is what the Evans SE200 can give you. IT ONLY WEIGHS 42 LBS!!!

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http://www.steelguitar.ca

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 1 Oct 2004 10:44 am

I played an outdoor gig last night with my Steel King and everything went well till I hit a fat low down B7+9 chord with my "boo-wah" pedal at a fairly good wallop. Something crapped out - either the speaker or the amp itself - I wasn't sure. This is something I regularly do with my BW equipped Peaveys(modded Nash & Session 400s)at those levels with no problem whatsoever. When I got home I stayed up late determined to get to the bottom of the problem so I went ahead and took the BW out of my Nash 400 and put it into the Steel King. In my studio I cranked up the amp to the same levels I had at the gig and even quite a bit louder and played the same chord sequence - problem solved. Besides the BW having more headroom in the first place - when exploring the upper limits of this combination,now I find the limiter will kick in before the speaker(or the amp)goes into distortion which is the way it should be. The BW has a bit more mids than the Fender/Eminence but that is easily controlled by the Steel King's ample and comprensive EQ. Of course now that I had taken the BW out of my Nash,I figured what the hell and decided to find out what the Nash 400 would sound like with the Eminence and the answer is - pretty good. Besides providing the Peavey with a little smoother high end,it turns out that the Nash 400s limiter circuit is such that it kicks in quite smoothly before the Eminence craps out. I'd have to play both amps on a gig to be sure but my first impression is that both amps sound and perform better with each others' speakers. Waddyaknow!
In all fairness I'd say that the Fender/Eminence has faithfully reproduced the JBL D130F which in my experience also has always had headroom issues in an open back cabinet. They always sounded great in a Fender Showman however. It makes me wonder what the Steel King would sound like with the Eminence in a sealed cabinet like a bass amp. -MJ-

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 1 Oct 2004 2:33 pm

Mike another interesting report.
hitting the brick wall of a low bowah with either amp orr pseaker is something Fender should have seen coming in the practical world.

But in all the reports are pretty good.
Do you REALLY want to be playing that loud out there though?

Morton Kellas · Post by **Morton Kellas** » 1 Oct 2004 3:36 pm

I'm glad to hear that I am not the only one who thinks the Steel King performs better with a BW speaker. I think it is a great match.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 2 Oct 2004 8:52 am

Occasionally I visit those higher volume realms for a minute but I don't live there. But it's just like when I get a new car - I want to take her out for a major spin just to know where the limits are so when I hit the gas for the passing lane I'm gonna know what to expect. -MJ-

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 2 Oct 2004 9:43 am

Oh Maybelline

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 2 Oct 2004 5:39 pm

I don't believe that there is one amp that will suit everybody....There is something about just about every amp that somebody like's, and something about the same amp that they don't like ... A speaker from this amp, and a little from here and there, and a little mod, and we all end up with an amp that will do the job !!..Variety is the spice of life, and there's just the right amp for everyone !!

Morton Kellas · Post by **Morton Kellas** » 4 Oct 2004 7:03 am

Well spoken, James.