I Love This Amp....

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 21 Apr 2005 11:38 pm

I have been hinting at it here and there for the past few weeks as I get it out and play it in more places but now I have to say it out loud:

The old Randall Steel Man 500 that was my consolation prize in my RED PEDAL STEEL ebay adventure has turned out to be a great match for my little ShoBud Pro I.

I replaced the original two-spring medium-decay reverb with a three-spring long-decay model from Accutronics and it has a 4 ohm JBL E-130 instead of the original D-130F. I have now used it for concert and club settings getting wonderful singing, full, clean country sounds and gritty, growly blues and rock textures, all with NO outboard toys, just a Goodrich Steel Man light pedal plugged straight into the Randall. ROMPIN'!!!

Forgive me if I seem unduly excited, but this is the culmination of a thirty year search for a single, simple package to replace a rack full of processing, an amp and some speaker cabinets.

As a result of this turn of events I'm going out and playing with other people a lot more, at least a couple times a week even if there is no gig, because it's easy and fun and better practice than sitting at home with the CD player.

Thanks to my fellow forum members for the indulgence, I just had to share....

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<img align=right src="http://www.pdxaudio.com/dgsept03.jpg" width="114 height="114">Dave Grafe - email: dg@pdxaudio.com
Production
Pickin', etc.

1978 ShoBud Pro I E9, Randall Steel Man 500, 1963 Precision Bass, 1954 Gibson LGO, 1897 Washburn Hawaiian Steel Conversion
[This message was edited by Dave Grafe on 22 April 2005 at 12:40 AM.]

Hook Moore · Post by **Hook Moore** » 22 Apr 2005 3:29 am

Congradulations Dave! Sounds like you got the right combination

Hook

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www.HookMoore.com

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 22 Apr 2005 4:26 am

Congrats on finding the amp that you have waited so long for. I know the following source for advice is questionable, however, Kieth Richards stated in article in GP magazine that the "right guitar through the right amp is magic" Sound familiar?

Also, I have a little sign on my book shelf that says: "Life is too short for bad tone"

David Spangler · Post by **David Spangler** » 22 Apr 2005 5:23 am

Dave, I played a gig 2 weeks ago with a fiddle player who was using a Steelman he had separated into a head cab along with an Alesis Quadraverb and a Marrs cab with a BW1501-4. He had great tone and had to keep the volume at 1 to keep from overpowering everyone else. First one I have seen up close and quite impressive.

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David Spangler

Bill Beall · Post by **Bill Beall** » 22 Apr 2005 8:52 am

I'm putting my MSA D-10 through an old Randall Commander amp with twin JBL's. Has a real good sound. The Commander was, I think, Randall's answer to the Fender Twin Reverb. I realize that the amp was not made nor intended for steel but it still does a good job. I played an acoustic six-string through it in church for years.

Scott Appleton · Post by **Scott Appleton** » 22 Apr 2005 9:35 am

Had one of those in 79 with a LDG sounded great.
Should have kept both of those.

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Mullen S12 Almost Mooney
71 Tele, Regal 45
Sho Bud S10 NP
Line 6 Flextone 3 + JBL D130, Acoustic 100 W all tube, Nash 112

Stephan Miller · Post by **Stephan Miller** » 22 Apr 2005 3:21 pm

Dave-- congrats! Hey, if you've come up with the right sound in the right package, you should be excited. BTW, how much does Mr Randall weigh? -Steve

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 25 Apr 2005 2:31 pm

Mr. Randall weighs in at about 50 to 60 Lbs. Not exactly light, but no Twin Reverb, either.

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 26 Apr 2005 3:26 pm

Dave
Congrat's on finding your tone !!.....Some never do !!....Thanks for sharing !!.....Jim

PS....I found my tone too !!.....I found that it comes in MANY different shades and colors !!....and I have an amp for each shade and color !!....

.... Jim

jim milewski · Post by **jim milewski** » 27 Apr 2005 3:37 am

there are many amps I have seen over the years that I had a gut feeling were great amps but never tried, this Steelman perhaps was at the top of the list, seems like I may have been right on this model, my most recent pleasant surprise was to install a Blue Marvel 12" along with a Scorpian beside it in a Peavet Heritage hybrid 120 watt amp, total investment just over $200 and the amp sounds great, then I powered those two speakers with a Session 400, wow! an amazingly great sound, I know what you mean Dave, with all the new stuff out there and then something right under our noses has "that" sound