Of course, many people have a preconceived notion that all items made in the U.S. are inferior. This is true in some cases, but not all. And in Peavey's case, it is not true at all....Peavey amps are bullet-proof. Take a search on this Forum and you will see hundreds of others talking about their Sessions and Nashvilles falling off of trucks, etc. and still going. Think of all the Sessions that are still in active use...THEY WERE MADE 25 YEARS AGO! And the quality continues today with the Nashville amps.
Fender? I hate to say it, but their quality is very suspect anymore (talking amps, not guitars....). Maybe it has to do with the workers at the Mexican plant...but I doubt it. It comes with the problem of the company being so big that it can sell just about anything so long as it has "Fender" stamped on it.....and when that happens, the focus shifts on increasing the bottom line versus creating a quality, durable product. So the workers will put in as much effort as the managers see fit....and if the managers are trying to meet a budget, quality takes a back seat.
I have ranted on and on about the problems I had with TWO new Custom Twin 15" amps (both which I returned)....while only a few Forumites have publicly voiced similar problems/concerns, it is notable that the vast majority have not said much about it at all. My experience on this Forum over the past 5 years has shown that most people tend to not say ANYthing about products if they don't like them....they just keep quiet for the most part lest a flame war start (which is why certain steels are never really talked about....same with this amp).
The Custom 15" has its problems, and when I voiced my concerns on the Fender Forum, the Fender rep responded with a non-answer, if you will. No real concern about the problem, and certainly no solution or explanation. My amp tech did go on about how poorly designed it was for steel guitar applications versusthe Peaveys , especially the cabinet. That kind of says it all. Fender rushed to the market with an amp without really testing it, getting feedback from players, etc....and that's where the problems began.
Is it really any different with this "King" amp? Did they really TEST this thing? When I cranked the Nashville 1000 I had, I did not hear a PEEP out of that cabinet or the baffle board, and the speaker was flawless. The Custom Twin was a nightmare when cranked. So, how about the "King"?
I'm not trying to Fender-bash...I must say that I do love the Fender amp sound. I still own Fender amps. The amps they make today (including the Custom Twin) STILL have that sound, including the sweet reverb. It is always great for consumers to have competition in the marketplace, so I welcome Fender from all of these angles. Yet, if the amp cannot handle stage volumes with NO problem like all of the Peaveys, Evans and (I presume) Webbs have, and if the the customer service that they provide cannot match the personal attention that Peavey provides, then what is their real point of bringing this thing to the market? I can't see most of the people on here throwing money at an unproven product made by a company with a poor quality track record and a 30-year track record of almost completely shunning the pedal steel market.
Maybe I'm not seeing something.....but I thought us steel players are in essence a very particular bunch, where nothing but the best will suffice....while sound quality IS important, doesn't quality construction fare just as important?
Joe<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Joe Alterio on 27 July 2004 at 06:58 PM.]</p></FONT>
