Question from newbie about amps

Bill Hisle · Post by **Bill Hisle** » 27 Sep 2002 5:56 am

I've been playing 6 strings for 30+ years and have recently taken the dive into pedal steel. It seems that the "Nashville" series amps are the standard for steel players. I was wondering why? I've seen some steelers use Twins, and a few other amps, but it seems the standard is the Nashville. Has this amp been designed and voiced for the steel guitar?

Andy Alford · Post by **Andy Alford** » 27 Sep 2002 6:56 am

Bill

Many of us love that tube amps for pedal steel.I like a Peavey Classic 30 or 50 along with a B.W. 12 0r 15 in. speaker.I will take the tube sound any day.

Larry R · Post by **Larry R** » 27 Sep 2002 7:09 am

Bill, There are many varied opinions on what is the best amp for steel. Do a search for amps, tube amps, etc. You'll get an education on the types of amps used, the what fors, the how comes, etc.

Larry

Steve Stallings · Post by **Steve Stallings** » 27 Sep 2002 8:00 am

Bill,
You probably need to ask this question in "Electronics".

If you go through the electronics section you will find a ton of varied opinions on amps.

Ron Randall · Post by **Ron Randall** » 27 Sep 2002 8:19 am

I too am new to the steel. Played 6 string and bass for about 30 years.

I hope this helps answer YOUR question.

A steel with 10 or 12 strings has some really big strings, some in the .070 range. Lots of bottom end compared to an electric guitar. If you were to strum 6 or 8 strings on the low side, it would rattle most amps.

Yes, Peavey has built several amps for the steel. The current production amp is the Nashville 1000.

Do a search on Peavey Amp chronology, which was posted recently, and you will see where the 400, Session, fit in.

The Fender Twin Reverb tube amp is also preferred by many.

Beyond that, there are many, many solutions that people are happy with. Everyone is right. If it sounds good and feels good it is good.

How or where the amp will be used is important. The Twin and the NV1000 are great on a big bandstand and at home.

A smaller amp that sounds good at home may not hold up for a big bandstand.

Hope this helps.

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » 27 Sep 2002 9:53 am

Hello Bill,
Yes, the Nashville 400 and our latest version, the Nashville 1000 have been very popular in the steel guitar community. The '1000' is rated for 300 watts of digital power with a modified Nashville equalization circuit using the Black Widow speaker.

All elements of the Nashville Series of amps are designed around the parameter requirements of a steel guitar, ie; clarity, transparent power to amplify the wide frequency range of a steel guitar from the extreme low ranges of a C6th tuning to the E9th tuning and dependability.

Customer Service is very important to us and we offer a toll free consumer line in North America should you have a question about any of our products. The number is 1877-732-8391.

Mike Brown
Peavey Electronics Corporation

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 27 Sep 2002 12:03 pm

Topic has been moved to the "Electronics" section of the Forum.

Rex Thomas · Post by **Rex Thomas** » 27 Sep 2002 4:23 pm

Hi, Bill. Here's a thread you may be interested in reading: http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum11/HTML/002124.html

Chuck McGill · Post by **Chuck McGill** » 28 Sep 2002 4:23 am

I recently hooked up my Super Pro to an Peavey Ecoustic and a Classic 50 410. Wow
I love the Ecoustic sound with a little tone
adjustment. Maybe not enough garbonzas for most steel players but it's like playing through studio monitors and there's an extra
channel for acoustic! The classic 50 is a killer. I read a post of Jeff Peterson and tried this amp and was knocked out. Sweet warm tube amp tone and a great crunchy distortion for the lap steel sounds.[This message was edited by Chuck McGill on 02 October 2002 at 03:44 AM.]

Walter Glockler · Post by **Walter Glockler** » 28 Sep 2002 3:19 pm

Bill,
I have just started using my 25 year old
Fender Vibrosonic again, back then Fender´s
steel guitar amp, it has 1 15inch speaker
instead of 2 12s in a Twin. Right now I love
the Fender´s tube sound over my Peavey Session 500, but that might change again. So
there is no answer to what amp is best, it´s
a matter of your taste.
Good luck
Walter

Michael Holland · Post by **Michael Holland** » 29 Sep 2002 2:42 pm

[This message was edited by Michael Holland on 03 October 2002 at 05:34 PM.]

Bill Hisle · Post by **Bill Hisle** » 30 Sep 2002 5:17 am

Wow guys, thanks for all the info. I'm currently playing through my Fender Blues Deluxe at home while I'm learning. When it's time to gig out, I'm going to look into getting one of the Peavy Nashville series amps. They seem to be real reasonable on the used market.

Thanks for all the help!
http://www.probablecauserocks.com/

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » 2 Oct 2002 6:22 am

Bill, we've been designing and manufacturing steel guitar amps since 1974, as this is when our first original Session 400 was released. I'm sure that the "R & D" with Curly Chalker and Julian Tharpe started a couple of years prior to 1974 though.

Here's an article that I wrote a few years ago that you might enjoy reading; http://www.peavey.com/products/amps%5Fmi/guitaramps/steelguitar/twenty%2Dseven%5Fyears.cfm

The Nashville 1000 is our latest and I feel sure that there will be more innovations in steel guitar amplification in the future. We appreciate that you are considering the purchase of a Nashville 1000. If I can be of further assistance, please let me know. I can be reached toll free at 1-877-732-8391.

Thanks for using Peavey products.

Mike Brown
Peavey Electronics Corporation