Amps, speakers, and tone

[Leslie Ehrlich]

I've read a few threads on amps and speakers and I'm amazed at how many steelers have what seems like a pretty hi-fi setup. I thought about buying a steel amp when I got my PSG, but then I had to think about why I bought a PSG in the first place.

I play six string guitar, and I wanted a PSG to get a different guitar sound. The PSG has a different kind of attack than a six string, it sustains differently, I can get different sounding chords, etc. etc. I play hard rock, pop rock, folk rock, and even some country rock, but mostly rock nonetheless.

I grew up listening to the classic rock of the 1970s, and the hollow midrangey sound of a Marshall stack is the benchmark by which I judge all guitar amps. If I can't get a sound like that out of an amp, I don't like playing through it.

At the moment I'm using two Fender amps, both solid state combos with single twelve inch speakers. One is thirty-five watts and has a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker in it, while the other is about eighty watts and has an Eminence speaker that sounds like a Celestion. Both amps can 'fake' that hollow British amp tone reasonably well, but I'd prefer the bigger and fatter sound of a Marshall half stack. The only problem is that it's too expensive and it's a pain to carry around. My steel is too, but that's another story.

Some forum members have said that small amps aren't good for steel, and Celestion speakers just don't cut it. I also like to overdrive my amps naturally, and some players say a stompbox sounds better.

I think amps and speakers are all a matter of personal preference. I don't think there is a right way or a wrong way to amplify the steel. I decided on what amp sound I wanted a long time ago. If I want a different sound I rely on my guitars more than amps and effects. Will that be Les Paul, Strat, or Sho-Bud? I go with whichever one fits best.

[James Quackenbush]

Leslie,
Variety is the spice of life...What sounds good to me, may not sound good to you..Some like their steel playing clean, and others like a little snarl to their tone, while others like all out distortion...You are correct...There is no right or wrong, only different .. This is what makes music so interesting...Jim

[Bobby Lee]

I'm real happy with my Mesa/Boogie Maverick. It'll do that English sound on demand, and the clean channel sounds real purty at reasonable volume levels.

Speakers are a personal choice. I'm partial to EVMs because they're so bright and efficient, but recently I put a Tone Tubby in little Boogie. (Click here to read about it.)

To me, the amplifier is part of the instrument. Some people go for the ultimate steel guitar, and then plug it into whatever they have laying around. What the audience hears, though, is as much an attribute of the electronics as of the guitar. Amplification is at least as important as the material your steel is made of.

I think you should get away from little solid state amps. You'll never get that Marshall sound or the big clean steel sound out of them. A good compromise might be a Fender Stage 160, which has a reasonable distortion channel, a good amount of power and two Celestions.

Remember that the clean sound doesn't have to sound "twangy". I often kick in a rotating speaker effect to do organ-like pads under another lead instrument or vocal. You need to have a fair amount of clean power to do that, and it's a great rock effect.

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<small><img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
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