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Author
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Topic: Small amp for lap steel???
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Twayn Williams
Member From: Portland, OR
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posted 17 August 2006 08:58 PM
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Currently I use a Fender Pro Jr. and while I like the tone for my Goldtone lap steel, it's pretty noisy, picking up electical line noise way too easily.I'm interested in amps that are under 22-watts and tweed based. Tube only, no solid state or modelers. Price cut-off point is about $500, which rules out most boutiques and vintage amps. Any suggestions???[This message was edited by Twayn Williams on 17 August 2006 at 08:59 PM.] |
Jerry Knapper
Member From: Roland, OK, USA
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posted 17 August 2006 09:24 PM
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I use a crate V5 tube amp. If you tip out the amp section and replace the 12AX7 with a 12AU7, it really plays clean and you can get some break up. With a 12AT7 you get pretty good distortion and clean. The 12AX7 really causes distortion and clean is harder to maintain. http://www.crateamps.com |
Dan Tyack
Member From: Seattle, WA USA
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posted 17 August 2006 11:22 PM
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Peavey classic 30, one of the best lap steel amps of all time. You can get these new for under $450, under $350 used. |
Keith Cordell
Member From: Atlanta
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posted 23 August 2006 09:41 AM
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If you can find one, try the Gibson GA5 Goldtone amp. It is a 5 watt handwired amp this is very toneful. |
James Pennebaker
Member From: Mt. Juliet, TN
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posted 23 August 2006 10:05 AM
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Some of the vintage Gibson amps like the GA20 from the 50's or early 60's. This is a favorite amp of Ry Cooder & David Lindley. You might be able to find one for what you have to spend. They go for much less than comparable vintage Fender's. Also, some of the Valco made amps like Supro's, National, Oahu etc. Most all of these are low power but sound great for lap steel as they were made for "Hiwaiian" guitar. One thing to consider with vintage amps is you'll likely need to spend some bucks to replace old caps and tubes. As far as new amps, the smaller practice amps by Vox, Crate, the Roland Cube's, etc. can sound good but most are probably not going to be tube amps and most have some "modelling" settings. I now you said you wanted to stay away from that but I have heard of couple of these that do sound really good. Namely the small Vox and Roland Cube.JP[This message was edited by James Pennebaker on 23 August 2006 at 10:09 AM.] [This message was edited by James Pennebaker on 23 August 2006 at 10:11 AM.] |
Papa Joe Pollick
Member From: Pontiac, Michigan, USA
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posted 23 August 2006 08:10 PM
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I have a Gibson GA 15 RVT that I got at a yard sale for 4 bucks years ago,minus the speaker.A complete cap job and a no-name 10in.speaker and it is the nicest sounding lap steel amp that I have.And I have a bunch of amps.
Another good sounding lap steel amp is a Dano 75,if you can find one.Both of these amps are from the 60's.PJ |
Ron Randall
Member From: Dallas, Texas, USA
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posted 23 August 2006 09:08 PM
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Fender Blues Deluxe will do the job with style and tone. |
Mike Brown
Member From: Meridian, Mississippi USA
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posted 24 August 2006 07:38 AM
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A Peavey Classic 30 will do the job! |
Brad Sarno
Member From: St. Louis, MO USA
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posted 24 August 2006 08:47 AM
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If the 30 watts is too much, the Fender Blues Junior at 12 watts is pretty cool. It has a 3 band EQ and reverb so you can dial in a pretty good thing. Brad |
Skip Keane
Member From: Exeter, Rhode Island, USA
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posted 24 August 2006 05:44 PM
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Hello,
I have to say it has to be a tube amp and I love a vintage ampeg, Jet or reverbrocket. My lap screams through my 1965 ampeg Jet, it will make your eyes bleed. The tube amps are where its at, that's why crate is now putting out a tube amp. go tube...
Skip |
James Pennebaker
Member From: Mt. Juliet, TN
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posted 24 August 2006 09:33 PM
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Yes, the Blues Jr. is great! One of my favorite amps, large or small.JP |
Twayn Williams
Member From: Portland, OR
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posted 24 August 2006 10:50 PM
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I had a Blues Jr. and I really didn't like it much  I perfer the Pro Jr. Sweeter toned.I think a 50's/60's Gibson would be right up my alley, but might cost too much. And I know any vintage amp will undoubtably need a cap job, new (NOS) tubes and maybe a new speaker. Sigh. Guess I'll head on down this weekend to Old Town Music in Portland and see what they've got in stock. |
David Wren
Member From: Placerville, California, USA
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posted 25 August 2006 09:22 AM
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I have a Fender "Dyna Touch" DSP Deluxe 90, 90 watts with one Celestion 12" speaker.... weighs only 25 lbs or so, has great clear tone, and loaded with preset DSP settings, and a channel with the Fender "More Drive" effect .... they dont' make them anymore, but I see them on the web for around $200 used. Great for pratice, small venues and larger ones with sound reinforcement. ------------------
Dave Wren
'96 Carter S12-E9/B6,7X7; Twin Session 500s; Hilton Pedal; Black Box
www.ameechapman.com |
Gary Boyett
Member From: Colorado
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posted 26 August 2006 04:17 AM
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I use a 1949 Fender "TV Front" Deluxe most of the time. Add a Boss RV-3 and that is all.
Great tone. I had it gone through a while back and re-coned the speaker. It is just awesome!Garage sales seem to have more of these than stores do. It may take some work but they are worth it! Once you find one, keep it. I almost sold mine a while back and it would have been the biggest mistake I have ever made, well, at least in music...
------------------
HSGA & RMSGC member
Play it with "Glass"
Boyett's Glass Bars
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Tim Whitlock
Member From: Arvada, CO, USA
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posted 26 August 2006 10:47 AM
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Gary - Let me know the next time you run across one at a garage sale. Why I'd pay upwards of $50 if it weren't too beat up!  |
Gary Boyett
Member From: Colorado
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posted 26 August 2006 03:36 PM
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Tim, that would have been more than I paid. |
Lefty
Member From: Grayson, Ga.
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posted 27 August 2006 09:06 AM
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I like my Fender Blues Jr. I changed the stock speaker to a Celestion Vintage 30. With my P90 equiped Gibson laps it sounds great.
Lefty |
David Doggett
Member From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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posted 27 August 2006 09:55 AM
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The Peavey Delta Blues is similar to the Classic 30, but is bigger and has a 15" speaker for a fuller tone. It is more or less a copy of the Fender Tweed Pro, but with Reverb. With gain and master volume controls, you can make it play clean or dirty or anything in between.------------------
Student of the Steel: Zum uni, Fender tube amps, squareneck and roundneck resos, tenor sax, keyboards |
Roman Sonnleitner
Member From: Vienna, Austria
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posted 30 August 2006 09:05 AM
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Carvin Vintage 16 |
Joseph Meditz
Member From: San Diego, California USA
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posted 30 August 2006 10:08 AM
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quote:
it's pretty noisy, picking up electical line noise way too easily.
Are you referring to 60 Hz hum or 120 Hz buzz? If it's 120 Hz buzz, then the source of the noise is the power supply. Looking at the wiring diagram it appears that power supply filtering is easily accessible allowing you to either replace bad parts or modify it for better ripple rejection. Joe |
Erv Niehaus
Member From: Litchfield, MN, USA
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posted 30 August 2006 01:26 PM
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You really need to try an Epiphone Valve Junior head. It's all tube and 5 watts of class A power. It is as clean as a whistle and costs $99.00 at MF.
I plug that into a Peavey 12" extension speaker and along with a Boss RV3 it sounds great for lap steel.  [This message was edited by Erv Niehaus on 30 August 2006 at 01:29 PM.] |
Scott Houston
unregistered
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posted 30 August 2006 06:19 PM
Carvin Vintage 16. All tube, 15" speaker, full, clean (if you like), loud, light, looks good, affordable, built like a tank, made in the US. Easy to return if you don't like it.[This message was edited by Scott Houston on 30 August 2006 at 06:20 PM.] |
Twayn Williams
Member From: Portland, OR
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posted 30 August 2006 10:30 PM
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Joseph Meditz wrote:
quote:
Looking at the wiring diagram it appears that power supply filtering is easily accessible allowing you to either replace bad parts or modify it for better ripple rejection.
Ripple rejection??? Any idea how much such a mod might cost? Roman Sonnleitner wrote:
quote:
Carvin Vintage 16
That's a great idea!!! I'd completely forgotten about those. I think I'd still like to get the PJ modded for less noise, but it looks like a Carvin's in my future! |
Joseph Meditz
Member From: San Diego, California USA
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posted 31 August 2006 09:56 AM
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quote:
Ripple rejection??? Any idea how much such a mod might cost?
I don't know how much a tech would charge. But, as for parts, _IF_ you hear a 120 Hz buzz, then the source of the noise is the power supply. If the 22 uF caps are bad, you can replace them with 40 uF caps. They cost $6 each. There are four of them, two of which are more likely to fail than the other two. It may be that the power supply is working as designed and that amplifier is relying on a certain amount of 120 Hz cancellation from the push-pull tube pair. If there is an imbalance in the circuit, possibly from unmatched EL84s, 120 Hz will get through. HTH,
Joe [This message was edited by Joseph Meditz on 31 August 2006 at 10:00 AM.] |
Curt Langston
Member From: ***In the shadows of Tulsa at Bixby, USA***
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posted 01 September 2006 07:52 PM
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Peavey Delta Blues..All the way. |
Paul Arntson
Member From: Bothell ,WA (just outside Seattle)
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posted 21 September 2006 08:47 PM
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Twayn,
I would not be too quick to blame the amp for picking up noise. Usually the only noise that the amp itself picks up is a very slight crackle. The real culprit for noise is almost always the guitar, either wiring or pickup.
To test this, unplug the guitar and turn the amp all the way up. If the problem is in the amp, the noise will remain. If it was the guitar, it will go away when the guitar is unplugged.Best of luck. -paul |
Byron Walcher
Member From: Ketchum, Idaho, USA
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posted 21 September 2006 10:27 PM
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OK don't laugh, I have a Fender Musicmaster bass amp that I had re-capped, installed really nice NOS tubes and a Weber Vintage series speaker in. It is very cool. These can be had still for around $200 on E-Bay, I'm not kidding it sounds great.
Byron |
Ken Fox
Member From: Ray City, GA USA
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posted 22 September 2006 08:15 AM
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Byron, you are letting out a great secret there! Classic Fender tube amp with one gain stage and either 2 each 6V6 or two 6AQ5 power tubes plus a 12" speaker!I bet it sounds great! This ine lots like a bargain: http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-Musicmast er-Bass-Amp... [This message was edited by Ken Fox on 22 September 2006 at 08:18 AM.] [This message was edited by b0b on 24 September 2006 at 07:03 PM.] |
Byron Walcher
Member From: Ketchum, Idaho, USA
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posted 22 September 2006 08:21 AM
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Hi Ken, mine has 6V6s in it, I tried several types, finally settled on the RCA Greyglass Blackplates, very sweet. I have played club gigs with this amp, 12 watts. Miced into the PA it was pretty impressive. If I put my Walker Stereo Steel preamp in front so that there's more control over the voicing it sounds as good as anything I've heard at lower volume, but is very nice by itself, vintage sounding and great for lap steel.
Byron------------------
74 Black Emmmons 8x8 Wood Necks,71 Emmons Satin Rosewood Fatback, Fender Deluxe Eight, Georgeboard, '64 Fender Pro, 66 Showman
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Karlis Abolins
Member From: Burien, WA, USA
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posted 22 September 2006 08:51 AM
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I have to second Erv's recommendation of the Epiphone Valve jr. I have tried a number of preamp tubes and here are my favorites in order:
12AT7
12Au7
12AV7The 12AT7 adds a little breakup at max volume. The 12AU7 sounds really sweet and gives the least breakup but provides the nicest tone (and controllable volume). The 12AV7 is between the other two. I use this as my favorite practice amp. Karlis |
Erv Niehaus
Member From: Litchfield, MN, USA
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posted 22 September 2006 09:37 AM
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Karlis,
I'm glad you agree! It's just fun to plug into something soooooooo simple and get such a gooooooood sound! |
Eric Jaeger
Member From: Oakland, California, USA
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posted 22 September 2006 12:42 PM
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Gotta chime in on the Valve Junior. At $99 for the head version you can't beat it. I couldn't build a box, let alone an amplifier, for that price. It's a great starting point for fiddling around as well. I now have two :-)-eric |
Skip Keane
Member From: Exeter, Rhode Island, USA
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posted 24 September 2006 07:21 AM
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Hello,
Well, if you want your lap to scream and have all the sustain in the world you have to try an ampeg jet 12r. This great little amp is all tube with a wonderful reverb pushing a vintage 12" jensen speaker. Find one, try one and you'll understand why it is the perfect match. small, portable, all tube and powerful. It is just a great fit.
Oahu (killer bee) lap steel guitar
Sho Bud Professional D-10
thanks,
Skip |
Dave Sky
Member From: Columbus, Ohio, USA
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posted 24 September 2006 10:57 AM
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For the Epiphone head, what company makes a good cabinet for lap steel? I was thinking of a 12 inch speaker. Why would be a good place to get one?Thanks!
Dave |
Dave Sky
Member From: Columbus, Ohio, USA
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posted 24 September 2006 10:59 AM
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Actually I meant to say "where" would be a good place to get a speaker cabinet. Maybe why works too.Dave |
Karlis Abolins
Member From: Burien, WA, USA
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posted 24 September 2006 12:58 PM
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Dave, I built my own speaker cabinet with a 10" vintage sound speaker from Weber. You can find a Line6 1 x 12 cab at Sweetwater for $200. I spent more than that for parts building my own.Karlis |
Ernest Cawby
Member From: Lake City, Florida, USA
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posted 24 September 2006 04:39 PM
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I have a Silvertone made by Marshall, Ken fox rebuilt it, and it is 2 channels, light and when I played thru this at the Fl. club Jam they all wanted to know what are you using, sounds great. Light weight.ernie |
Mike Brown
Member From: Meridian, Mississippi USA
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posted 24 September 2006 08:12 PM
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May I suggest a Peavey Classic 30 or the Delta Blues series? |
James Quackenbush
Member From: Pomona, New York, USA
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posted 25 September 2006 08:11 AM
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I like all the above amps for lap steel ...I have a BUNCH of the above amps, including a modded Peavey Custom 30 that sounds pretty good for lap and for guitar work .....In addition , I would include the Thomas Organ Vox tube amps ( if you can find them) in the list for smaller tube amps for lap....I would also include the Laney LC15 as a good candidate for lap steel ....Jim |
David Mason
Member From: Cambridge, MD, USA
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posted 25 September 2006 08:22 AM
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If you can luck into a 60's Kalamazoo (I'm not kidding), they were made as Gibson's budget line but they're built like tanks and sing like, um... dragons? Happy dragons? |
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