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Author
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Topic: Gretch Nashville Pro Steel Amp
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Harold Parris
Member From: Piedmont, Alabama USA
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posted 06 May 2001 08:38 AM
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Does anyone have any info on this Gretch amp made by GMS. My friend bought one at a flea market and it sounds fantastic. I would like to know more about this amp if anyone has any knowledge about it.------------------
Sierra Session and MSA Classic Guitars, Nashville 400, Session 400, and Evans FET 500 Amps.
Harold Parris email hparris9@aol.com [This message was edited by Harold Parris on 10 October 2003 at 08:31 PM.]
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Mike Sweeney
Member From: Nashville,TN,USA
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posted 06 May 2001 09:21 AM
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Harold, I had one of those amps a long time ago. They were made in the late '70's after Gretsch bought Sho-Bud. Although it isn't quite the amp as the old single channel Sho-Bud it is a great amp. I wish I still had mine I would use it alot when I could use an amp in the studio. They don't have the power of say, a Session 400 or equivalent but they have a sweet warm tone. They come standard with a j.b.l. d-130f speaker. To my knowledge there was not very many of those amps made. I think I need to go to yard sales with your friend. I hope he got a good deal on it. If it is as good as mine was he's going to love it. Mike |
tomsteel
Member From: columbia/tn/maury
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posted 06 May 2001 11:45 AM
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I bought one off of ebay not too long ago.I love it.It has a good sweet sound.It has a blackwidow instead of the jbl or ev that I hear comes in them.The reverb reminds me of the older fender reverb,,,almost.Its sn is 106049,I emailed gretsch hoping to get info about the year of manufacture,wattage,how many were made,etc,but no luck.They didn,t really seem to know anything except that at one time they made them or had them contracted out by someone else.I guess I,ll never know.I,ve wanted to know the history of my equip. |
Gene Jones
Member From: Oklahoma City, OK USA
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posted 06 May 2001 12:39 PM
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*[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 06 May 2002 at 09:44 AM.] |
Gene Jones
Member From: Oklahoma City, OK USA
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posted 07 May 2001 07:14 AM
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*[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 06 May 2002 at 09:44 AM.] |
Brad Sarno
Member From: St. Louis, MO USA
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posted 06 October 2003 01:25 PM
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I just picked up one of these amps from Scotty's. It's really cool. It's got the white basket Altec in it. I just got it home so I haven't had time to really get to know it but my first impression is that it sounds great. Anyone know more about it? Power? Thanks,
Brad Sarno |
SKIP MERTZ
Member From: N.C
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posted 06 October 2003 04:27 PM
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can anybody send me a pic of this amp Thanks |
John Fabian
Member From: Mesquite, Texas USA
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posted 07 October 2003 03:07 AM
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These amps were made for Gretsch by GMS.I believe they are rated at about 60 Watts (on a good day). But it's the loudest 60 Watts you've ever heard. Great amp. I have 2 of them. Not for sale. John Fabian[This message was edited by John Fabian on 07 October 2003 at 03:08 AM.] |
Brad Sarno
Member From: St. Louis, MO USA
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posted 07 October 2003 07:30 AM
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Now the big question. Anyone got a schematic?Thanks, ------------------
Brad Sarno
Blue Jade Audio Mastering
St. Louis
http://home.earthlink.net/~bradsarno/
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Harold Parris
Member From: Piedmont, Alabama USA
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posted 09 October 2003 06:09 PM
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I have recently gotten a Gretsch Nashville Pro steel amp of my own. I tried several speakers in it. A JBL 15", an Altec Lansing 15" and a SRO Electrovoice 12". The SRO out sounds the other two speakers by far, with this amplifier. It has the sound I've been trying to get for years. She weighs a ton but it is worth the weight trouble to get the sound I'm getting. As John Fabian said, I wouldn't sell it for any amount of money. I played through it at an outside park last Saturday and had no problem at all with the power she has. Sixty watts of good sound and tone is better than a yhousand watts of sound you dobn't like.If needed a person could mic it through the PA, but so far I haven't needed to do that.[This message was edited by Harold Parris on 10 October 2003 at 08:34 PM.] |
Brad Sarno
Member From: St. Louis, MO USA
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posted 10 October 2003 07:40 AM
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John and Harold, do you guys like the bright switch on? I've found it a bit dark without it, but I haven't really cranked it up much yet. Thanks,
Brad Sarno |
Harold Parris
Member From: Piedmont, Alabama USA
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posted 10 October 2003 02:03 PM
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Brad,
I use the bright switch occasionally. It is according to the room you're in. This amp has a good bottom end bass, especially with the 12" SRO speaker. It is one of a few amps I've played through that has that much bottom end. Most other amps I've used, I couldn't get enough bottom end bass sound. That and the reverb quality is why I like it so.
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Sierra Session and MSA Classic Guitars, Nashville 400, Session 400, and Evans FET 500 HiVolt, and Gretsch Nashville Pro Steel Amps, Keith Hilton Digital Sustain pedal and Digital Sustain Box .
Harold Parris email hparris9@aol.com
[This message was edited by Harold Parris on 10 October 2003 at 08:30 PM.]
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chas smith
Member From: Encino, CA, USA
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posted 11 October 2003 12:39 AM
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*[This message was edited by chas smith on 11 October 2003 at 12:42 AM.] |
Eddie Malray
Member From: South Fulton, Tennessee, USA
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posted 12 October 2003 04:38 PM
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Hey Guys & Gals: A music store in my area had a brand new one a few weeks ago. Its one of those stores thats always bringing out old stock but that was about the last of it. anyway, it was new with the tags, warranty card and everything. It had a list price tag of 1195.00 but I could have bought it for 650.00 out the door. I knew it sounded great but I did'nt know how it would hold up. I asked around and was told they were pron to give problems---mostly unwanted static noise. I wanted the amp but I knew that when I walked out the door with it it would become a 250.00 dollar amp---maybe. anyway, I did'nt buy it but it has been sold. I also met a lead guitar player who was using one and it was the sweetest sound you ever heard. It had static problems also and he had'nt been able to get it fixed.----------Eddie Malray
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Brad Sarno
Member From: St. Louis, MO USA
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posted 12 October 2003 06:05 PM
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As Homer Simpson would say, Doh! I hear mine making some noise and I'm gonna look inside and see if I can clean it up a bit. It hasn't been a problem though. There are some weird things in that amp and I'd love to see a schematic to see what's really going on. There's a block in there with leads coming out of it but it's all epoxied so there's no telling what's in it. Great sounding steel amp. Brad Sarno |
Harold Parris
Member From: Piedmont, Alabama USA
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posted 12 October 2003 07:01 PM
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Yes, I noticed the epoxied box in there. The circuit is really simple but I don't know what the little box contains. My amp has no noise in it and I've played it for several hours continuous. It may develope a problem but thus far it could be used in a studio with no problems. ------------------
Sierra Session and MSA Classic Guitars, Nashville 400, Session 400, and Evans FET 500 HiVolt, and Gretsch Nashville Pro Steel Amps, Keith Hilton Digital Sustain pedal and Digital Sustain Box .
Harold Parris email hparris9@aol.com [This message was edited by Harold Parris on 14 October 2003 at 05:36 PM.]
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Harold Parris
Member From: Piedmont, Alabama USA
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posted 15 October 2003 04:06 PM
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To all you fellow Gretsch Nashville Pro Steel Amp owners: I have acquired a set of schematics that a very reputable and well known electronics and also a steel playing friend let me have. He was very nice and I want to share with you owners that don't have a copy for your amp. Email me with your email address and I will send a copy in jpeg format.
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Sierra Session and MSA Classic Guitars, Nashville 400, Session 400, and Evans FET 500 HiVolt, and Gretsch Nashville Pro Steel Amps, Keith Hilton Digital Sustain pedal and Digital Sustain Box .
Harold Parris email hparris9@aol.com
[This message was edited by Harold Parris on 15 October 2003 at 04:13 PM.]
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Brad Sarno
Member From: St. Louis, MO USA
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posted 20 October 2003 06:41 AM
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Thanks Harold!Brad Sarno
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Eric West
Member From: Portland, Oregon, USA
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posted 20 October 2003 01:32 PM
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If it is indeed a late 70s one, I had one in 78. If so, you might tell him to avoid leaving it on while away from it for any length of time. Mine shorted big power to the speaker and it smoked, luckily without catching fire. I was later to understand that it was a not all that uncommon failing of them. The "symptom" if I remember was a sharp "click" once in a while while on, and not necessarily carrying a signal. I believe a transistor was the offending part. Whether they ever "dealt with it" I dunno.. Just something to watch for. Other than that, it was a good amp.  EJL[This message was edited by Eric West on 20 October 2003 at 01:34 PM.] |
Brad Sarno
Member From: St. Louis, MO USA
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posted 20 October 2003 06:24 PM
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Mine was kind of noisy, sort of a fluttery white noise sound. I left the old filter cap's in there although they could use replacing after all these years. But, I did bypass the main filter cap's with smaller value film (mylar) capacitors. There are two main big filter cap's and two smaller ones on the preamp board. It's a simple process to just add a small cap in parallel to the bigger electrolytic ones. The smaller film caps do a MUCH better job of filtering out high frequency noise than the larger caps can do on their own. The amp is now much quieter and the fluttery part of the noise is almost gone. The amp isn't as quiet as a Session 400 but is much improved. I'll probably replace the big cap's soon. I've found that discrete amp circuits, those using single transistors instead of opamp chips, are very prone to noise if the power supply isn't clean. The addition of film caps to help out the big electrolytics almost always seems to improve the noise and sonic performance of amps. They also help protect from voltage spikes. Has anyone noticed that there seems to be a turn-on mute circuit in there. I think this is so it can prevent the typical Peavey "pop" when powered up. I wonder if that epoxied box in there has something to do with this timing circuit. What do people think of the Altec speaker? ------------------
Brad Sarno
Blue Jade Audio Mastering
St. Louis
http://home.earthlink.net/~bradsarno/
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Harold Parris
Member From: Piedmont, Alabama USA
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posted 22 October 2003 06:18 PM
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Brad,
I put a baffle board in my amp and installed an older SRO Electrovoice 12 incher in it. I have never heard an amp that sounds any better than this old baby does. I hope I can keep her going from now on. I've been searching for this sound for 30 years now!!------------------
Sierra Session and MSA Classic Guitars, Nashville 400, Session 400, and Evans FET 500 HiVolt, and Gretsch Nashville Pro Steel Amps, Keith Hilton Digital Sustain pedal and Digital Sustain Box .
Harold Parris email hparris9@aol.com [This message was edited by Harold Parris on 23 October 2003 at 06:26 PM.]
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Bobby Boggs
Member From: Pendleton SC
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posted 22 October 2003 07:14 PM
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Was this the model with the slide pots and VU meter?If so I had one but never cared for it.It had a real harsh mid-range compared to my Cain Sho~Bud.Just my opinion of course................bb |
Brad Sarno
Member From: St. Louis, MO USA
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posted 23 October 2003 08:54 AM
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Bobby, I believe the amp we're discussing is a very plain looking amp with 5 knobs across the front. No VU meter. It's about the size of a Session 400 and real heavy. Brad Sarno |
Gene Jones
Member From: Oklahoma City, OK USA
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posted 23 October 2003 10:56 AM
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 www.genejones.com |
Brad Sarno
Member From: St. Louis, MO USA
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posted 23 October 2003 01:53 PM
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All right Gene, your pic convinced me. It's time go get wheels for this baby. This amp is one third the power of a Session 400 but it's heavier. I think it's the cabinet. They used some real solid heavy stuff. When I remove the back panel, just by it's weight I can tell it's a real dense cabinet. That Altec is no helium balloon either. Brad Sarno |
Harold Parris
Member From: Piedmont, Alabama USA
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posted 23 October 2003 06:24 PM
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Bobby,
If you'll look at the picture of Gene's amp, mine is just like that also. The amp you are thinking of is the Sho Bud model of this amp. The only thing wrong with them is Sho Bud put the wrong value pots in the treble and bass circuit of their earlier models. You can change the slides to the right value and get a much better sound from the older Sho Buds. That is according to Mr.Woody Woodell. Our amps are the Kenneth Cain Model Sho Bud circuit without the meters and tremelo
circuit. These Gretsch amps are fairly simple with treble, bass, mid, reverb and volume knobs. There is a push switch next to the inputs that adds brightness when in is pushed in. ------------------
Sierra Session and MSA Classic Guitars, Nashville 400, Session 400, and Evans FET 500 HiVolt, and Gretsch Nashville Pro Steel Amps, Keith Hilton Digital Sustain pedal and Digital Sustain Box .
Harold Parris email hparris9@aol.com |
Bobby Boggs
Member From: Pendleton SC
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posted 23 October 2003 07:34 PM
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Thanks Gene and Harold.I've seen an amp like the above posted but never played thru one.I was trying to be nice in my first post but the Sho~Bud (I) had with the slide pots and VU meter was the worst sounding amp I've ever owned.Maybe I just had a bad one...bb |
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