I think it would be a fine amp for steel if you don't mind the weight.

------------------
Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

------------------
Justin Griffith
D-10 Sho-Bud Professional, Fender Dual Showman reverb, NV400, Rv-3, Matchbox 7A, L-120

[This message was edited by Justin Griffith on 20 August 2006 at 08:23 PM.]

Be aware that there are different versions of the basic Fender Showman amp, which was always a separate head/cabinet amp. This site spells out the differences: http://www.ampwares.com/ffg/ - but here's a brief summary:

The Showman started out as a white-tolex, brown control panel Showman and Dual Showman, as used by Dick Dale, the king of the surf guitar. Then came the black-tolex and black panel Showman and Dual Showman, which is a different circuit. Then came the black-tolex and silver-panel Showman, Dual Showman, and Dual Showman Reverb. There were changes in moving to the silver-panel circuit, and the Dual Showman Reverb is yet different from the no-reverb versions.

The Showman normally came with a single 8 ohm speaker, while the Dual Showman normally came with 2 8-ohm speakers wired in parallel for a total of 4 ohms. The Dual Showman Reverb is a Twin Reverb chassis in a head configuration, a separate cabinet with 2 8-ohm speakers.

Each of these amps is different in a significant way, and the value of the amp depends exactly on which model you are talking about and its condition and originality. But, to my tastes, any of them could be made to work for steel with an external reverb unit for the no-reverb models.

Edited to add - any of these are pretty clean unless turned up pretty loud - that's why I like them for pedal steel and jazz guitar. So, if one was looking for a more distorted sound for lap steel or blues/rock guitar, they might not be the ticket unless you really want to play loud, again to my tastes.

[This message was edited by Dave Mudgett on 20 August 2006 at 09:29 PM.]

It will ge close, but it misses the entire power section, and that's where a lot of the tube amp "tone" is - phase inverter, bias circuit, filter caps, power tubes....all have a huge affect, and a preamp won't get you there.

Regarding the 6550 change, there are other things that need to be done as well - auxiliary filament transformer for one, unless you change the power transformer. 6550's draw more heater current, and can overheat the power transformer. You'd also likely need to beef up the filter caps. It's something best left to a good amp tech.

As far as the amp overall - it's a Twin Reverb circuit in a head/cabinet form. Don't let the "100 watt" thing deceive you; there is a huge difference in sound quality between 100 watts of tube amp output and 4-500 watts of solid-state output. It will keep up with, if not out-scream, a solid state high powered amp, depending on the speakers.

IMO the tone of tubeamps is still far superior to solid-state, however the weight and maintenance of them can be a disadvantage. the choice isconvenience or tone, and I prefertone; soI have about 20 tube amps of varying sizes and types for different applications.

That big stock closed-back speaker cabinet with 2x15 probably sounds incredible with pedal steel, especially if it has two JBL D130fs. However, it was designed to be able to handle bass, and is much bigger and heavier than needed for the frequency range of steel. I play my Dual through two 15" JBL D130s in small, lightweight separate closed-back cabinets. This is versatile because the speakers can be pointed in different directions to cover big or odd shaped rooms, and can be stacked on top of each other for a small footprint. I also have a single heavy duty Eminence 15" in a medium sized closed-back cabinet with a darker sound. An advantage of an amphead is that you can use different speakers for different sounds - ultimate flexibility. Another advantage of a separate amp head and speaker cabs is that you can keep the amp next to you for tweaking the controls, and can put the speakers anywhere they need to go. I prefer them some distance behind me in the back line with other amps and speakers, to help me balance my volume with the stage sound.

Bottom line is that a Dual Showman is one of the best amp investments a steeler can make - and they are getting more and more hard to find.

A silver-face Dual Showman Reverb is worth $500 working, maybe $300 not working - double that if it is a black-face model. The 2x15 speaker cab is worth $400 or more, if the speakers are working. But this is a bit of a problem, since you don't really need that huge cabinet, and will probably want to buy a set of smaller cabinets for the speakers. Nevertheless, working JBL 15s are selling for close to $200 each.

------------------
Student of the Steel: Zum uni, Fender tube amps, squareneck and roundneck resos, tenor sax, keyboards

[This message was edited by David Doggett on 21 August 2006 at 09:32 AM.]