No. Speakers

[henry]

Here's another question.

Seems like while guitar players go for amps/cabs with multiple speaker configurations 2x10, 2x12, 4x12 etc steel players seem to go for a single speaker.

Is this to get a tone with a single voice rather than a richer wall of sound?

John I know you have a massive 2x12 JBL rig!
And Will C you have a 15"? and a horn on your set up.
so there are exceptions!

But is this my imagination or do steel players prefer single speaker setups?


Any opinions on 12" vs 15" also appreciated.

cheers,

Henry

[JohnDavisStringsHere]

Henry, I find my cube with the E120 JBL is adequate for quite a few gigs, and prefer the sound to the one with the "Altec" in it.... but if I want more of a spread of sound I will take two for an outside gig (if I am not going to be Mic`ed up). 2 X12" Is nice but for us old`uns there is a weight issue there. I am definately going to put an E120 in one of my other cubes as they are so easy to shift......... Still have two twin reverbs for sale if theres any young`uns out there>>>

[henry]

cheers John, what's your take on the 15" speaker thing?

[JohnDavisStringsHere]

Twill do wonders for your bass notes..... I had one a while ago old JBL 15" it came in a twin reverb , reckon it might have belonged to D.H. but I put 12`s in it ..... E120`s are 300watt speakers and they do the business for me.....

perhaps other, like myself, have to consider space at home as well? just a thought...

[Will C]

To be honest Henry, the 15"came with the Marshall 150W combo, I bought it cos it was cheap. Fixed the fault and - voila! decent sound for a tenner plus petrol to collect it. Bargain. It was a keyboard combo amp, so it has excellent low notes as well as top end, but it's big to lug around. The Cube 80 is super light, seems to give good sound. I haven;t really tried it from 0-60 yet, just use it at home where it's plenty loud enough.

[elcantando]

Do you use a valve amp with pedal steel or do most players use a transistor in preference to valve? The reason I ask is I have a 1960's Vox AC30 with the blue speakers that sounds great with a Fender Strat but as yet have not tried it with a PSG. I know that valve amps tend to have a richer sound over transistor but can have more background noise.

[henry]

I've been using a Roland Super Cube 100W from the 80s. It's transistor and has a 15" speaker.

I'm looking at getting a valve amp cos I've been using them in rehearsal rooms.
I think clean they've got a nice harmonically rich sound, a bit of compression and a little crunch on the attack.
When you crank them up they let rip!

But I do like the sound of the transistor amp too.

I've played mine through an AC30 before sounded good.

I think there's a lot of players that use both. But a lot more steel players choose tranny amps over valve amps than guitarists

[DaveC]

Gents,
this seems to be the correct place to ask, I have been self teaching on a Gretch 6 string lap steel for the last year and for the bedroom I have a baby Marshall MG10 which is fine, but is very limited. I have borrowed a friends FAB Chorus box just add a bit of colour and like the effect.
I was recently asked to do a bit of "Chord" backing at a friends Country & Weston Gig and had to use the PA system to feed straight into. Just my luck that my input failed on the night after a good rehearsal! I would like to upgrade for the future but don't know what amp to look for. So many amps have a myriad of bells & whistles which I doubt I would ever use, so something possibly with reverb & chorus but not prohibitive. Can anyone advise please? also has anyone ever tried using a volume pedal with a lap steel and if so which one?

[thefatcyclist]

I'm using a Fender hot rod deluxe 40 watts plenty loud enough to gig and decent low volume tone for in the house. Plenty second hand at good prices on EBay.Patience will get you one in the high 200s. Ernie Ball jr volume pedal. I would say a volume pedal is essential,I didn't use one while learning the basics, but would say it has smoothed my playing, and helps with bar jumps, because you can mute. If they were not so expensive I would have bought a Goodrich. I am sure somebody will chip in with Hilton volume pedal and Cube 80 amp, but I prefer Valves.
I use a compressor, soft overdrive, chorus and delay. But in small doses.
If you want a less powerful amp for home consider one of the Laney Cub combos. Good cleans and wont break the bank