Good news from Telonics

[Ken Byng]

I have just received an email from Mark Dunn advising me that my Telonics TCA 500 combo amp that I have ordered as part of a batch is imminently being despatched from its place of birth in Arizona. I am so looking forward to getting my hands on it after playing through a couple of them at the Dallas Show this year. I will be installing a TCE G-Force into the 1U space below the amp. This amp is very impressive and is now modified to meet EU and UK regs for electronic amplifiers, something that Peavey's digital lightweight 1000 and 2000 never achieved in the UK. A couple of mates have been in touch about this amp, and at least one has put an order in with Mark. Check it out guys - its an awesome piece of kit, and very lightweight.

[Mark]

Thanks for posting this Ken. I've just returned from the Americana International Show. I used the TCA-500 Combo for some shows.... A really awesome amp I'm using a TC Electronic G-Major 2 reverb and developing a set of patches specifically for steel guitar and the TCA-500 combo. The G-Force that Ken will be installing is the higher priced unit with enhanced routing capabilities. The European export amplifiers were on test last week, I'm awaiting notification from Telonics that the export process is under way.

Cheers
Mark

[Ken Byng]

Mark has advised me that the amps have arrived in the UK, so it won't be long before I get my grubby mitts on mine next week. I hope to record something through it, and post it on here along with one or two close up photos.

[Malcolm]

Is that of the amp or you?

[Ken Byng]

Now now Malcolm!!

The amp is (by far) much nicer to look at than I am.

A mate of mine who is also buying one of these amps is picking mine up for me this week along with his. Telonics owner Dave Beatty has been carrying out extensive beta testing on the Euro-bound amps, to ensure that they are up to the grade tonally. He takes such pride in his products, to the point where he admits that some of his products are over engineered. The end user is the beneficiary. The TCA500 has just about as many bells and whistles that any amp can have, and teamed up with a good quality effects unit, it is a very high quality steel guitar amp. The 15" Telonics speaker is tonally based on the JBL D130 with a slightly scooped mid range, but can handle far more power. Power handling was the JBL's achilles heel. I have blown so many in my life, that I got fed up taking then to be re-coned all the time. This is a 500w amp, so the speaker does need to handle all of that grunt. One thing for sure - my back will appreciate the lighter weight.

[Mark]

The RoHS compliant Telonics TCA-500A combo amplifiers arrived in the UK this week.

The first few amps going to players in the UK and Switzerland.

Most players have opted to have the TC Electronic G-Major 2 Effects Processor installed.

The G-Major 2 is supplied programmed with a set of delay/reverb patches developed specifically for steel guitar.

The combination of these two units is stunning!

Further info contact Mark - [email protected]

[Ken Byng]

Nice herd of amps Mark. I will be filling the gap in my TCA500 today with the G-Force, which I have had in my studio for a few years. It was quite expensive when I bought it, but it could do what no other guitar processor could. 8 different effects at once if that's your thing. I bought it for the adjustable pitch shift / harmony, and it sounds amazing. Thanks for getting the amp over, and I will feed my comments back to Dave B first.

[Ken Byng]

Well I've had the amp for a week now, and have had wifey helping me today getting the settings that I am looking for. Really the EQ is so sensitive in each area, you can change the tone considerably with just a small adjustment of key controls. I have been using my Emmons push pull today.

John LeMay has given a really useful piece of advice when it comes to filtering out 'honky' mids. He suggests boosting the whole mid range, and then slowly rotate the mid control to find the most offensive mid frequencies. Once you have determined the specific frequency, reduce it by the required amount using the mid level control.

With the TCA-500 I initially took the mids out around 800Hz (which do with the solid state Peavey steel amps), then had a change of mind and took out the frequency of 500Hz. However, today wifey rotated some of the controls while I played, and I have gone back and taken out 800Hz again. I have made some minor adjustments to the treble & bass along with the all-important blend control, and it's there now. I will attach a picture of my settings later. I have run the amp at different sound levels, and the tone remains constant at all times.

To say that I am chuffed with this amp is an understatement. I have 2 gigs tomorrow, and will give the amp a real run out with a pretty punchy band.

[Ken Byng]

My friend Dave Wheelhouse paid me a visit in my studio today, primarily I suspect to have a gander at the TCA-500. I think he went away suitably impressed.

If the new Peavey amp that Malcolm M refers to in a separate thread is targeted to compete with the TCA-500, it will have to go some. PV might beat it on price, but sonically Peavey will have to get rid of its integral mid honk that most of its steel amps seem to have in their genes.

[sheffield steel]

All I can say about Ken's tone and sound is AWESOME!!! Through his new Telonics amp, I went away with goose bumps!!!

Dave.