So it IS a great sounding, light weight alternative to multiple SS amps (and undoubtedly better sounding than the typical production SS combo) or heavy tube amps - but not a cheap one.įWIW I and other multi instrumentalists have used rack-mount bass rigs as pedal steel amps traditional guys for headroom, me for weight reduction. No dealers as far as I know - he sells direct. The full head and pair of speaker cabs will run you about two grand after tax, and I'm pretty sure the stereo power amps run around $800 (plus tax and shipping). I've played through Dean Parks' Walker and tonally it's not anything like a cheap stereo preamp and a couple 1000 Watt QSC power amps - at reasonable volume it sounds more like a '64 Vibroverb or other warm tube amp (and in that case run through one or two 15" cabs) Walker's system is "modular" with separate or integrated preamp/power amp/processor head configuration. He makes Walker Stereo Steel amps - boutique solid-state stereo pedal steel amplifiers that many studio guys around SoCal use. It's also not a low-budget solution - but if you know how to work with SS equipment to warm up the sound and are willing to spend money on boutique equipment it IS a physical/sonic/practical alternative to carrying multiple amps.įor those who are not aware, DE is also a well-respected tech and his website is a great resource for other techs and players alike.Īs far as why off-the-shelf equipment might not be the best solution, he post didn't detail what the slave amps are - if he's still using the same rig I'm aware of the "big rig" uses power amps made by the Gerry Walker down in the San Diego area. I like it, it's enough power to gig with (anyplace I would gig, anyway), has great Fender cleans, and the effects are certainly usable - but it's not STEREO, MAN!ĭeaf Eddie knows his stuff he also pointed out a good method for handling venues of various sizes - but do not expect sterling tonal results with off the shelf power amps driven by a Princeton Chorus's preamp. I never played the DSP version, but I have Stage 100 DSP. So, basically, I was using the FPC as-is at rehearsals and as a preamp on the gig. I could use the same small amp at rehearsals at gigs of any size, and always got the tone I wanted with the volume I needed. My solution was to use the stereo effects out to hit a poweramp (2x100 watts) that I jury rigged (mounted) in a 212 cab, and that setup absolutely rocked for me. I reloaded them with Eminence Ramrods and Rajun Cajuns, which cured the farting-out on low notes at volume, but didn't quite make the difference in volume that I had hoped for. I found they were just not loud enough to gig with (against drums and bass) except in the SMALLEST venues, but were OK for garage rehearsals. Maybe do some of the suggestions mentioned in the article.I have both a red knob and a black knob FPC, both USA, and there's no difference I can perceive between the two amps (save the look). I'll be pulling the schematic and checking components soon. Couldn't use the clean channel at a jam.The drive channel on the other hand is very loud.ĭo others have a similar issue? Some difference is one thing but this is a lot. My view may be somewhat skewed due to the problem with the clean channel. A few others have called it horrible but that has not been my experience. The drive channel sounds pretty good to me. Took me awhile to realize the expensive upgraded speaker had a problem. I had a Rivera Chubster with a Blue Alnico speaker. Loose tube, microphonic tube, loose speaker, wobbly shelf. This kind of speaker failure can creep up on you. Certain notes and volume would trigger the rattles. The speaker had been upgraded to a 60 watt Celestion Vintage 30 so it wasn't my first suspect. The one screw blocked by the transformer was about to fall out. The speaker screws were loose as suspected. The rattles turned out to be the speaker. I've got numerous tube amps, testers and tubes so I figured I should check it out. He said it was making some weird rattles. He has a couple Spark modeling amps and I knew this thing was just sitting around.
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