Standel 25L15 vintage Plus

Billy Poteet · Post by **Billy Poteet** » 17 Jul 2002 6:05 am

I went and priced one. FYI it
starts at $3,400 and it has a nine month waiting list. Kind of like my Harley.

Billy P.

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Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 17 Jul 2002 4:35 pm

Yes...very expensive, and not really suited for steel unless you're playing blues-type stuff. Keep in mind that most of the virtues of these "botique amps" is their warm overdrive-distortion sound. Now, if you play B.B. King, they're worth every penny. But if you like really clean sounds at high levels, and lots of tonal dynamics...they'll probably disappoint you.[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 17 July 2002 at 05:40 PM.]

Bobby Boggs · Post by **Bobby Boggs** » 17 Jul 2002 8:26 pm

Which model did Mr.Emmons order?Surely he's not going to join those damn hippies on the Opry?

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 17 Jul 2002 9:44 pm

Oooh, Donny, not true, It is the cleanest and sweetest amp I have heard and is totally appropriate for steel guitar. No overdrive, no distortion and no reverb either. When was the last time you played a steel guitar through an amp and it didn't "need" reverb to sound good. Of course there's an insert jack where we tested it with a Demeter Real Reverb (multiple springs), or you could plug in whatever you want. These amps will set a high standard for price and tone.

Earl Erb · Post by **Earl Erb** » 18 Jul 2002 6:18 am

I had the honor of playing with Buddy last week at the Super Jam. I sat just to his left. He was playing through a Peavey 1000 and the Standel in question. He had those amps cranked and I did not hear any distortion from either amp.The Standel Buddy borrowed belongs to Mike Cass.Buddy's will arrive in a couple of weeks.I just wish they didn't cost so much.

Bobby Boggs · Post by **Bobby Boggs** » 18 Jul 2002 7:00 am

I understood the amp Buddy used at Bell Cove to be a 66 Custom not a 25L15.And did he use a N-1000 with it??

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 18 Jul 2002 7:23 am

Chas, I wasn't knocking the Standels, they're a wonderful amp, just more suited to blues and soft jazz than they are to today's "kickass" sounds. They do have a wonderfully clean sound at low to medium volumes, and when pushed, they're great at that "soft distortion" that lead players like so much. But...with limited power, it would be hard to compete with other players at a big gig, unless they're miked through the P.A..

Not only do you have to consider tone, but power as well when you're playing without the assistance of a big P.A. system. Famous players usually play in public (steel shows and jams) with a top-notch sound system. Us little guys don't usually have that luxury. We may be outdoors on a flatbed trailer, with nothing but a mike for the vocals. In a case like that, you'd feel pretty down when the other players with the "under $1,000" Fenders and Peaveys blew your $3,500+ botique amp off the stage. These amps simply aren't designed for that kind of use (abuse?). But, in a studio situation, or in a small combo in a small club, they're dynamite!

Years ago, when I started playing, a Twin Reverb was one of the most powerful amps you could buy, but they only put out 60-80 usable watts. Nowadays, 200-300 is the norm for most amps, and a Peavey 1000 would blow the old Twin away (in clean sound). You see, everything must be taken in context, and tone plays a big part in our sound...but certainly not the only part. The best tone in the world is useless if no one can hear you.

By the way, Standel makes a special speaker to go in their amps, probably realizing that their low power ratings can be overcome (to some extent) by a more efficient speaker. Their speaker is about twice as efficient as anything else made, and it's designed to handle 25-50 watts. So, it's easy to see why their 25-watt amp sounds like much more. But as the price of these speakers is almost $500 each, I'd hate the thought of replacing one cause I laid down some "Chalker-chords".

Yes, it's a great amp. But is it really "practical" for the average PSG player?

IMHO, no. I'll stand by what I said.

Earl Erb · Post by **Earl Erb** » 18 Jul 2002 7:40 am

Bobby,your correct, the Standel Buddy borrowed from Mike Cass is a 66 Super Custom with a JBL D130 15" rated at 70 watts. The amp Buddy has ordered is the 25L15 Vintage Plus tube model rated at 100 watts... and yes he was playing through the N1000 and the Standel at the same time. Great tone.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 18 Jul 2002 8:20 am

Moved to 'Electronics'