Help me with my tone!

Neil · Post by **Neil** » 19 Jan 2001 11:12 pm

I'vc got a Sierra S-10 (artist) pedal steel and a Line 6 amplifier. I have been getting depressed about making these work together. The tone always seems flat and lifeless,I would love to get that "shiny" Pedal sound,but I am too poor to buy better equipment, and my virbrato seems fine. I tried tweaking up the treble,but that sounds too thin.Anybody have a suggestion on an effect, a trick or a pedal that I could use? Is it the equipment just limited? I have been playing for 3 years but now that I have to record something at a studio I am flipping out!

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 20 Jan 2001 3:10 am

Your using an amp that is basically designed for guitar with the steel. In a good many cases these amps do not do well for steel.

With a limited budget it may be hard to come up with a good steel sound. Maybe you can trade that amp for a used steel guitar amp, such as a Nashville 400 or Session 400.

mtulbert · Post by **mtulbert** » 20 Jan 2001 6:06 am

Neil,

If your amp had a midrange control, try reducing the midrange on your amp. Those frequencies are what produce the honk and make the steel sound flat. If you increase some of the bass and the highs and reduce the mids, you should "warm" up the sound of your guitar.

Best of Luck

Mark T.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 20 Jan 2001 9:09 am

Most likely its not the amp or the steel. Find a pro steel player that you think has good tone and spend some time with him. I'm sure that you can get a nice sound out of your gear. New strings might help also.

If you had a little more info in your profile I could suggest people to get in touch with.

Bob[This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 20 January 2001 at 09:17 AM.]

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 20 Jan 2001 12:06 pm

Does it have reverb? Whose sound do you like? Often, when we listen to a professional on a CD, we THINK he's playing without effects. But, if you could really know what's going on, you would find that the engineer added in "a little flange, a little 'verb, a dash of slapback, and some chorus". The trick is in not overdoing any of these effects so that they're noticeable.

I think that if you backed of the midrange, and boosted the bottom (as another forumite recommended) and added a little reverb, you might get a good sound. Also, turn up the amp more. Most amps sound much better and fuller when run near the max volume settings. Try using your volume pedal to control the loudness, and not the volume knob on your amp![This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 20 January 2001 at 12:07 PM.]

Wayne Wallett · Post by **Wayne Wallett** » 20 Jan 2001 2:37 pm

I've been playing steel for 40+ years and had decent sound but not 'The Pro Sound'
About 20 Years ago switched from reg pot vol pedal to Goodrich No-Loss, significant improvement. About 5 years ago switched from Peavey amps to WEBB and an Evans and changed reg guitar cords to the thin Geo-L cables........it's a miracle. Like day and night. Picking over 24th fret will help too. Good advice earlier dial out some mids...etc. I learned finally it wasn't my playing that was the problem, but equip.
Hope this helps..........Wayne-Bob.

Chris Schlotzhauer · Post by **Chris Schlotzhauer** » 22 Jan 2001 6:32 am

Neil,
You say you are too poor to buy better equipment. Those Line6 amps are not cheap. Unless you got a great deal on it. You can buy a used Nashville 400 for around 300.00. If that Line6 is like new, you could sell it and buy a good steel amp (not just a Nville 400) with change in your pocket. IMHO

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » 22 Jan 2001 8:10 am

Hello Neil,
I invite you to give me a call here at the Peavey factory to discuss "steel" amps. I'll be glad to help you any way possible.

A "true" steel guitar amp has voicing and construction characteristics unlike a six string electric guitar amp. As you know, an instrument such as the steel guitar can require that the amp be able to reproduce frequencies from extreme low end to the extreme high end of the frequency spectrum. We have worked with this requirement in our BW speakers designs to our equalization circuits since the early '70's. No other manufacturer has more experience with steel guitar reproduction than Peavey.

Again, I invite you to contact me here at Peavey by calling 1-877-732-8391 in the U.S. and (601)483-5365 outside the U.S.. You may visit our website at www.peavey.com

Glenn Austin · Post by **Glenn Austin** » 22 Jan 2001 10:24 am

Neil,

I recently purchased a Line6 POD for steel too. While it doesn't do a fantastic job for steel, it does make my Vegas 400 sound like all these great tube amps when I play regular guitar thru it. Depending on which model of line6 amp you have, you can probably dial up a Fender Twin, Vox AC30 or BoogiemkIIc type of sound.On POD these are the best sounding amp models to my ear for steel. BY keeping the drive and channel controls fairly low you get a clean sound.Back off the mid and see what kind of results you get.While these amp sounds don't sound as rich as plugging into a real steel amp, they are very usable, I have used this setup for live gigs with good results. You might also want to try a Boss GE7 EQ pedal to dump some mids,and lower the gain before your amp, for more headroom and cleaner sound. Don't forget that your amp packs alot of features that you would have to buy separately and probably weighs alot less too.

Greg Vincent · Post by **Greg Vincent** » 22 Jan 2001 3:08 pm

Neil,

See if you can borrow a Goodrich Matchbox to try out. Sometimes these will "sparkle-up" your tone a bit.

GV

Ole Dantoft · Post by **Ole Dantoft** » 23 Jan 2001 12:57 am

Neil,
I second what Glenn Austin just said, and I have an additional comment as well.
I play my Emmons thru a POD, and use the Twin Reverb-model with great succes, if I may say so myself. I add a little dab of reverb and even less echo, and have a nice, full and clean sound.
I did have to do one important "modification" though, to get things working : The POD can't handle the output level of my steel, so I made a little attenuator that I put between the steel and the POD. It's simply a 270kOhm resistor, that together with the pot in my volume pedal forms a voltage divider, and thereby reduces the signal to a level compatible with the POD.

I don't know if this applies to the amp-version at all, but you could keep it in mind none the less.

Ole

John Steele (deceased) · Post by **John Steele (deceased)** » 23 Jan 2001 8:10 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>
I would love to get that "shiny" Pedal sound
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Nobody has asked you what kind of a bar you are using. There are lots of good ones out there, but a few no-no's too...like dobro bars.
The single biggest improvement I've noticed was buying a BJS bar.
-John