Such thing as a 'Match-enborn?' Or equivalent?

Travis Bernhardt · Post by **Travis Bernhardt** » 6 Oct 2003 11:05 am

I've heard a match-bro before, and thought it sounded surprisingly good... Is there some kind of unit that gives a convincing Weissenborn sound? It shouldn't be possible to fake a proper miked sound, but wouldn't it be possible to simulate the sound of a Weissenborn through a Sunrise or other magnetic pickup?

-Travis

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 8 Oct 2003 7:43 am

I would think the easiest way would be to start with some sort of acoustic-guitar. The full "woody" tones of a Weissenborn are much harder to emulate (electrically) than the tinny "metallic" tones of a resonator guitar on a solid-body instrument. To do a credible job on a regular steel would require microprocessing technology, though you might get in the ballpark with just a special (lightweight) bar and lots of EQ.

Travis Bernhardt · Post by **Travis Bernhardt** » 8 Oct 2003 11:14 am

I've heard the sound of a lap steel through a digitech acoustic simulator on one of their multi-effects units. It kinda sounded like an acoustic guitar except very, very thin. The thing is, I love the tone of an acoustic guitar through a Sunrise, and I'd love to be able to get that tone with the extra chordal possibilities of the pedal steel. If somebody ever built a good "peda-born" I'd buy it in a second. Since the Sunrise pickup is so "magneticky" and electric sounding, you'd think it would be possible to fake it. But the Sunrise tone is so huge and fat, and the acoustic sim I tried was so thin, I just don't get it.

-Travis

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 8 Oct 2003 12:59 pm

Travis,
You might want to check out the sound of the guitar Paul Franklin calls "The Box". It's an acoustic pedal steel. I doubt you'd get Mr. Franklin to build another, but it is too cool.

Two recordings come to mind:
Dire Straits, 'On the Night', on 'You and Your Friend'
also, on 'The Players' I believe it was the second tune -- one that Paul wrote -- kind of a boogie 8 to the bar tune -- uses that guitar.

------------------
Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

Travis Bernhardt · Post by **Travis Bernhardt** » 8 Oct 2003 5:46 pm

Thanks for that, I'll check it out.

-Travis

Don Walters · Post by **Don Walters** » 9 Oct 2003 9:27 am

Larry, is "the box" the same as the Pedabro? That was used on a number of Randy Travis recordings.

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 9 Oct 2003 2:33 pm

No, Don
It has no resonator and doesn't sound at all like a reso guitar. The sound is hard to describe, but a Weissenborn is not too far off.[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 09 October 2003 at 03:35 PM.]