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Topic: steel without amp, using vocal mic? |
Jonathan Slyker
From:
Montclair, New Jersey, USA
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Posted 18 Aug 2009 8:02 am |
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The emcee of the acoustic open mic won't let me use so much as a 5 watt amp. but they have boom mikes for vocals and guitars, etc. I tried, at home, to mic my steel in this fashion, but all I got was inaudible steel sound and lots of feedback. I'm using the Shure cheapie ($50) mic.
any experiences/suggestions? |
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 18 Aug 2009 8:36 am
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I have played pedal steel in acoustic jams. You have to establish whether the players and whoever runs the jam wants an electric steel guitar. This was a country jam, and they did want my steel guitar, even though everyone else was using acoustic instruments and there were no vocal mics. If they want steel guitar, you have to demonstrate it has no sound unamplified, and that it cannot be miked. Then demonstrate that you can play as quiet as they want with a small amp (I use a 10 watt Princeton Reverb, but have also used a 200 watt NV400). They loved it. You just have to play very quietly and give the vocals lots of space, and also lay out completely a lot to let the acoustic guitars do their stuff. If you can't demonstrate this and convince them, then you just can't do it.
If they decide they don't want you to use an amp, then they have decided they don't want electric steel guitar. In that case, I would play a Dobro.
I also played in an acoustic blues jam. For that I brought a resonator tuned in E open for playing slide, and also brought a Dobro (tuned in G) for playing keys that didn't work well for E slide.
In bluegrass jams, of course you will have to play a Dobro. |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 18 Aug 2009 9:02 am
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I agree with Dave - if they don't want an electric instrument (um, reality check - an acoustic guitar amplified using either a mic or a pickup is an electric instrument), either play dobro (which I assume you'd also need to amplify) or find more reasonable people. But a solid-body steel guitar has to be amplified somehow. I don't think you can do anything useful with a mic, to my tastes anyway. I wouldn't waste my time if that's really what they want you to do.
One good way to fake them out is to use a modeler like the Pod (there are others too), and run that directly into the PA. There are settings available that work fine for steel with a Pod. Most people here use the Pod XT, I sometimes use a Pod 2 (because I prefer it for 6-string), but anything is better than fooling around trying to mic your steel.
But if anybody told me the only way I was permitted to amplify my steel was to mic it, I would just laugh and move on.
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| In bluegrass jams, of course you will have to play a Dobro. |
I guess it depends on how purist they are. Around here, there are bluegrass folks that are very open to lightly amplified pedal steel, as long as the volume is carefully held in check. Then others are - well, slightly less open.  |
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