GREAT SOUNDs and Not-so great sounds............

[Ray Montee]

When you drop-in to listen to a group that is new to your ears.......

and you see a top brand pedal steel, a great big powerful, big name, solid state/tube amp.....

with a half-dozen affects boxes on the floor and some kind of pack seat with an upholstered back and arm rest thereon.......

but YOUR EARS quickly tune in to some less than truly top quality sounds........

to what do you initially relate that sound deficiency?

[Pete Burak]

Hi Ray, Hey what new group (and what club?) did you drop in on that prompted this topic?... or is this hypothetical?
What exactly was the nature of the "sound deficiency" you heard?
fwiw, I encourage all new steel players (and players of any instrument for that matter) to get into a band asap.
It's probably just a player who isn't up to your, or who-evers, perceived standards of listen-ability yet.
Not a big deal to me (I'd be there just to cheer 'em on) but I can see how it might rub some players the wrong way when a newbie is on stage playing a paid gig while the ol' pro is in the crowd basically contributing his wages.
So did you stay and listen, or walk out?

[David Weaver]

I love the response Pete. EXACTLY!! I'm an over the hill, never to be good steel player that does practice to get better. I play in a band and get paid. Not much, but it gets me on stage. I see great players on the web and making YouTube videos and I wonder if I should even show up for the next gig.

But I do.

Thanks for the comment. Thankfully, our band leader has your viewpoint. We show up and we sell beer...

Dave

[Earnest Bovine]

less than truly top quality sounds........

to what do you initially relate that sound deficiency?

Low battery in the hearing aid?

[Kevin Hatton]

I agree George, because ultimately its the player who controls his/her equipment. I've seen Emmons guitars turned into jumk sounding steels with bad amps and amp settings.

[John Steele]

Earnest for Moderator !

- John

[Eric West]

Well in the first place, more likely than not the guy that's dropping in hasn't got a gig, and he's listening to a guy that does and wants to feel better about it.

I figure most criticism flows from that fact in this case.

Guess I'm glad I don't have a packaseat a solid state amp or more than one "effect box". That's a relief. Got lots of gigs though, and my 15 watt Blues Jr gets a little loud to talk in front of it..



EJL

[basilh]

When you drop-in to listen to a group that is new to your ears.......
and you see a top brand pedal steel, a great big powerful, big name, solid state/tube amp.....
with a half-dozen affects boxes on the floor and some kind of pack seat with an upholstered back and arm rest thereon.......
but YOUR EARS quickly tune in to some less than truly top quality sounds........

to what do you initially relate that sound deficiency?

My son has coined a phrase for that kind of player,"All the gear and no Idea"..

The absolute opposite of me with my Emmons D-10 minus 1, and Vice Grip knee levers.



Funny thing, they were made originally by Peterson, and There is an excellent tuner by the same name

[Alan Tanner]

....sometimes I don't think it's the fault or deficiency of the picker. In large setups I believe it is often the goof they have hired to do the sound, and he does not know how to make a steel sound or how to blend it in....

[basilh]

Or conversely it could, just COULD be the "Picker's" Fault in not being able to tell the "goof" engineer what eq and processing the steel does or doesn't need.

A steel player working, i.e. employed to play, should as part of his expertise know what eq, and DI. requirements his setup needs.

You can be sure Buddy Emmons, Paul Franklin and players in that particular echelon know well about required eq, compression, delay and all other like parameters.

[Roger Rettig]

Ray!

I never even saw you coming in the door!!!

[Alan Brookes]

The deficiency is probably the fault of the guy who hired a group with no proficiency.