P F Benado Steel Dream. Paul F. Has Spoken!

Randy Gilliam · Post by **Randy Gilliam** » 21 May 2013 5:47 pm

Ronald Paul is the Best we have to offer, I don't think you need too Hear the Rest Of Us!

Franklin · Post by **Franklin** » 22 May 2013 4:00 am

Here's the beautiful thing about the steel dream.......I learned years ago through using the studio's extremely expensive chamber and plate reverbs that I could play with a lot of reverb for inspiration and yet it still sounded fairly dry and in your face....Whereas an amps spring reverb or most reverb pedals do not give the same result......Sage found the studio equivalent in the steel dreams reverb...It took a little tweaking but he has it nailed in this pedal board......Everyone in the Time Jumpers except occasionally Vince does not use reverb.....Let me say this...I hate playing dry but I can not be the only guy with a wet sound in a dry band....With the steel dream I can use a lot for stage satisfaction and still blend perfectly into a mostly dry reverb band...I accomplish using a lot of verb because of the high quality sound of the steel dream's reverb. Also you can tweak the reverb to sound like a spring or plate reverb. Listen at about 4:20 to how the steel blends with Vince's guitar which is dry and to my ears the verb is set to about the amount Buddy uses on the bridge of Blue Jade which was a lot..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEngfxXy-HQ

Because the reverb trails the note in the pedal it always sounds upfront and in your face whereas other types of verb pedals pretty much lose the initial attack of the string because they surround the notes attack.....I personally believe this has always been a problem with using reverbs in a live situation....And I also believe this is why many players shy away from using a reverb sound that is more inspiring to the ears on ballads.

Also the delay sounds like a tape delay and both the reverb and delay have a tone control for Eq'ing the sound behind the initial attack of the note which is a crucial factor in providing a studio like tone.

The overdrive is killer and it allows for a natural sounding break up through digital amps and really sounds great through tubes. Everything on this pedal sounds like vintage analog gear.

Paul

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 22 May 2013 12:06 pm

One of the main things I noticed about the steel dream was that it doesn't change the dry sound of the instrument at all. It sounded a lot like a configuration I used to use where I go straight into the amp, then from a line out into reverb/delay into a powered cab. This is because the Benaldo has an all analog dry path, the reverb or delay is mixed in along with the analog dry signal. To my ears it's a huge difference over a standard reverb/delay processor, where the signal goes into the digital domain. I was using a TC Electronics Nova pedal, which has great sounding reverb and delays, but the Benaldo sounded better to my ears. I'm using a setup that's very similar to the Benaldo these days: An Earth Drive with an Earthquaker reverb/delay pedal, which has an all analog dry path like the Benaldo.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 22 May 2013 12:25 pm

Dan, is this the unit I played in the Little Walter room in Dallas?

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 22 May 2013 1:38 pm

That's the one, Mike. Sweet unit. Very simple, and impossible to get a bad sound!

mtulbert · Post by **mtulbert** » 22 May 2013 4:28 pm

This sounds great but I am wondering. Wouldn't an effects loop in a Revelation Preamp give you the same results?

You are passing the signal through a total analogue chain and then just adding a parallel signal processing chain and blending in the effect.

I am not thinking of using a pedal with the Revelation in that fashion, but wouldn't a rack mounted reverb for example give the same results?

Olli Haavisto · Post by **Olli Haavisto** » 23 May 2013 1:45 pm

I could be wrong, but I think most modern delays and reverbs in the mid to high price range are analog dry. The TC Hall of Fame and Flashback, for instance are....

Franklin · Post by **Franklin** » 23 May 2013 9:13 pm

......There are tonal differences between different brands of analog pedals.

Olli Haavisto · Post by **Olli Haavisto** » 23 May 2013 9:43 pm

True,Paul.
And I`m sure the Steel Dream is a fantastic product!
I was just pointing out to Dan that the analog dry feature is fairly common in digital reverb and delay pedals nowadays.

Jamie Lennon · Post by **Jamie Lennon** » 23 May 2013 10:03 pm

Hey Paul them settings in the pic? Are they close to the ones you use with the timejumpers.?

Thx

Tony Rankin · Post by **Tony Rankin** » 24 May 2013 7:59 am

Mine should be arriving soon and I am really anxious to try it out.

Paul, I too would like to know the settings you are using with the Time Jumpers.

Franklin · Post by **Franklin** » 24 May 2013 8:34 pm

Tony Rankin wrote:Mine should be arriving soon and I am really anxious to try it out.

Paul, I too would like to know the settings you are using with the Time Jumpers.

The photo of my settings shown earlier was a snapshot from the Time Jumpers gig.

Randy Gilliam · Post by **Randy Gilliam** » 27 May 2013 9:02 am

Played outside Sunday at SeaWorld and went Back to Pauls setting on the reverb , My amp was on the Floor. Sounded Great. Still loving it. Randy G.

Ronald Sikes · Post by **Ronald Sikes** » 2 Jun 2013 8:36 am

Randy , What amp are you playing through ? Also , I didn't see any dimensions on the website . What is the physical size of the unit .

Paul , Thanks so much for your information on the "Steel Dream ". Also like to thank you for your participation here on the Forum . I know it means a great deal to all of us for you to share your thoughts and viewpoints with us .

Randy Gilliam · Post by **Randy Gilliam** » 2 Jun 2013 8:56 pm

Hi Ronald, I Play a Furlong Cabinet with a Tonic Sarno Preamp, It Sounds Fantastic. Size Is 6 and a Half By 16 and a Half inches. Randy G.

Danny Naccarato · Post by **Danny Naccarato** » 3 Jun 2013 5:00 am

Has anyone requested the product w/o the overdrive, only Rev/Delay (size constraints/no need for OD)?

Thanks,
danny

Paddy Long · Post by **Paddy Long** » 3 Jun 2013 5:05 pm

Danny great idea - is the reverb and delay available in a 2 device unit ??

Randy Gilliam · Post by **Randy Gilliam** » 6 Jun 2013 6:57 pm

Look on the Benado Site, I don't know if they sell separate Pedals or not. Still loving Mine Best $ Spent on effects yet! Randy G.

Randy Gilliam · Post by **Randy Gilliam** » 17 Jun 2013 4:49 pm

No problems with mine. Still Sounding Great1 Randy G.

Tony Rankin · Post by **Tony Rankin** » 19 Jun 2013 1:51 pm

Franklin wrote:Here's the beautiful thing about the steel dream.......I learned years ago through using the studio's extremely expensive chamber and plate reverbs that I could play with a lot of reverb for inspiration and yet it still sounded fairly dry and in your face....Whereas an amps spring reverb or most reverb pedals do not give the same result......Sage found the studio equivalent in the steel dreams reverb...

I have found Paul's statement about the reverb's qualities to be absolutely correct. I am so looking forward to using this effects unit in a live situation!

I'm using mine in front of a Sarno V8 Octal preamp then into a TC Furlong CB12. I couldn't be happier with this setup.

By the way, I have to comment about Sage Benado's customer service. He called me today just to ensure I was completely happy with the PF Steel Dream. I feel that his commitment to his customers would be hard to match.

billy tam · Post by **billy tam** » 19 Jun 2013 1:58 pm

I too cannot say enough about Sage's customer service, I've rarely experienced better. That coupled with the high quality and versatile unit is unbeatable.
Billy Tam

Dennis Detweiler · Post by **Dennis Detweiler** » 19 Jun 2013 4:15 pm

Most of the new reverb units have a "predelay" control which you can program the amount of dry signal before the reverb picks up the signal. So, you get your initial dry attack of the note or chord followed by the reverb. I've eliminated the use of a delay pedal and just use reverb. About 100ms of dry is ballpark for my ears. Then adjust the decay, mix level and tone of the reverb. Tweaking can take a little time (trial and error).

Randy Gilliam · Post by **Randy Gilliam** » 19 Jun 2013 6:30 pm

Hi Tony, JCH Benado Effects Pedal To Sarno Preamp in to the Furlong CB 12 Awesome sound . The Search for the sound is over for me! Randy G.

Randy Gilliam · Post by **Randy Gilliam** » 10 Aug 2013 1:43 pm

Everyone still happy with the Benado, I know I am! Randy G.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 11 Aug 2013 10:00 am

so what is it...? benado or benaldo?

The Steel Guitar Forum

P F Benado Steel Dream. Paul F. Has Spoken!

Paul

Played outside .

Furlong Cab.

Look on the Benado Site.

Benado.

steel dream

Setup.

Still Loveing it!