question: Stereo steel amps?

Terry Edwards · From: Florida... livin' on spongecake...

How do stereo steel amps work? Is it just the stereo special effects from your effects processor that gets amplified in true stereo? Would your steel guitar sound better thru a stereo setup without any stereo special effects than a traditional mono Peavey amp. I've never tried a stereo amp but I know some folks think they are fanastic. Why?

Thanks,

Terry

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Terry Edwards
Fessy D-10; Nash 1000
Martin D-21; Flatiron F-5

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I use a rack setup mostly. My preamp splits the signal and sends it out in stereo to my effects unit and continues on to the two channels in my amp and then out to two seperate spreaker enclosurers. Before the rack setup, I used to go into an effects unit and that split the signal to two Nashville 400s. To get a real delay and chorus effect, you need to split the signal.
Erv

Sidney Malone · From: Buna, TX

I use a Walker Stereo Steel amp setup which is the same signal chain as Erv described except the preamp and amp are in one unit.

I use delay on one channel and reverb on the other. I think it gives a more full tone than a mono amp. I tried different amp combinations but when I tried the Stereo Steel I knew that was it!!

Of course the only way to know for sure is to play through one and let your ears be the judge.

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

Stereo just plain sounds better, and in turn (IMHO), makes me play better.
When I hear that lush surround sound, I don't know, I just feel like I can do no wrong.
There are lots of ways to do it so just get 2 amps with stereo effects, a Stereo Steel system, or whatever... hook it up and let it rip!

I bought a Walker Stereo Steel system with a Lexicon LXP-1 for stereo 'verbs, but I got too lazy to move all that stuff around to gigs, so I leave it set up in the basement at all times, and have a Music Man 112RD Sixtey-Five (12" JBL G125-8, 65W, Solid State pre-amp w/ tube power amp), and run it stereo with a Fender Champ, using a Boss RV-3.
The Champ is leaning back right in front of me, and the Music Man is on casters behind me.
Stereo is about the player, so it doesn't really matter if they only mic up the Music Man for the mains, although I prefer if they mic the Champ too, because it just sounds killer!

I bet 2 of those new Peavey Nashville 112's would sound great with an RV-3 or whatever stereo effects!

Ron Randall · From: Dallas, Texas, USA

Terry,

Running 2 speaker cabinets is sometimes called dual mono.
The stereo part happens when the signal is split left/right and, a good effects processor is in the signal chain. You can get a true stereo "image" with a unit like a Lexicon. (many other units will do as well)

Some folks use a dual mono setup with one speaker dry, and the other with reverb/delay. Sounds very good.

Some folks put efx in front of the preamps, some put them after the preamps, some folks like to put reverb in front and delay after.

Lots of ways to skin this cat. Make the ears happy.

Hope this helps.

Dave Boothroyd · From: Staffordshire Moorlands

If you spilt your signal into two identical mono tracks and send them to two speakers, some people in the audience- especially the ones at the rear corners of the room- are not going to hear your true tone. The differences in length of the signal path from the two speakers and the listeners' ears creates a phase difference which cancels out some of the frequencies in your sound. It's called a "comb filter effect" because it takes out for example 2kHz, 4kHz 8kHz etc, like running a comb through your frequency spectrum.
If you use true stereo, the left and right signals are never quite the same, and so if you get any comb filtering, it only lasts for a fraction of a second. So Peter is absolutely right in his observation that the sound is lusher- it's because it's all there, with dual mono it probably isn't, unless you are exactly equidistant from the speakers.
Cheers
Dave

[This message was edited by Dave Boothroyd on 31 January 2003 at 12:25 AM.]

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

David,
What about the comb effect or phase cancellation (is that the same thing?) if your amp settings (e.g., EQ) are slightly different? My favorite rig at the present is a pair of 1970 Standels -- one on a chair with slightly brighter EQ and one on the floor behind me -- slightly darker EQ. Usually used with a touch of reverb, stereo delay (sometimes 'ping pong', but usually panned a bit toward one side), and sometimes stereo chorus or doubling such that the original comes from one, and the doubled signal comes from the other amp.

Like Pete, I play better when I sound better to myself, but often wonder how much better the sound is out front when I go to the trouble of schlepping both amps. Nobody in the room is really getting the stereo effect like I am, but I've been told my rig sounds better with two amps. Just haven't sorted out all the variables yet. And probably won't.

And, Terry, if you haven't figured it out yet, some of us are talking about two things. There is a product from GDWalker called the "Stereo Steel" system. Everyone I've spoken with RAVES about this product, but I've never actually played through one on a gig. ALSO, there are many stereo preamps and amps, some designed for steel (usually the preamps) and some multi-purpose that steel players mix 'n' match in a rack system. Still others use two combo amps with stereo effects to achieve a bigger, 'stereo' sound -- one can argue 'til blue in the face what 'stereo' really is and how to achieve it. Hope this stuff helps.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro

[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 31 January 2003 at 07:32 AM.]

Terry Edwards · From: Florida... livin' on spongecake...

Thanks to all for your informative commentary. I agree that sounding good to yourself helps you play better and having stereo effects on stage would certainly do the trick. Not sure if the audience really benefits from this though. The explanation of the comb filter effect makes a good point. Without a good stereo effects processor to add a little delay to one of the speakers, your audience will hear some frequency cancellations depending on where they are in the room. I think my main question is answered though - a true stereo steel amp provides stereo effects only. Now I need to play through one to hear the benefit of stereo vs. mono with the same effects.

Thanks again to all,

Terry

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Terry Edwards
Fessy D-10; Nash 1000
Martin D-21; Flatiron F-5

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