The Steel Guitar Forum

I`m working on John Hughey`s version of "Hello Darlin",and can`t come close to getting the sustain and 'body'on those notes way up at the end of and above the fretboard.Is there one device,pedal or rackmount that is favored by the pros who can get that sound?
Thanks,
Tom

That would be a push/pull... sigh...

OR a ZUM !

Or a Carter !

Shoot!! I thoght this thread was going to be about a new theme park for steel guitarists.

A compressor can help give you some "lift" for lack of a better term. However cheap compressors can add noise or degrade the tone to your sound - I have a Keeley compressor that I use mostly for guitar but sometimes I've used it with the steel and it makes the BOSS CS-2 and CS-3 pedals sound like toys.

Then there is the other end of the rainbow where you can get a studio rack compressor but it may be too smooth for the 'effect' you may be looking for.

There are good and bad issues with compressors so you have to find what works for you - but in the meantime, try a compressor - it should help you hold out the notes in tandem with your volume pedal.

There are of course a great many other issues that help get this sound including; guitar, bar, volume pedal, the players touch...etc

I'm sure there are a few other ways of getting what you want that others may want to share, this is just my idea/suggestion for you.

Actually, Mr. Hughy has a little device that is tough to find...it's called incredible technique.

Practise playing up there. Then practise some more.

John doesn't play a Carter, he currently plays a Zum, but Howdy Darlin' was a p/p...

And yes, John sounds great whatever he plays...

I think that a guitar either has the high notes or it doesn't. My Williams sure does! I've played guitars that died on the high notes. Something to do with the construction. Maybe the Tommy Young mod would fix it.

I think the main reason for losing tone is losing confidence in yourself as you move up the neck.Being afraid of not being in tune makes you subconsciously attack the strings softer,maybe back off on the volume pedal etc.

I think Bob nails it...A lot of times, the area above the 12th fret is what makes or breaks a guitar for me. Lots of guitars sound good down low. And it doesn't seem to brand-specific. For example, I have played PP's that sang up there, and others that didn't make it at all...

My ....

Olli speaks much truth. You must play with more accuracy, pick attack and better use of the volume pedal above the the 12th fret.

As Dick Wood stated: Most of the sustain problem is due to the fact that enough volume was not added. A shorter string ( made by placing the bar way up there,) will not sustain as long as a longer string. Answer, practice, practice, etc and add more volume. Technique is the answer IMHO

I agree with everybody that posted above, however, the distance between the pick-up magnets and the strings will have a huge effect on tone and sustain. Many used guitars had pick-up replacements that were not properly adjusted or the previous owner fooled around with the adjustment screws of the origional pick-ups. Steel players are known for that.

b0b wrote:I think that a guitar either has the high notes or it doesn't. My Williams sure does! I've played guitars that died on the high notes. Something to do with the construction. Maybe the Tommy Young mod would fix it.

Even with great technique, some players are at a disadvantage because of their guitar. Before I had my Sho Bud rebuilt, it flat out sucked above the 12th fret. Horrible overtones, dead notes, etc. After it got new changers/fingers, it sang like it was supposed to all along.

However, I'll agree that the best guitar in the world isn't a substitute for great technique.

Talk about no sustain. The sustain on my guitar dies so quick after the 15th fret that the sustained notes turn into stacatto. Well, maybe thats a wee bit of an exageration but nonetheless the sustain sucks.

Hey, I'd like to know of any gizmos - or racks of stuff - that would give it, but I doubt they exist.

I have had some that I could pull it out of, and some I couldn't - it was not brand or design dependent. I've had some push-pulls - one that definitely had it, and one that definitely didn't. The first was a Bobby Bowman tweaked guitar, the other I got out of a guy's basement after sitting for several years. My guess is that properly tweaked, they can all have it.

But I have an old rack-and-barrel Bud that definitely has it in spades (no pun intended), and a Carter that sings beautifully up there. The Zum and Legrande sound very good, but still need some tweaking, I think. I think pickups and their adjustment can affect things, but I also think the bigger issue is mechanical/vibrational. It's a forced vibrational system - it's the interaction of the player with the instrument that matters, eh?

Hey, I think the theme park idea is a good one.

Tom, Have you gotten to the part where he actually plays above the fretboard? That to me was the real challenge!

Maybe the Tommy Young mod would fix it.
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Actually that's one of the main things Tommy's mod's do, is increase sustain up high on the neck. I've heard Dale Stacy's guitar before and after the mod. it works! Yea, I know, let's don't beat the poor ole horse no more.

Terry

My Carter D-10 (w/ BL 705s) has no issues in the Hughey register...


A good bar has a little bit to do with it, as does ears, and hands and.....etc

I think the pickup has a lot to do with it.
Also how you have your amp adjusted.

I have to say my Carter sd10 has great sustain all the way up the neck.It's the same whether its plugged into an amp or played acoustically.I think if the steel (whatever the brand) sings when played acoustically,it's going to do the same when plugged into an amp, regardless of the pickup.Obviously different pickups do sound different from each other,but I don't think they have a lot to do with improving sustain.

Of course I could be completely wrong

I have to say my Carter sd10 has great sustain all the way up the neck.

"A Carter in Hugheyland"

Lots of good posts....good thread!

It's not the guitar that takes you to Hugheyland, it's your hands. Sometimes even I can climb up there with a MCI D-10 and Barcus Berry pups