The Steel Guitar Forum

Is there an cheaper alternate way to get a dobro sound without buying a matchbro of bobro. I cannot afford these things now, but ever since I heard the steeler at a show in Pigeon Forge TN, I've been dying to get that sound. He was using the matchbro through some EQ and I don't know what else but darn if it didn't sound good. At first, I really thought there was a dobro player somewhere in the back playing.

Not asking for any proprietary info but what how do these units create the sound. Can you get close to the sound with some other effects. I have a Franklin playing through a Peavey Tubefex, Peavey NV1000, and a stereo 12band EQ. I also have a BOSS GE-7 EQ pedal, as well as some other pedals.
Any ideas anyone

You MAY be able to get something with a graphic EQ unit. But the Goodrich Matchbro is THE king of the electronic dobro simulators. I've fooled bluegrass pickers with my Matchbro on several backup recordings I've done. I've also had people looking for a dobro on live shows.

thanks Jack

I am always happy to hear your advice. I guess you'r right but I wish there was a poor man's dobro pedal out there. I think I will invent one and I'll call it the "po-bro".

Ben, if you have a Profex, Tubefex, or Transtubefex? Jack has written a pretty good program he calls Dobro Simulator? Makes for a good Po-Bro. The Newman Dobro? program.Will get you out of a pinch.Both sound better if your rig is stereo.....bb

There are two "dobro" similation presets programmed for the Profex II. Jeff Newman did one and Rick Bos and myself programmed the other.

If my memory serves me right, I read were Buddy used 2 eq pedals to get the dobro sound he wanted and then took it to Goodrich and the MatchBro was born.
I've got a Genesis 3 that I built a dobro sound that's not to bad.

Tony

Find yourself a Boss SE-50 effects processor, when ya get it, email me & I will send you setting for it, including a pretty good dobro sound.

Ernie
http://www.hereintown.net/~shobud75/stock.htm

With your Boss GE 7 try this. Turn the lowest slider all the way down. Turn the next one all the way up. Alternate like this for all the sliders except the volume. Start there and tweak to taste. It sounds crazy but it actually works. My dad showed me this one.

If you have an old wah wah pedal lying around,,mess with the tone till you find what you like and wedge/tape it in that pos.
Saw off the end of a broom handle, sand it smooth and use it as your bar. play until you stop cringing.

If you have an old lap steel you have been wanting to detroy,, build your own cat can. Cut out ALL the wood under the bridge,just bigger than a cat food can. on the underside put in a metal plate to cover the bottom of the hole. insert an old CLEANED OUT cat food can, upside down. put the brige floating on the can top, stings holding in it place. Find your intonation, play until you stop cringing.

Ben, for a long while when I was playing full time to get Dobro effects I just used an old hollow metal Kazoo!...

It actually sounded pretty darn close and was a cheap alternative to a real Dobro. I used it on things like "Texas When I Die", Steve Wariner's "Life's Highway" and other resonator guitar breaks heard on the radio.

The bottom of it was rounded and I used to just grab it by the slender end and put my index finger right in the round thing on top and go after it. I think the hollow metal construction was what made the sound.

You'd have to stay away from open notes though as they'd sound just like your regular steel tone.....JH in Va.

I have a BoBro that is use if I absolutely have to but I would take the sound of a real resonator guitar over that any day. You cannot (easily) get the pull offs, hammer ons and sustained open strings and bar licks with a steel guitar tuning....that replicates a real GBDGBD tuning.

In the studio, the reso would be the answer... I cant imagine why one would use a simulator in that situation?? The studio is where you have the opportunity to get it done right...especially if you want to get called back

The exception to this is John Hughey's CD "He Touched Me". He plays some FINE dobro (simulated) with his Pedal Steel. But then he is John Hughey... and sounds great on anything!!!!!!

Live, I do understand the challenges of space and getting it dialed in right to get the best sound... That is where the simulator would really come in handy....

I agree with Jack, if you must use a simulator the Goodrich Matchbro is great and is in like company with the BoBro.

The main reason I chose the BoBro over the Goodrich is becasue I didn't want any variable tone adjustments and extra knobs to adjust. I have my rig set the way I like it - - I rarely make ANY adjustment to it... short of tweaking Reverb from time to time. The BoBro doesn't have ANY knobs to adjust.

Additionally, the compact size (it fits in my seat nicely) and the fact I didn't want anything hanging off of the leg of my instrument.

(it is a little more cost effective too.. over other simulators)


my $.02

I agree, there really isnt any cheaper way than the bobro if your band is loud. For awhile I was using a lace pickup on a real dobro to get the look right, but I found an older marrs rgs that I run through the bobro instead. If you are going to play dobro with a live loud band, spend the money and get a new flueger/marrs rgs, you can do all the hammer pulloff open string capo etc that you can do on the dobro. I only use bobro on my pedal steel to get a bottleneck reso sound, which it does really well. I can tell you what doesnt work for loud amplified dobro, fishmen,and accoustic feathers. They may work if you have a $3,000 sound setup like Jerry D, but you probably dont.
Bottom line,,no there isnt a cheap way to get reso sound unless you are a master electrical engineer.

I use the Fishman passive, into a BBE Sonic Maiximizer, into a LR Baggs Para-DI then to the PA.

I have no issues with playing loud.. of course, I have spent a great deal of time dialing everything in to notch out any feedback chances..

I am interested in the Fluger axe you were talking about too!

http://www.flugerguitars.com/RGS.html

do you play with a drummer and electric guitars? Thats where my problem with the fishman was. I got good volume with quite playing, but the band kept getting louder and ended up drowning me out.

I have a Marrs CatCan. What can one do to improve the sound of it to make it sound more like dobro?

Whatever it is, I haven't found it so far.

Jim

Jim,,I eq mine through a baggs para acoustic, and I run it through a bobro sometimes.

There is a setting you can use on a 90 dollar pedal that will nail that dobro sound, e-mail me and I will tell you.

Mike,

I sent you a couple of e-mails.

Thanks,
Jim

Mike,

Sounds interesting, sent you an email also.

Sonny

Jim - how old is your Marrs Catcan ? ...the newer Fluger/Marrs RGS has a dobro simulator processor built in to it (bit like a Matchbro)

Is there a mod or setting for a Digi-Tech RP 80 that comes near a Dobro sound? I have a Dobro but would like a near Dobro sound with an 8 string non pedal.
James

I use a Bo-Bro and it works pretty good. Fools a lot of people including other musicians.

I think the secret to live acoustic Dobro is to have your pickup go to a stage amp strictly for monitoring and use a good microphone and go through the PA for leads or backup licks. When I have room on stage to play an actual Dobro (which isn't very often) I plug into a Fishman amp and it usually plays loud enough for monitoring and just "staying in the onstage mix" and use a Shure condensor mic.

Go to family dollar,get you one of those little plastic tube thingamageegie's that m&m's come in,
eat the M&ms, then turn your volume up and wa la
very close sound.It will surprise you.The great
thing too,it will hold a 7/8" bar perfect.So if you want some extra weight leave your bar in it.