The Steel Guitar Forum

I just ordered a Webber Beam Blocker. Its' simply a domed peice of plastic that you bolt to the front of your speaker to difuse the highs. I've alway thought the bigger 15" speakers sound great for steel but suffer from being quite polar at the high end. Hope this helps.
Any one tried this?

Jim

Yup! You'll be gld you did it!
-andy z-

Hi Jim, I had a similar device many years ago that I purchased through guitar player magazine. It was called a "speaker tweaker" and you mounted it on the front of the speaker using the speaker bolts. It had a series of fins radiating outward with a solid center and it was supposed to difuse the ice pick in the ear high ferquency notes.

You can also get a bass drum pad, something like that, about 4-6" disk, and attach that to the back of the speaker cloth centered in front of the speaker cone. Result is, you're always "off axis", which is a kind thing, for live or recording both.

I been using them for about 2 years ,a major improvement on open back cabs.Smooths out the tone.I first saw this years ago ...Stevey Ray Vaughn had duct tape patches on his grillcloth to cut down on the beaming effect.

Dean Parks wrote:You can also get a bass drum pad, something like that, about 4-6" disk, and attach that to the back of the speaker cloth centered in front of the speaker cone. Result is, you're always "off axis", which is a kind thing, for live or recording both.

I do that with a disk of cardboard. Works fine. I use Velcro to attach it to the grill cloth, one strip stuck to the cloth, the other on the cardboard.

I also use the Weber Beam Blockers and like the performance.

Bruce

Here is a link to Weber Baeam Blocker:
http://www.webervst.com/blocker.html\

Jim, what amp/speaker are you going to use the beam blocker with? Also, Weber does not mention how you mount the beam blocker with a rear mounted speaker. I assume the metal flange would have to mount directly to the speaker. Interesting!

Thanks everyone. All positive comments. Sounds like I could have gone for a less expensive informal arrangement though.

Len I'm currently using an older, mid 70's Session 400 with rear mounted BW. I'm thinking I can substitue some longer speaker mtg screws in two places that will protrude out the front of the bafel. This will allow me to use nuts to attach the Beam Blocker.

So what do you guys think the actual source material is?
Does some other industry manufacture those little black domes for some product?

Just tried some Gorilla duct tape spots on my PV CL50 and HRDlx112. Sticks a little better than silver DT.

Sure makes it them easier to listen to.

Learn something new every day..



EJL

Hey Jim, what size beam blocker did you order for your 15" speaker? They come in 4 or 5 inch center.

Len,

I bought the 4" which is the size of the dust cap I beleive.

We used to do that years ago on speaker cabs - put anything on the center of the grill cloth (inside) to keep heads from exploding due to treble at close range. They work great and you lose almost nothing.

Ahhh, the ol "dust cap on a stick" trick, ehh???

http://www.parts-express.com/webpage.cf ... r_dust_cap

Maybe one out of "space age carbon fiber".....

Just found this post, this is a new idea to me. I'm thinking about trying it, but I will miss the visual of my aluminum dust cap shining through the grill cloth!

Just wondering how many of you are using any of these techniques to tame the ice pick in the ear?

Well regarding the ice-pick-in-the-ear, one should never ever ever ever ever ever aim a speaker at their ear. The nature of how sound projects off a speaker, especially the metal dustcapped types we often use, is that there is a brutally powerful, nearly "coherent" beam of energy that projects straight forward and is about the diameter of the voice coil, 4" or so in the case of a JBL or BW. This beam is brutal and WILL CAUSE TINNITUS AND HEARING LOSS. This beam is largely made up of treble content only, and is a disproportionally bright sound compared to what the speaker is doing as a whole.

The beam blocker is a good idea, although personally I feel it's a bit reflective and is likely causing some sonic artifacts. I'm more inclined to want to try a disc that is more absorbtive, maybe a beam blocker covered in a layer of foam or fuzz or something soft and or foam/rubbery, and about 6" in diameter so it blocks the whole beam. Keep in mind that the voice coil is not the whole dome, but it's the ring at the outer edge or circumference of that dustcap. That's where the most energy is coming from, the outer edge of the dustcap.

Personally, I've gone for years with a guitar amp about chair height or a bit higher so that the beam is aimed at my back, not my head, and also never reaches the audience. With steel, I often aim the beam at the back of my pack-a-seat so again it never hits anyone. And you can be sure that if your beam hits anywhere near the soundman, he'll think you have a brutally trebly tone and will turn you down or off in the house mix. The beam is weird in that it travels hundreds of feet without weakening. It can really hurt people and make them not enjoy the sound of your steel. One solution too is to tilt a speaker so it aims upward, above everyone's heads, and also to the side of your head so like Dean pointed out, everything is "off axis". Off-axis is where the tone is, it's the real sound.

Avoid the beam, it's a real killer.


Brad

Tommy Boswell wrote:...but I will miss the visual of my aluminum dust cap shining through the grill cloth!

You could aways cut a piece of plexiglass. It will block the deadly beam, but let the aluminum "shine on"!

Brad Sarno wrote:Well regarding the ice-pick-in-the-ear, one should never ever ever ever ever ever aim a speaker at their ear. The nature of how sound projects off a speaker, especially the metal dustcapped types we often use, is that there is a brutally powerful, nearly "coherent" beam of energy that projects straight forward and is about the diameter of the voice coil, 4" or so in the case of a JBL or BW. This beam is brutal and WILL CAUSE TINNITUS AND HEARING LOSS. This beam is largely made up of treble content only, and is a disproportionally bright sound compared to what the speaker is doing as a whole.

Avoid the beam, it's a real killer.


Brad

This is timely that you posted this right now.

After our band's last "group meeting", we decided to have me rearrange my normal setup which had me facing the audience with my amp directly behind on a chair or stand. I was having trouble hearing and our front vocalist was complaining about my volume, which of course I thought was proper. (The volume, that is ).

I decided to start setting up to face sideways and keep the amp in the traditional backline row but figured if it was more direct in to my ear, I could turn down.

After reading your 6 in a row "never, evers" you've got me rethinking this and also scheduling an appointment to the audiologist for some custom ear plugs. I've been having some ringing in my ears during the day and I've know doubt it's related to this issue of the beam.

Think I'll experiment with cardboard, too. I'm a JBL high end kinda guy!

Thanks Brad.

Tried it, but eventually removed it, i think it messes w/ the top end too much, I was indeed happier w/o it,

This is an old post. After trying the Beam blocker for a couple of weeks I removed it. I think it did add some sonic artifacts.
After that I switched to a 12" speaker, the Eminence Fender Special Design . It's way less beamy and disperses the highs much better than the Peavey BW 15". I miss the deep lows a little but the midrange is just wonderful on that 12. It had the sound I was after and disperses the mid/highs better.
Brad I think you are right about the artifacts. Nice lap steel BTW. I followed your post.
How's the tone?

Thanks Jim. The lap steel came out great. Sounds big and warm, sort of like a Bakelite Rick. Obviously the humbucker won't do a horseshoe tone but it's not bad at all. As a guitar, it's heavy and dense and just has a big, meaty, warm, yet bell-tone-clear kind of sound. She's real happy with it. I like to think Byrd would have dug it. We were aiming toward a Byrd tone friendly lap steel, and it came out pretty close.

Here's the lap steel thread:
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=218660

Thanks also y'all for the feedback on what you thought of the Beam Blocker and how it did weird stuff to the tone. My personal solution as I mentioned was to simply be conscious of where the beam was aimed and try to let it get blocked by your back, your pack-a-seat, or aim it up at the ceiling and never at a person, especially the soundman . Always have your ears a bit off axis. And keep the mic just off the voice coil too, over the cone's paper and near the voice coil, but not right in front of the voice coil.


Brad

aim it up at the ceiling

not many do that but the one i know who does convinced me to do so
Thanx to Jean Yves Lozach

I tried them and took them out.I can't really describe it but I didn't like how they sounded.I am going to try a 5" foam circle on the grill cloth when i get around to it.
I usually use a fender amp and just tilt it back on the legs.This seems to work,I just have to find a spot where it doesn't beam my head.