The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi I have been playing a lap steel for about 3 years, I played guitar for over 40 years and love it. First I made my 10 string lap steel it has a Barcus berry pickup on it. I have ran it thur my Podxtlive. And I have 3 different amps. Fender frontman 25r , fender frontman 211 and a Line 6 spider 150 Sometimes I feel that my steel sounds better strait to the frontman 25r I like my Podxt but my problem is the different amps with the steel sound like theyare hollow. Like a megaphone. I would like to sound on a cd. Clean Mellow pure. Once I get the sound to not sound hollow then I need to set the compression to sound natural to where you have the substain fake sound. I play in a little country band , we play for free. Old friends that love music. I would like to play in church some day that would be fun . Thank you for any help Jerry

While I've never played through any of the amps you listed, have you tried setting your EQ with a method? Look at the second post in this thread, and give it about ten minutes of try.
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=223731

I've also heard unnice things said about Barcus Berry, but others like 'em.

I use a POD X3 (and XT). I only use it for effects only, no amp sims, etc. That allows whatever amp you are using to control the sound, not the amp sim's in the POD.

My main "tone" (program) is digital delay and spring reverb.

I've owned the Frontman 25R and the Line 6 amp.
Both of those amps I found are not suitable to get the sound you are looking for.
Get yourself a Nashville 112 is my advice.

Lane thanks I'l work on your method to set my sound. Jack thanks also I headed to my Podxt to set it different. Do you ever use any of the compressors that they have? how do you set them? I'm clueless about them. Don thanks to you too. I wish that I could afford a nashvill.My wife doesn't understand some of what I have now, isn't 1 guitar enought and or amp.Any other sugestions are welcome . This is a wonderfull forum for help Jerry

I think it depends on what sound you are aiming for. When I think of lap steel, the sound that defines it for me is David Lindley's sound. His sound is a warm, creamy overdriven sound with plenty of sustain. I sure don't think you could get that with just a Nashville 112. But that type of sound is definitely inside a Pod unit, particularly a Pod 2 which has a pretty decent model of a Dumble (which is what I think David Lindley uses -- if not, it is something similar).

It is also crucially important to make sure your Pod XT Live is set up correctly to connect to an amp. Are you sure the "What are you connecting to?" menu has "Combo front" if you are plugging the Pod output into the guitar input on the front of the amp?

Mike

The only Barcus Berry pickup I am familiar with is the piezo-electric contact pickup, which would not be the route I would choose to get the most from a steel guitar, and may well be the reason for your 'megaphone' sound from the PodXT. You should be able to get all manner of splendid sounds from a unit like that if the guitar itself sounds good to start with. Perhaps there is a wound pickup in their line that you are using, of so I have no experience with them. For certain I would not worry too much about compressors until you have the other components of your sound well in hand, Jerry, if you are after more sustain you will get the best results by using your volume pedal.

What Dave said.

I am bulding a lap also and I got that same sound from a piezo pickup. Might help if you control the amount of pressure that ties the pickup to the body. I am going to change to a magnetic pickup on mine.

Crud, I totally missed the Barcus-Berry pickup. Good for some things, but I don't think I would like one on lap steel. That's definitely the place to start if you are hearing "hollow tone".

Mike

Barcus Berry did make steel guitar pups (magnetic)
They were used on MCI guitars, for instance.

And ISTR that Sarah Jory used 'em and got better tone than some of us do from Jerry Wallace's.
As for compression, only some of us use it.

Lane how do I apply you method to setting my amp low middls and high Lows first: while picking the strings, run this up until the bottom end gets "boomy" and back it off a bit. Note: obviously an E9 only player can run more bass than a D-10 or universal player
Mids, the most crucial (put highs and presence at 12 o'clock for this step):
Since steel pickups have a strong peak around 800-900 Hz, we need to tame them here. Set the shift just above 800, then lower the level from 12 o'clock til the "honkiness" goes away. Then slowly move the shift knob one way, then the other. There'll be one point at which it sounds sweeter. Don't be surprised if you end up with around 6 dB cut at 800-850 Hz.
Highs and Presence: Presence is basically an ultra-high. I think of highs as adding "brightness" to the sound and Presence as putting a sharp edge on it. from 12 o'clock, raise the high til you have your brightness.
Picking up around the 15th or 17th fret, run the presence up til you have your edge.
At that point, you should be done and have the sound you like My amps do not have a shift

If the amp lacks a shift control, you'll have to fiddle around, but you'll want to cut the mids a bit.
I think I'd start with the mids cranked and highs cut, turning the mids down until the "honk" of the mids comes down, then add highs til you get the desired "bite". Mids=flavor; highs="bite"
If your pod has a parametric EQ (confession: if you've not seen my thoughts on the subject, I've never found a multieffects unit that didn't frustrate the snot outta me, I hate the lot of em), use it to cut about 5dB at 800.

Ok now I have my low and high strings where the high strings are not so sharp , cutting to the ear.Kinda ballance out , even when I play at the 12 fret and at the 3 fret also. I set my equalizer 3 different bands at 800 , I tried to change it but didn't notice anything. But it is a big improvement.

You gotta love these guys, eh?

Yes you do ! And want to be able to help others if I can Too !

get rid of wife bless her heart everything else will fall in place..even the lawyers////

Jerry,

I have personally used all of those amps you listed above. One of my band members owns a Fender Frontman 211 that he offered to let me use. You can play with the EQ all you want on that amp and it will never sound good for steel. The other amps you listed are not ideal for steel.

If you can, get a good rack preamp, and rack effects unit and run everything through a quality powered speaker. I think that's the way to go.

Just my opinion.

I have a Gorge - L E66 and installed now .