The Steel Guitar Forum

Do you guys know if they make a fiddle similator to be used on pedal steel? dumb question I know but heck one dont know unless they ask. have a merry christmas too all of you and your family.

With the name Barcus, you should be telling us how to do it! (Just kidding)

Some have used a Boss Tone distortion device to simulate string sections. Smiley Roberts is the master of this by the way.

I don't think there's anything that will fool anyone when it comes to simulating a fiddle. I have a couple "fiddle" patches in the sound module for my MIDI rig, but they don't sound authentic at all. Then again, the pedal steel patch doesn't either, even on my pedal steel.

If there is something, I'd sure like to hear about it. I usually work with two fiddles but every once in a while there's only one, and rarely there are none.

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Jim Smith jimsmith94@attbi.com
-=Dekley D-12 10&12=-
-=Fessenden D-12 (coming soon)=-
Stereo Steel rig w/Boss GX-700
IVL SteelRider w/JV-880

Thank you Jim, I thought about writing Barcus and tell them im related to share some of that money with me lol just kidding ive no ideal if i am or not, but anyhow Id like to see something come out heck id give it a shot. maybe the gentleman you spoke of will reply to this and give some input on his settings, take care Joe and oh did you get a new steel for christmas lol wishful thinking for all of us huh

This might not suit you but just about any distortion unit like a Proco Rat, Tube screamer, Boss Overdrive, etc., will give you smooth, endless sustain that can get you some fiddle-ish sounds on a single string (not for double-stop or twin fiddle sounds--that will get you into the rock-guitar-big chord zone). No, you won't fool anyone but it will sure be different sounding from straight steel.

The Bosstone or overdrive effect will emulate more of a violin sound -- smooth, legato feel. As soon as you need to play those staccato intro notes for a Ray Price tune, you're out of luck.

Our drummer calls them Nya Nya songs. He claims that the two pickup notes seem to be saying that . . . whatever (drummers!)

Jim, I wish you'd send one of those fiddlers up here. They'd love our beautiful Michigan winter (yeah, right). Not enough good fiddle players in this neck of the tundra.

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

If you have a midi rig on your steel,you can dial up various string patches and a lot of them are pretty good these days. The problem then becomes how much do you know about orchestrating what real strings might play in a given setting.If you know what you're doing and it's a legato passage,it will suffice(to some ears)for background string pads but if you want to speed pick up front solo "fiddle" even with the most convincing synth patch,you're up against midi lag and humiliating triggering gremlins.I've tried it for years - first with fuzztones and E-Bows and later with midi gear and NEVER did I cop a worthwhile fiddle or string sound or playing shtick to go with it - especially thru a steel amp.These days I'd rather just portray my instrument as a steel guitar. -MJ-

I will have to try these things out you know us steel players wants to play it all lol
we have no country fiddle players here where im at as well not saying that they are here in wva but ive not seen any come by for a very very long time, oh you got the bluegrass fiddles but theres 1000 miles difference in a bluegrass and a country fiddle player, just my two cents though and dont mean anything bad what so ever. joe

I've read that you can get a fiddle sound by using distortion and playing the 1st and 4th strings together, with the 4th string raised up with the C pedal.

I've tried this, and I like the resultant sound, especially for playing rock, but it doesn't sound like a fiddle. At least not when I do it.

Ask Bobbe?? He fooled me....but I never came close to the sound, but he can!

maybe peavey should be working on this for us pedal steel fiddle player wanta be guys lol.

Moved to 'Electronics' section.