The Steel Guitar Forum

What suggestions do you have for the best (and hopefully least expensive) effect for a PSG. I believe I have a Fender Artist Student model, ABC pedals and 1 knee bar (RKR).I currently have a Boss DDR-3, but it doesn't give the sound I want (sustain, full). I'm using E9 tuning.

No stompbox in the world can substitute for a good right hand, a volume pedal, and a good bar vibrato...IMO. That's a real loaded question, considering...I'm just saying...

A decent reverb. You haven't said what amp you run,
90% of the time I run nothing else.

I had a Fender Artist with four knees and a wood neck. The sound was terrible, so I installed an Emmons single coil pickup. Problem solved.

I picked up my effects preferences from Sneaky Pete. In order of frequency of use:

Analog (or tape) delay (never reverb. especially spring reverb)
Phase shifter
Clean boost
Fuzz (mid-shifted for string-like sounds)
Tremolo
Attack-triggered auto-wah
Octave (down) generator

I also add an overdrive and a dry/compressed adjustable-blend compressor (doesn't hurt picking dynamics but boosts sustain) - sometimes a Lesie 16 (Same as a Fender Vibratone - sends mids to the Leslie and highs/lows to the amp speaker(s)) or Leslie emulator.

I have a volume pedal but never use it except to mute the signal. For my style of playing I just don't need to "ride" one. Pete rarely touched his - it was more a footrest.

A little touch of reverb, and a very firm right hand!

Best effect for a PSG?

The one that stays in its box in the closet.

I like to help support the stomp box community!

Dave Greene wrote:I currently have a Boss DDR-3, but it doesn't give the sound I want (sustain, full). I'm using E9 tuning.

You shouldn't need a pedal to give you sustain and a full sound. What amp are you using?

I've used reverb with every transistor and tube amp I ever played through. Sometimes I'll use ping pong stereo delay for two amps. Reverb adds a nice sustain and often softens and smooths out the tone in some harsh sounding venues.

I never play a gig without my Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere.

Too many guitars on the stand? Heck--I'll switch to "organ"!

(They are out of production but there are other good simulators out there. See the many threads on these devices.)

Chris

I'd say your basics are some kind of reverb (could be amp driven instead of pedal) and maybe an overdrive pedal. It all depends on the sounds you like- we all start by emulating someone else's sound- check out what your favorite players are using on your favorite tracks, and get into some affordable version of that. The amp you use is important. The notion that all you need is great technique to emulate all the sounds steel players make is unhelpful-obviously great technique opens new doors, but follow the sounds you like.

I mentioned a touch of reverb and a firm right hand, but I also would sometimes use an Echoplex, invented by Forumite Don Dixon. It's a wonderful sound!

First learn to play. No effect in the world will help if you play out of tune, or play the wrong chord.

Second, before you spend money on effects, either add more knee levers or upgrade to a guitar that has them.

Then, after you can play without effects, you can add them. Remember, everybody here has their favorites, and everybody will tell you to get the one they like. If possible, you should try our different ones and see which ones you prefer.

For whatever it's worth, I use the reverb in the amp, and occasionally, a Pro-co Rat for distortion, and a Dunlop Q-zone pedal for a Dobro simulation.

I really love my Lexicon MPX 1

Electro Harmonix HOG 2.

Saxophone and trumpet and Hammond organ tones of all kinds.

Every tone changes your playing style and improvisational approach.

Dave Greene wrote:What suggestions do you have for the best (and hopefully least expensive) effect for a PSG. I believe I have a Fender Artist Student model, ABC pedals and 1 knee bar (RKR).I currently have a Boss DDR-3, but it doesn't give the sound I want (sustain, full). I'm using E9 tuning.

Hopefully, you have a volume pedal. After that, to get an idea where your problem is, let someone who can really play sit behind your guitar. I guarantee you will be enlightened.

Adding a tad of delay with your light reverb should help. Maybe you should review your settings. [Boss DD3 is popular with steel players.] Just one to one and a half repeats about 1/2 as loud as your original note. Judicious use of effects can help add dimension to your sound, but you need to learn how to use them and know what you want them to do for you. One of the best players ever to walk the planet used them, that's proof enough for me.

Going in and out of the many phases of playing and equipment use is just a part of learning and you'll come to your own conclusions as you go.

this one is Worth Checking Out!
TC electronics HOF mini reverb... Got it home yesterday, the tone out of the box was good, but when I realized it had something called TonePrint that lets you add different pre sets ...and Beam a signal to the pickup of your guitar via iphone or cable, I was floored. Picked a pre-set by Guitarist Albert Lee, yeah I know he doesnt play steel...but he IS tasteful. It's a great mix of reverb with a hint of delay. The process to change a setting was fast, and easy.
Oh yeah it's only $99.00 at Guitar Center
There is a ton of different presets and info on these at theirp web site
http://www.tcelectronic.com/hall-of-fam ... to-reverb/
Hope your Holidays are peaceful and your New Year's a good one.
Steve

Thanks so much to all who have taken the time to reply with a helpful suggestion. It means a lot to those of us who aren't the "premium players". You and all the participants on the forum are stand-up people. BEST WISHES FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON. A great site b0b.

I just bought a used Line 6 M5 multi effects pedal. It has 100 effects, though I only use a few. They are: phaser, leslie, chrome (dobro sound), several different 'verbs and delays, compressor, and overdrive.

I use it judiciously of course, but every sound one could ever need is in one pedal. I also have a Lexicon, but the M5 is more compact and fits into my pack seat. The modeling is legit... very convincing voices. They're well built and reliable. I've run one on my guitar rig for 4 or 5 years and it has served me well.

Time will tell if it has a permanent home in my steel rig. If not, it pairs well with my synthesizer.

Dsve, What Lane, John, Donny, Mike P. are saying is exactly right.

No amount of effects can compensate for guitar and basic playing technique

As Lane suggests, many of us hit the stage with guitar, volume pedal and amp w/ reverb only.

After a year or so of trying every electronic thing under the sun, I finally realized it was ME.

Afterward the only outboard effects I ever use are reverb and delay. And only slight amounts, if that makes sense. The tone most of us seek to develop mainly comes from our touch and feel of the guitar. The guitar and the player combination are THE number one thing in my opinion.

That is the. bottom line... IT IS all in the hands❗️
And I have gone all around the block with the Pedal stuff.
Happy New Year to ALL.

Chris,
I agree with you about the H & K Rotosphere. When I am playing in church, I always have it in line. I have bought and tried numerous leslie and effect units but I always go back to the H & K.