The Steel Guitar Forum

There seems to be dozens (or more) effect boxes on the market for PSG, let alone guitar. As a newer player who is considering purchasing some type in the near future, which effect box would be the most important for E9th?

If you want to play traditional country, just a reverb and maybe delay pedal would do quite nicely. They could be separate pedals, or all in one...like the Boss RV-3. But I think, of all the effects available, reverb would be the minimum...and that's all some pro players use.

Other styles might require different effects. If you want lots of effects to choose from on a budget, the Zoom MS50G is hard to beat (but has a learning curve). The more sophisticated and fine-tunable you want things to be, the more money you'll spend. And, at some point, you might need to get into rack mounted units. You can spend thousands!...and not fond what you're looking for. It's a dark rabbit hole.

The best advice I could ever give is to start with just reverb, and then practice your butt off!!!

NOTHING makes you play better than you did last week than PRACTICING today does!

If reverb isn't in the amp, then a reverb pedal. Lots of folks use a delay pedal. I don't. The only other effects pedals I use are an overdrive pedal and an organ pedal. I try to use them as little as possible, and they are entirely disconnected when not in use. I also use a glass bar for a few songs, both with the overdrive, and without overdrive.

I agree with the fellas above me. My setup is Pedal Steel Guitar - 7A Super Sustain Matchbox - Hall of Fame Reverb pedal - DD-5 Delay pedal - Goodrich 120 VP - Nashville 112. I've messed around with other delays, reverbs and a buzztone(Never really used it). The band I'm in covers everything from Hank Sr. to crap on the radio these days.

Thanks to all who replied. I appreciate your information

Reverb and delay are the usual for PSG.

If you want to review the extreme, watch a few Robert Randolph videos, especially his rig rundowns to see what's possible and if any of that will/won't appeal to you.


RR's rig rundown from 2011.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPjfqS5NvCY

Along with amp reverb, I use a chorus pedal occasionally. It adds a particular fullness or "richness" when used on certain slow songs. Just remember not to use too much intensity or use it too often.

None.

Think about it this way - effects are used by players to achieve *specific* sounds. There are no "E9 effects". Most players use reverb - but reverb was originally intended to simulate the sound of playing "live" where some "echo" comes from sound bouncing off of walls. Even it isn't necessary - unless you want to hear it when you're practicing.

But effects can muddy up your tone as well.

ONLY add effects that provide sounds YOU WANT TO HEAR. If you don't know what you want to hear - don't add any. If you don't know what a "chorus" does why would you add one just because someone suggested it?

The same goes for EVERY effect. If you know what it does and the sound is something you *need*, fine.

Otherwise you might as well buy an accordion effect. Or steel drum "pedal". They'd make just as much sense.

Yes pedals DO muddy up the tone and make things sound further away.

There is a work around. It involves two amps. One for the guitar clean and dry the other (wet) for the effects.

You can even add a volume pedal controlling the effects amp.

Splitting CAN be a good idea.

But again - only add effects if you NEED them or want to experiment with SPECIFIC sounds you have heard.

Don't ever add effects just because "other people use them".

Godfrey Arthur wrote:Yes pedals DO muddy up the tone...

I don't think that's necessarily true. Maybe with some low end stomp boxes, but certainly not with all. Most definitely not the case with my rack mount pro audio and multi-fx equipment. It's apparent by switching to bypass mode that it's definitely better with than without. None of this, including an inline 1/2 Boss tuner in the rack, that has any negative effects whatsoever on the sound quality.

Far as effects go, many steel players use reverb and delay. Chorus works ok too in measured amounts but is much better on one side of a stereo rig. All the spatial and time based effects can be very usable depending on the desired effect. Dirt units as well. It depends on what your needs are in your own music and in the music of the people you associate with.

Most quality gear has the ability to add the amount of effect desired along with other parameters of the same to deliver what one wants. But, it takes time and education to find the ultimate settings.

The biggest reason players hate effects is they don't know how to use them.

You have to know what they do and what you want them to do for you in your chain.

I have really liked this one. It will do a combo of effects together. Perfect for steel.

https://www.zoom.co.jp/products/multist ... verb-pedal


This is where I bought mine.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ZOOM-MS-70CDR- ... Swz7NaXI4N

A well built digital effect unit does not muddy up or alter the sound of your steel guitar setup in any way. Now.... let me explain that statement. First of all, i'm speaking when you're NOT using the effect, and simply have it setting there. On the floor, or clamped to the leg of your steel, if hooked up correctly, you'll never know it's there.

Modern built effect pedals have what is known as " True Bypass". Now...when you engage an effect, (step on the button to turn it on), your sound will be altered, of course it will be, otherwise why purchase a pedal to begin with. There is a short learning curve to setting your effect up, just like there was to setting your amplifier up. Again, nothing to be intimidated about.

As far as an effect not working for you because you are playing steel guitar, or because you're using 11 pedals, 19 knee levers on a Z13th tuning is a new one on me. Actually some of my effects work better on steel, then on my guitar, especially with chords, much better on C6th. Experiment, toy around with different gadgets, and enjoy yourself. As a side note Buddy Emmons spent almost as much time on his effects, as he did his playing. No steel guitarist in the world at that time used, or owned more effects then buddy did. He never sounded the least bit muffled or muddy or whatever.

Good Luck, and enjoy your musical journey with your effects adventure.

Sorry for the double post. But the one effect that i really enjoy using is.....taking my ebow....stepping on my Ohmless Yara Softswitch Optical Compressor, and add Mr Hilton's Legend delay, and with practice with a Hilton volume pedal, even with my playing, i can make a fiddle player jealous. Long fiddle bow drags, behind a slow country song, a packed dance floor, and Gary, you da man. You are limited only by your imagination and vision. Just My Opinion

Jerry Overstreet wrote:

Godfrey Arthur wrote:Yes pedals DO muddy up the tone...

I don't think that's necessarily true. Maybe with some low end stomp boxes, but certainly not with all. Most definitely not the case with my rack mount pro audio and multi-fx equipment. It's apparent by switching to bypass mode that it's definitely better with than without.

Yup Jerry "pedals" was construed as the lower priced floor warts without itemizing all the available effects devices out there, and yes there are many better units out there, some with true bypass (and true bypass has its naysayers as well) and certainly a rack mount unit or a multi fx unit has a better chance of processing a signal cleaner than a basic pedal.

We all know that connecting pedals is hit and miss.

And you are correct that many report bad experiences with pedals because they don't know how to use them which is why my pedal collection is huge from buying up pedals from players who have no clues how to tweak them.

Also why I have some of the cheapest(?) obscure pedals made like an Arion SRV-1 (Japan 1980's) amid the more collectible ones, even making the cheap also-rans "collectible" in their own right.



Arion SRV-1 clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSOV5-0nSDU


Here's something not seen a lot I have in my collection along with a few other Tokai pedals.



As an alternative, alluding to the recording approach where the guitar is recorded dry and then effects are added on another track to where the guitar is not going through any device at all except maybe a clean preamp is an easier way of making sure the guitar signal is kept pristine while being able to add effects. Hence the TWO AMP idea.

But as usual YMMV if tweaking devices is not something a player is experienced with enough.

I know I've had a time in buying a seller's pedal who after I tested in front of them, wanted the pedal back.

You are so right Godfrey, no muddy sound out of my rig...none.

















Had to put a light under my pedal board...RED of course




My board was built by the guy's at West Coast Pedal Boards. They do just unbelievable work, just gorgeous. Also Susan from Studio Slips made this great clam shell case. Excellent work all the way around. Great people and companies to deal with. And they love steel guitar, and steel guitar players.

The folks from West Coast Pedal Boards, worked with me on getting the important things right. Like how high off the floor i sit, the angle of the board, height of the board, distance away from me the board will sit etc. Just a great custom job. Even found a red light for me....

Real nice pedal rig there George.

I especially like the novel mounting of the Ojai power supply under the board hidden as well.

This isn't the board I take on the road (I use my lap steel when I gig away from Nashville) but it's great for the studio with my non-pedal Hudson 10-string. The Ricochet and Quintessence replace the pedals (one set to a 2nd bend and the other a 3rd to a 4th by pressing harder). I don't recommend this rig for everyone but whoa, the range of sounds I can get. Definitely get a reverb, delay, maybe, maybe compressor but definitely some sort of overdrive pedal for starters. In fact, a decent, cheap multi-effect like the Digitech RP360XP is a great start. They can be had used for around $120. and there's an app with it for easy tweaking:

https://reverb.com/p/mooer-echoverb-dig ... id=3837634

$79.99

I don't think that's necessarily true. Maybe with some low end stomp boxes, but certainly not with all. Most definitely not the case with my rack mount pro audio and multi-fx equipment. It's apparent by switching to bypass mode that it's definitely better with than without. None of this, including an inline 1/2 Boss tuner in the rack, that has any negative effects whatsoever on the sound quality.

You say it's not true - but then discuss effects that are NOT stomp boxes - which are also the only topic of the thread if you read the OP.

Your rack mount gear is completely irrelevant to this discussion.

Well then, feel free to ignore it.

Reverb and a bit of delay.

I second the Digitech RP360, playing PSG for less than a year this multi effects unit is great, more effects, amps, cabinets and pre-sets than you'll ever use and cost about $150.00. I have a Boss Katana 100 which is a great PSG amp and can be easily tweaked via there Tone Studio software. When playing out if the venue has a sound system and mixer I just bring my RP360 and plug into the house system, works great for country and even better for blues jams.

Jim Sliff wrote:

I don't think that's necessarily true. Maybe with some low end stomp boxes, but certainly not with all. Most definitely not the case with my rack mount pro audio and multi-fx equipment. It's apparent by switching to bypass mode that it's definitely better with than without. None of this, including an inline 1/2 Boss tuner in the rack, that has any negative effects whatsoever on the sound quality.

You say it's not true - but then discuss effects that are NOT stomp boxes - which are also the only topic of the thread if you read the OP.

Your rack mount gear is completely irrelevant to this discussion.

He didn't say "stomp box".

One of my tele hero's besides Brent Mason, is Redd Volkaert. Now i know Redd is not a steel player, but he sure has picked with some of the best their is. Big Jim Murphy just to mention one. I emailed Redd awhile back, and to my surprise....he emailed me back. We talked about effects, and what he was using, and what he would think of a steel guitar player using effects. In short his answer was...."it's about time you guys did". He told me he wouldn't be the least bit intimidated by a steeler using effects.
I wanted to ask Redd if he used any effects with Merle Haggard, but i thought i'd better not press my luck.

I'm sure he knows. I don't know about recently, but some years ago I believe Redd played steel guitar too. Never saw or heard him on steel though. He bought a 15/16" steel bar from me back then.

I asked for a Telewacker CD as payment, but he ended up sending cash. What a picker! I seem to recall Redd was pretty fond of Session 400's too.