The Steel Guitar Forum

Hello my pedal steel friends. Please help me for my knowledge. What is the sounddifference with a sarno Freeloader ? I use a Peavey Nashville 112. Is there a improvement in sound or are the difference quite subitle?

Below are frequency response graphs for the Z series pickups which were generated in circuit simulation software, and they approximately illustrate what happens at different resistances. This same behavior occurs on all magnetic pickups. As you can see, it’s predominantly the 2 kHz to 5 kHz range that is affected by the resistive loading. Adjusting the resistance gives a different result than the adjusting the treble knob on your amp, which affects all frequencies above roughly 500 Hz. One approach that I find works well is to set the amp treble so the lower strings have the correct tonal balance, and then adjust the pickup resistance to dial in the tonal balance on the high strings. Since the pickup resistance is affecting only 2 kHz and above it has very little affect on the low string tonal balance.

125K-ohm Parallel Resistance



250K-ohm Parallel Resistance



500K-ohm Parallel Resistance

If you're a beginner, you probably shouldn't be worrying about "gizmos" to improve your sound. Your biggest improvements will come from regular practice and from playing with other musicians. After you've been playing some years, you'll be more attuned to what it takes to develop a good sound. There really are no "night and day" or magic ways to go from beginner clunky to accomplished player. It's just takes time.

The Sarno Freeloader does a whole lot more.
The FreeLoader is both a buffer and a tone control designed for pedal steel guitar. It clips on the leg of the steel guitar and is the very first electronic device the pickup sees. The internal 9v battery powers a very simple circuit using the highest grade audio components that help capture a clear, clean, and sweet tone from the pickup.

In addition to this buffer circuitry the FreeLoader includes a tone-control knob based on the electronic principle of “loading” or “impedance loading”. This type of tone control actually uses the pickup itself as part of the circuit. The result is extremely musical and natural sounding, allowing you to dial in a crisp, clear, bright tone or a dark, fat, mellow tone, and everything in between.
NOW with a dedicated tuner output jack.

It is very efficient at removing ice pick high's while still maintaining clarity of the low's. I have used one for years, it is a great product from a very talented vendor.

Morton explained it very well and simply. I bought one and liked it so much I bought a backup. I use it to fine tune my tone, especially when in a band. I wouldn't want to be without it. I use a passive pedal.

Does the original Matchbox 6A do the same thing? It's made to see the pickup first and has a tone control?