The Steel Guitar Forum

Nice video! Great playing especially the harmonics. I haven’t seen a well presented video with all those edits like you have done. You kept my attention span all the way through the video which is hard to do! Yes I hear differences but I’m not sophisticated enough to describe them. Nicely done

They don’t sound the same but they all sound good !

Same hands, same feet, same knees, same pickups different cabinets!

Just wanted to say how much I love this Julie Gold song, a writer and performer is vastly underrated and under appreciated. Yes, they all sound different, like Pinot Grigio is different from Pinot Noir. But both are wonderful.

Beautifully played by Sveinung! Really soulful and sensitive. Fun to hear the different guitars, and the video / audio editing is sure seamless! It’s sure a nice example of how much tone comes from the hands! The differences in tone between guitars was there- but pretty subtle and they all sounded great given the excellent playing. Thanks for posting it Brian- really enjoyed it!

Really sweet playing. Great touch and a deep musicality. With that I heard a major difference between the steels.

Mainly in the clarity and focus of the midrange. Some guitars had what I call a squonky/cringe worthy high range and others might hear it as a desirable twang. Some guitars had low strings that I consider wooly and muddy but others might hear as full and rich. So I’m not into saying what is better or worse but I am saying they were very different. Depending on your musical needs the brand of steel can make a significant impact on your ability to express yourself.

Again, that is a great video that is a big help to someone comparing steels.

Honestly, with my eyes closed, I could not even say when there was a switch between the guitars being played.

I can imagine that the differences could be more pronounced in a live situation.

Very nice playing with a balanced dose of feeling... beautiful music!

Don't they all sound the same?

I suspect the answer would be "yes" to the majority of people in the audience who are sitting, dancing, drinking, eating, visiting, etc.

I do love that video, though. I ran across it several weeks go.

Listening to it with my tablet (no headphones) the differences were extremely subtle.

~Lee

Yes, they sound the same to me.

I confess that I did not watch the video until I had listened twice. It is a great video, but I was shocked at how often instruments were changed. I guess I just don’t have an ear for the differences some of you are talking about. I do know I was hearing some very fine playing.

If you can try listening through good speakers or headphones. Computer speakers or earbuds don’t reveal much.

In a band context, they sound very similar. There are some differences, as different guitars emphasize different frequencies due to the construction. But overall, it just goes to show that any one would do the job. Chalker loved the MSA because it had that thick and solid, organ-like bass. Charleton and Green seemed to love the "sweet and round" tones of the old Sho~Buds. And guys like Sonny and Weldon liked the snappy brightness and midrange clarity of the Emmons guitars. (Big "E", being a one of a kind master, played just about anything, and enjoyed it. He knew and appreciated the differences.)

How you play is a lot more important than what you play. No brand will make you a star, just like no brand will keep you from being a star. And when it comes to what to learn on, the most important thing is not to get bogged down by the players that say "there's nothing like the ________ guitar". Pick one and start playing.

Jerry Byrd wrote: If you can play, it doesn't matter which brand you use. And if you can't play, it doesn't matter which brand you use.

Sorry, but NONE of these are "the best". When I started out on PSG, I learned on this very Forum that the best PSG absolutely is the black one...

Steve Lipsey wrote:Sorry, but NONE of these are "the best". When I started out on PSG, I learned on this very Forum that the best PSG absolutely is the black one...

Ronnie Milsap would likely agree.

I have watched this several times and agree the differences are subtle. But my own experiments with the several steels I own leads me to one over the other. Maybe it's more of a personal taste thing. Of course they all are not equipped with the same pickup and that can make a difference too. Mickey Adams did a video with the MSA swapping pickups and it was really hard to hear much difference. So it leads to personal preference.

Subtle enough that only steel geeks like us would notice or care......and even then, only because we're REALLY trying to!

No they don't all sound the same. Subtle differences in the Emmons. Not a fair comparison using recording software. Live playing would reveal more differences.

Kevin Hatton wrote:No they don't all sound the same. Subtle differences in the Emmons. Not a fair comparison using recording software. Live playing would reveal more differences.

I agree with this somewhat. I’m sure I would notice differences playing them myself.

As someone said, "It's all in the hands".

Interesting that those who first listened with their eyes closed heard less difference than those watching the video - perhaps what Reese Anderson called "listening with your eyes"? I hear subtle differences. I can not tell you which sounded "best" as it kept changing! I suspect pickups account for a good bit of the differences I heard, but others will argue that point.

I suspect pickups account for a good bit of the differences I heard, but others will argue that point.

This is from Brian Henry’s post:

Same hands, same feet, same knees, same pickups different cabinets!

I assume you affirm this information, Brian?

They all sounded good, but if I made that vid, I would have leaned a little harder on the treble knob, or hit the bright switch.. i would have liked a bit more high end all around.. That being said, the guy is a wonderful player, and sounded great on each guitar.. Any of those guitars would sound good in the right hands.

Very little difference. They all sound good and with eyes closed even LESS DIFFERENCE..... With eyes open prejudice steps in.

The four Emmons and the Annapeg appear to have true tone pickups and the MSA a supersustain , which accounts for its slightly darker sound.