The Steel Guitar Forum

Looking for something electronic that
I can plug my PSG into that makes the
guitar sound like an organ. Have
tried a few that came close, but fell
short. Must be light and easy to carry.
HELP

I've heard some pretty good organ sounds from simple chorus effects. Adjust the pitch shift and the speed. Sounds like your at the roller rink! At least the ones in Chicago in the 60s and 70's. They also make a leslie simulater pedal. Gives the effect of a spining speaker.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Joe E on 11 March 2000 at 08:57 PM.]</p></FONT>

As I've mentioned in other posts, go with
a Pro-3T by Motion Sound. It really revolves! Not just a <font color=red>simulator</font>. They're lightweight & portable as well!
You have to figure about $500+ bucks though.

The best I've found so far is the Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere. Check it out here: http://www.hughes-and-kettner.com/accessories/rotosphere.htm

I worked with a band once that wanted to do stuff other then country and at that time they had a thing out called a leslie spinning speaker to give an organ so the singer thought I should get one to sound like an organ. and my answer then is the same as it is and owuld be now.. I f you want an organ get some one with a B3 then you will have the organ sound the thing I play is called a steel guitar and thats exactly what it doe's and will sound like no delay no distortion just straight up steel or pure sound which ever you choose

I have used an MXR Phase 100 stomp box with some success. It gives some good effects, won't break your wallet, and gets decent battery life. The Phase 90 won't cut it, though...forget that one!

I used a DOD 565 stereo Chorus for the Leslie effect, before I got the Transtube Fex. I'd get comments it sounded like a "B2". If you're looking for something relatively inexpensive check it out.

Check out a Fender SFX Satellite in its Vibro-tone settings.

Sam

I also used to use the DOD 565 and was able to get the rotating sound of a Leslie that Rusty Young got with POCO.
Don<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Don Sulesky on 14 March 2000 at 05:34 AM.]</p></FONT>

If money is no object.....
I heard Mike Johnstone one night in LA, and thought that he got some excellent sounds.
I believe he "sensed" the strings with a separate pickup and fed them to a Roland synthesizer module in his small rack. He got some very believable organ and piano sounds as well.

AJM-
Thanx for the kind words.Do I know you? Depending on when you heard me,I may have been playing a Sierra 12 string and using an IVL steelrider midi pickup/converter driving a Roland JV-880 synth module.If that was the rig you saw me play,then I was also using a Boss SE-70 multi effects box which,among other things has a pretty fine Leslie simulation.Still,I was driving a synth WITH a steel,NOT making my steel SOUND like an organ.Now prior to 1994,I used to play steel thru a real Leslie like Rusty Young did in Poco-with no midi/synth stuff-just steel thru a Leslie 147.After 12 years of that,I got tired of schlepping the Leslie,however and started trying alternative ways to get that sound.Like Jim said,the best thing I've come across and what I NOW use,is the Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere.It's about the size of a Leslie combo preamp pedal-very stout in design,has stereo in & out and it REALLY sounds like a Leslie.BTW,Where did you hear me play? -MJ-

Has anyone tried the DOD Vibro-Thang pedal?

Mike Johnstone;

I saw you at the Culver Cowboy/Saloon in Culver City a few years back (at least 2 or 3). You had the JV-880, etc. set up at the time, and I talked to you on one of the breaks about how you got the sounds. You also had a switch on the side to slow down/speed up the Leslie effect, as well as some way to cut the steel out when doing the synth thing.

After that night I came away thinking that a good player could add a lot to a band by doing the organ/piano "simulation" thing. At this point I'm just trying to achieve some semblance of competence with the E9, but if I ever do get good enough with that I may look into the piano/organ sounds.

AJM, you got the right idea. If we want more steel work and promote more, getting it to sound like a Organ or Piano is one way to kick the keyboard guy out of a job. Who is the first player let go in a band? Probably Steel player. But they have a KeyBoard, don"t they? Why not have the steel player get a keyboard sound? Why not. I have a leslie simulator and works real good, just a small little box 2X5X6 called PE Lil Jr. They don't make them anymore, but someone should as they would be fairly inexpensive..al

I just recorded a tune where the steel sounds just like old Pink Floyd.... I played while my friend ran the signal through a "Wedge" reverb unit...he used the Leslie simulator.... sound WILD.... I will burn the song... and upload an MP3 to the web for you to download...... stay tuned...

mark


------------------
Mark M. Machak
'94 Mullen D-10 8x5,
'99 Mullen Royal Precision D-10, 8x5
psgplyr@mc.net

Of course, you could always get a Leslie speaker. That's what Rusty Young used. I have played through one before. They work great.

The trick goes beyond just a Leslie effect. To simulate the Hammond drawbars, you want to mix in a little bit of your sound pitch-shifted up a fifth. I'm trying to figure out how to do that on my TubeFex.

(Beware the reptillian shape-shifters! )

Oooh! that's a neat idea b0b. Let me know how that works and I'll try it on my GX-700.

The transtube/tube fex have a rotary simulator effect built in. The effect is "RS".

When I was doing the Richie Furay gig, I had to cop some of Rusty Young's parts for the Poco stuff. I used the Digitech RPM1, and it worked really well. I installed a small switch with velcro between the necks that I could hit with the palm of my picking hand for the speed changes.

I have since sold the unit, and have ordered a Hughes and Kettner for that effect--seems even better, though I wish it was a rack mount instead of a stomp box. I also would like to see what the new Line 6 Modeler does in the leslie department.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by John Macy on 29 March 2000 at 10:25 AM.]</p></FONT>

I have the Digitech RPM1 as well and am very happy with it. I have used it for guitar, pedal steel, and synthesized organ and it has sounded great. The thing to remember about the RPM1 is that it is designed strictly for use after the preamp/tone controls. If it's plugged into the preamp input it will sound awful! The Leslie simulator in the Line 6 Pod leaves much to be desired. My brother has the Line 6 Modulation Modeler pedal and he says that the Fender Vibratone (rotating speaker instead of horn assy or rotor) sounded the best and the Leslie simulator was okay, probably very similar to the one in the Pod.