Steelmaster and the Quest for TONE

Jim VanBuskirk · From: Nevada, USA

just got a Fender D2 Steelmaster. (C6 and E13)
im trying to get a good tone from my Peavey N1000.
ideally with full FAT mid harmonics without the horrible treble bite on top and without bloated lows.
any suggestions on amp settings ????
thanks in advance.

Jim VanBuskirk · From: Nevada, USA

of course i meant "stringmaster" !!!

Cartwright Thompson · Posted 21 Jan 2018 6:24 am

Iâ€™m not familiar with that amp but I know that a big part of the Stringmasterâ€™s tone is dialing in the pickup blend knob.

Jim VanBuskirk · From: Nevada, USA

yep - the pickup blend knob is part of the tone chain.
it can go from VERY thin to rather thick.
my dilemma is that, with all that said i cant seem to fatten up the mids without adversely creating too much treble or tubby bass - regardless of the setting on my blend knob.
im trying to find the fat, thick beautiful harmonics present on the best of the pedal steel sounds. they can play the high notes without sacrificing fullness and the fuller voiced chords are dense.
ive got Cindy Cashdollars video on C6 8 string steel and her tone on the high end is beautiful. ive got the same guitar so im hoping its possible.
maybe i should call her !!!!

Cartwright Thompson · Posted 21 Jan 2018 11:55 am

At the risk of getting run out of town on a rail, the only Peavey amp that ever sounded half decent to me was an early Session 400 with a JBL.
A large part of the equation is the amp.

James Kerr · From: Scotland, UK

James Kerr · From: Scotland, UK

Jim,
Instead of talking about things in an abstract way that can mean different things to different people, why don't I put up a piece of music on my twin neck that you can hear and tell us if this sound is in the ballpark or are you looking for something completely different. The Guitar and Amp models are noted on-screen in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWVll5SxZ7M

James.

Jim VanBuskirk · From: Nevada, USA

beautiful tone on your guitar - thanks for the reply.

heres the Cindy Cashdollar clip that illustrates the tone im looking for. highs are still fat even on the top string (G) with the low end still tight. its the mids that i like most and what i cant seem to capture.

maybe somebody with a Nashville 1000 can post their settings as a starting point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkCNiVR-xT0[url][/url]

James Kerr · From: Scotland, UK

Jim,
Cindy is playing in C6th which makes a whole lot of difference with heavier strings. Here is another of my Guitars tuned to C6th. Not your choice of music but we are just talking about Tone, same 30 Watt Amp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAE76yLxEA4

Your search for "That Sound" with the Nashville 1000 is nothing new, here is a Forum post from 2002 from people asking the very same questions.

https://steelguitarforum.com/Forum11/HTML/002311.html

James.

Jim VanBuskirk · From: Nevada, USA

i do like that tone - a little more mid and its what im looking for. i really like the harmonics of your guitar and the nice high end that stays clear but not brittle.
ok ok whats the amp and setup you are using ???

James Kerr · From: Scotland, UK

Well I'm glad we have reached a starting point that others can relate to and give their opinion. That Red Guitar was made by me, as are most Instruments I play I only have 2 store bought Guitars, a 1960s Guyatone D-8 and a 1964 Tiesco 6 string single.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C887hDEukm4

This video shows my complete output chain, the Amp is a Vox Valvetronix 30 Watt, the pre-amp stage is Tube and the output stage is Transistor, it is called a Boutique Amp because, over and above its native sound, it can emulate many other well known Amps and as you can see has a lot of inbuilt effects and modes. I bought it second hand on fleabay for $50. This size of Amp will fill your Church or mid size Hall, for bigger venues just plug into their PA. As you can see from the dashboard settings, the knobs are all more or less at centre position, I rarely stray from that. The mid range tones you seek need some care, pushing that too far can give you the dreaded "honk" in a Steel Guitar which makes many players unhappy with their Instrument. This Amp has all the effects you will need so you don't need the floor covered in effects pedals.

The output from the Amp is recorded on the Zoom Digital Stereo Recorder, no $1,000 Microphones here. From there it is copied to my Computer DAW, which in my case is Adobe Audition 3, there are many others available and if you run a Mac, they have their own recording software. I record one track at a time (since I only have one pair of hands) and as far as content goes, I try to keep it simple and not a lot of confusing sounds, its easy to go overboard here with all the toys.

I'm not a salesman and don't promote anything, all the things I have spoken about are made by many companies and are all very good at what they do, many members here have such stuff and hopefully will tell you what they think.

Keep asking.
James.

Jim VanBuskirk · From: Nevada, USA

very nice video - thanks again for responding. i took some notes on the audio train and ill get going on some more research. looks like youve been a busy camper with that homemade beauty......
youve certainly developed a unique style - keep "em coming.

James Kerr · From: Scotland, UK

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I think you maybe need to run that Stringmaster through a tube amp, possibly a Fender Twin Reverb.

That's what I do. Very Happy

Erv

Jim VanBuskirk · From: Nevada, USA

you NEED the tubes to stay warm .......

i used to live in Mpls !!!

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Yes, I never use a steel seat in the Winter time, I just sit on my Fender amp! Very Happy

Erv

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