Effects for pedal steel?

[Elton Smith]

A guy came up to stage that played steel guitar and said,You don't use effect pedals.I do with a six string.So what type of effects are good for steel.I've played clean most of the time even with six string.I played with a steel player once that could make his steel sound like a dobro.but don't know what it was.What do you use and what does it do? Thanks Elbo

[Ray Minich]

I'm having a ball with the Line6 PodXT I got from Tommy Dodd.

[Andy Sandoval]

I like my Boss RV-3. It gives me some reverb with a touch of delay. Sounds mighty sweet and has some level of adjustment to tweak the sound.

[Ray Montee (RIP)]

I originally used an Echolette, tape.......

but currently use a ProFexII. It gives me the room sound I prefer. Just enough reverb to give it some depth since my older amps lack that feature. It also allows me to select any Lloyd Green or Emmons sounds that I might choose at the time.

[Allan Jirik]

I use a Visual Sound H20 Chorus/Echo which I like a lot, plus an MXR Carbon Copy analog delay unit. I had a Guitar Center e-coupon that was nearing expiration and after reading Clete Ritta's experience with the MXR I decided to try it. It's been a lot of fun.

[Dave LaSalle]

Fingers have had the most effect on my playing

[Curtis G. Greene]

I like my BOSS RV5 Reverb and Boss Delay 3.

[Kevin Hatton]

[Elton Smith]

Has anyone tried a Lexicon reverb.I have used it on 6 string with much head room.It seems reverb is the effect to use.But I just use the reverb on that old peavey which sounds fine to me.Anyone know what the dobro effect is?

[Jerry Hayes R.I.P.]

I use a Boss ME-50 Multi effects unit which I just sit on the fold out lid of the side compartment of my (Walker) pack seat. It has all the effects you'd ever need.......JH in Va.

[chas smith R.I.P.]

For the metal stuff, I used to use

Now I use, and the rack has been upgraded since this photo was taken:

For studio stuff:

and on the rare to non-existent occasion that I get a "traditional" call, I play with a spring reverb only.

[Charles Davidson]

Ray,have'nt heard anyone mentioned the [Echolette] in years. I bought one around 59 or 60.Was so expensive had to have it financed at my bank,It was the greatest delay unit EVER made before then and since them PEROID ABSOLUTELY amazing.Only problem it was made in Germany[why it was so ahead of it's time] Mine lasted about three years [used almost dailey]It finnaly bit the dust,could'nt find anyone to repair it. Back to the question on this thread, I use delay and a Boss distortion,The distortion about 90 percent of the time. we play a lot of blues and rock,about 10 percent classic country, NO new whatever the hell it is they call country today YOU BETCHA,DYK?BC.

[Ray Montee (RIP)]

Yes Charles......... they were indeed from Germany and the instruction booklet was all in German. Had no idea what all of the musical possibilities might have been........

I used it for years. My television appearances that are now on You Tube, are with me using the unit.

I just sold it about a year ago to someone that was specifically looking for one.

It never broke! Never let me down!

[Alexa Gomez]

Hi Elton,

I like a tremolo on all the time as sort of a light wash across the amplified sound. Currently, I use a Carl Martin Surf Trem, which has a nice warble similar to tube tremolo.

Would love to find out more about that lap steel to dobro pedal.

Alexa

[Elton Smith]

Ray,If I am correct,what we used to use was called an echo-plex.That had an eight inch tape that ran in loop.It would record as many as it could hold on that 8" tape then erase it at the beginning.In other words the first delay.

[Charles Davidson]

Elton.The Echo-plex was indeed a great unit,I used those a long time after my echolett died. BUT NOTHING before or after till this day could top the Echolette. YOU BETCHA,DYK?BC.

[Elton Smith]

What's the Black Box steelers talk about?

[Ray McCarthy]

Elton, I have one of Bobbie Seymore's (steelguitar.net)"BoBro" pedals and it does a good dobro simulation. It's been used by pros on commercial recordings. I've been experimenting with a small metal can (auto air freshener) that's about the same diameter as the steel bar--it reduces the sustain and adds a little more of the resonator zing to the sound.

[Mike Perlowin RIP]

For distortion, I use a Pro Co RAT.

[Brendan Mitchell]

Re Dobro sound
There are a few effects around that do this .The BoBro has been mentioned before that was the Goodrich MatchBro and I believe Zum had a dobro effect .A lot of people get the same effect using a graphic equalizer pedal .Thes can be used with or without a "softer" tone bar .
Hope this helps .

[Brendan Mitchell]

Re Dobro sound
There are a few effects around that do this .The BoBro has been mentioned before that was the Goodrich MatchBro and I believe Zum had a dobro effect .A lot of people get the same effect using a graphic equalizer pedal .These can be used with or without a "softer" tone bar .
Hope this helps .

[Willis Vanderberg]

Elton:
The EchoPlex was a different unit from the Echolette. Both did a good job. I bought an Echo Plex after hearing Ronnie Prophet use one down in the Bahama's. He did a great rendition of Ghost Riders in the sky.This was about 68 or 69.

[David Nugent]

"Fulltone" manufacturers a tape echo unit that has gotten excellent reviews. The general consensus seems to be that it replicates the tone of the vintage units but is far more reliable. Price: around $1200.00.

[Clete Ritta]

...make his steel sound like a dobro.but don't know what it was.What do you use and what does it do? Thanks Elbo

Re Dobro sound
There are a few effects around that do this .The BoBro has been mentioned before that was the Goodrich MatchBro and I believe Zum had a dobro effect .A lot of people get the same effect using a graphic equalizer pedal .These can be used with or without a "softer" tone bar .
Hope this helps .

I posted this in another thread recently:

...If you can't find a BoBro, you may look for a Boss GE-7

The settings shown here sound very similar to a Dobro.
An alternate setting is same as above but the low and high eq faders flat.
Another setting, and the one I usually use, is a more rounded "football" shape...

Clete

[Dave Grafe]

Hey Elton, don't feel bad, there's lots of us that still use the reverb in the amp and are happy about it. Our listeners seem happy too so don't go changin' just because some rock guitarist got yer goat.
That being said I have worked with lots of effects units so to answer a few of your questions:

The "Black Box" is a Brad Sarno product which contains a 12AX7 tube and an impedance matching pot and is connected directly between the pickup and the volume pedal, thuis connecting the pickup directly to the grid of the tube, warms up "sterile" sounding solid state amps, nothing more...

I have used Lexicon PCM60 and PCM 70 for steel, the 60 is reverb only and the 70 is much more versatile, both sound great but that's a lot of money to spend...

Other rack units that have worked well: The old Yamaha REV7 "Strings" patch with 100ms of pre-delay is just possibly my favorite digital steel reverb; TC Electronics M-One is a dual engine (two effects at one time) unit which adds to the possibilities and cost somewhat less than the PCM lexicons. The old Roland units are also fine, I saw one for sale here that came from the late Tom Brumley. I have heard a killer "B-3" patch from an old Alesis Quadraverb but can't speak to its other patches.

After years of rack systems I have reverted back to a good combo amp with a good internal spring reverb tank, but I also carry a Boss RV3 in the pack-a-seat for moments such as we had this weekend at an outdoor gig when an overly-exhuberant drummer's foot kept rattling the tank, I take a very quick break to hook up the Boss and keep on playing.

In the final analysis it's still the fingers that provide the best effects