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Topic: Introducing : The Steel Tuned Overdrive Pedal |
Scott Swartz
From:
St. Louis, MO
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Posted 22 Feb 2024 8:43 pm |
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The STO Steel Tuned Overdrive is designed and voiced specifically for the steel guitar’s bright acoustic tone, and the clean amplifiers and the low distortion/wide bandwidth speakers used by steel players.
https://www.steeltronics.com/product/sto-steel-tuned-overdrive
I have a demo video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in2Cx9K5xoA
Also, I plan to have a few of these at my TSGA Jamboree booth in Dallas in early March if you want to check it out in person.
It is NOT a re-labeled guitar overdrive. Guitar overdrives are voiced for lower wind pickups and the different acoustic tone of fretted electric guitar, and then typically used with slightly to heavily overdriven amps and low wattage speakers that distort relatively easily.
The unique circuit of the STO has 3 basic stages:
Overdrive Module
The overdrive module is optimized for the input impedance and the gain range needed for the heavier wound pickups of steel guitars. This stage gives a smooth overdrive signal that is very responsive to the volume pedal.
Tone Shaping Module
This module shapes the post overdrive highs to the same steep high frequency rolloff at around 3 kHz as that of a typical steel pickup. A two position switch is provided to give two different shapes, one similar to a lower wind Lap Steel pickup and the other similar to a higher wind Pedal Steel pickup. This tone shaping keeps the overall frequency range leaving the STO similar to the bypass tone, but with sustain and harmonics added to the signal in the frequency range that works well for steel amps and speakers, or even if you are going direct.
By contrast the tone shaping of most guitar overdrive pedals starts rolling off at too low of a frequency and has a flatter slope than is optimal use with steel, so it can be difficult to find a tone setting that preserves the 2 kHz range important for steel tone without also passing higher frequency content that sounds harsh and fizzy when reproduced by a steel amp / speaker.
Shelving Tone Control Module
For additional fine tuning, the STO also includes a Baxandall type active shelving bass and treble control. This tone control section is flexible enough to provide slight treble or bass boosts or cuts, or at more extreme settings of both knobs can provide a mid boost or cut.
The STO Steel Tuned Overdrive is built to last with premium through hole components, no electrolytic capacitors in the signal path, socketed opamps, and premium footswitch and jacks that are enclosure (not PCB) mounted. The pedal is true bypass via the quality 3PDT switch.
The pedal can be powered by any industry standard center negative pedal power supply from 9 volts to 18 volts. As with other overdrives that can be powered from 9 or 18 volt, the tone and response is slightly different at 9 versus 18 volts, so this can be experimented with.
The standard configuration is designed for pedal board mounting, however for an additional charge the STO can be ordered with a steel guitar leg mount.
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Scott Swartz
Steeltronics - Steel Guitar Pickups
www.steeltronics.com |
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Dan Kelly
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 23 Feb 2024 3:29 am
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Hi Scott
It looks and sounds like your new pedal is a winner. I really like the character of the lower drive setting you demonstrated. It adds a charming harmonic character that could work nicely to fatten things up in an otherwise clean sound.
Good videos!
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Hey You Kids! Get Off My Lawn!
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Bo Borland
From:
South Jersey -
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Posted 23 Feb 2024 1:02 pm
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| I find that every OD I have tried produces a low overtone when hitting more than one note...will this tune that out? |
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Scott Swartz
From:
St. Louis, MO
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Posted 23 Feb 2024 7:07 pm
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The STO with the tone controls at noon is pretty neutral on the amount of bass to my ears. The tone controls have a lot range beyond this and you can get a mid hump sound if desired.
The STO distorts the bass mids and highs equally, unlike something like the Ibanez Tube Screamer where the bass is cleaner, mids are distorted, and the highs rolled off. This works well with a guitar and guitar amp, but so not much with a steel rig at least to me.
The opening part of the demo video is a typical string 8 and 5 thing, and accurately demonstrates the multiple string behavior I would say, so i would suggest listening to that on good speakers or headphones and see if you are hearing a low overtone in the STO tone.
I have a Big Muff style pedal on my steel pedalboard also that I use for certain things, and that pedal does have low overtones for sure since its more of a fuzz type sound.
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Scott Swartz
Steeltronics - Steel Guitar Pickups
www.steeltronics.com |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 21 Mar 2024 4:32 am
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| Bo Borland wrote: |
| I find that every OD I have tried produces a low overtone when hitting more than one note...will this tune that out? |
It’s not the bass tone that creates that sound. It’s the nature of the overtones that a distorted sound has. It’s a result of the uneven overtone partials called a “difference tone”.
I think you are talking about that low ghost tone note that moves down as you squeeze in your a pedal? There is no way to dial that out of an overdriven sound. You don’t notice it on regular guitars because they don’t change tight intervals the same as pedalsteels.
Get in touch if you want and I’ll show you what I mean. Also look up difference tones so you understand the physics behind this stuff a bit. How sound works is pretty cool. It’s a fun rabbit hole to get into.
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Bob |
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Dan Kelly
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 21 Mar 2024 10:45 am
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Here is a good demonstration of "Combination Tones." There are two types of "Combination Tones:" "Sum Tones" and "Difference Tones." This demonstration gets the idea across, though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMXp_mmcH9o&ab_channel=PhysicsThisWeek
BTW, YouTube let me slow the playback speed in "settings" to 1/2 speed. That helped a lot in picking up the additional tones.
It is interesting to note that the additional tones you hear "are all in your head" so to speak. When two tones are perceived simultaneously, other tones often appear, because of DISTORTION effects in the human ear. That is why the perception varies from individual to individual.
Bob, I can see why you say there is no way to dial that "ghost note" out. Ear plugs or over the ear hearing protection? Well, maybe! 
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Hey You Kids! Get Off My Lawn!
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Dan Kelly
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 21 Mar 2024 1:04 pm STO Review
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I bought Scott's STO about three weeks ago and have had a chance to live with the pedal for a while.
I am impressed with the build quality. External connections are mounted to the case... not just a PCB. The pots, switch and stomp are all high quality and assembled very well. Even the power plug was up off the floor for clearance.
I normally use Overdrive sparingly with the aim of adding harmonic content, warmth and just a little "hair." This pedal did that with a good amount of variety.
Using the "LAP / PEDAL" switch set to PEDAL;
Playing the "DRIVE" and "VOLUME" adjustments off each other demonstrated a wide offering of usable Overdrive sounds. What impressed me most was that the clarity of the tone was not sacrificed at either extreme or in-between. The string separation was maintained through most of the ranges and I found the Overdrive tones very usable.
The "TREBLE" and "BASS" adjustments added character to what I was trying to accomplish and added more usable tonal options. These adjustments also contributed to the level of intensity of the distortion. I liked the depth and the clean Bass tone the "BASS" Adjustment added a lot; very nice
Using the "Lap / Pedal" switch set to LAP;
To my ears, the depth of the harmonic distortion and the general level of hair increased when the LAP switch was flipped. IMHO, the feeling was more of a edgier distortion with more drive and volume. Still, the clarity and string separation was good at the more moderate settings. I really did not spend much time with this setting so a review by a lap overdrive aficionado would be more meaningful.
My chain starts with a New Era Sierra S-10, Telonics X-10, Sarno Revelation Preamp (with everything set flat for this review), MosValve 962 Amp with a PF400 on one channel and a BW 1508 on the other.
If I had one complaint, the lettering under each knob is small and easily blocked from sight by the knob below it. But SHEESH DAN! There are only four knobs anyway; what? are you some kind of idiot or what????
For me, at least, the usability of the sounds and the clarity of the tone makes this pedal a keeper. As always, YMMV.
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Hey You Kids! Get Off My Lawn!
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