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Author
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Topic: Make steel guitar sound like organ ?
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Richard Nelson
Member From: Drogheda, Louth, Ireland
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posted 04 January 2006 12:24 PM
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How do you do that ? |
Dave Grafe
Member From: Portland, Oregon, USA
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posted 04 January 2006 10:20 PM
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Most folks use some sort of chorus (12 - 18ms delay with some feedback and subtle sine-wave modulation) plus reverb to get the classic "organ " sound. Using the VP to fade up after the (silenced) initial attack is important to maintaining the illusion, as is playing the sorts of parts that one would expect to hear from an organ. |
Dave White
Member From: Fullerton, California USA
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posted 04 January 2006 10:37 PM
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If you want that "Hammond" organ sound, buy a Leslie (rotating speaker system). I've heard pedal steels and regular guitars played through those things and it sounds awesome, especially switching back and forth from fast and slow rotor. |
Michael Miller
Member From: Keswick, Virginia, USA
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posted 05 January 2006 05:14 AM
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I believe Rusty Young (poco)used a Leslie. |
John Daugherty
Member From: Rolla, Missouri, USA
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posted 05 January 2006 06:19 AM
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Many effects units have a "rotary" program that simulates a leslie system. ------------------
www.phelpscountychoppers.com/steelguitar
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Charlie McDonald
Member From: Lubbock, Texas, USA
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posted 05 January 2006 06:43 AM
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No replacement for a Leslie.
Fender used to make a rotating speaker in a small cab; always wanted one of those. |
Erv Niehaus
Member From: Litchfield, MN, USA
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posted 05 January 2006 07:07 AM
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An H & K Rotosphere does the job for me. I really like it on the old gospel songs.
Erv |
JW Day
Member From: Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA
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posted 05 January 2006 07:24 AM
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Erv, What is a H & K rotspher? I use to use a Leslie, but it just got to much to carry. I am now using A stero chorus, But it just don't have that good sound that I want. I to enjoy the old gospel songs. J W Day |
Jerry Hayes
Member From: Virginia Beach, Va.
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posted 05 January 2006 08:21 AM
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Almost any good Flanger (Boss, DOD, etc) will give you a very good organ sound. I've had great luck with the Boss unit personally. A flanger will do a much better job than any chorus unit....JH in Va.------------------
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!
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Keith Cordell
Member From: Atlanta
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posted 05 January 2006 05:35 PM
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Leilani makes a small version of the Leslie, with a real rotating speaker in it; very good for miking but a little thin since it is so small. |
Scott Appleton
Member From: Half Moon Bay, California, USA
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posted 05 January 2006 07:36 PM
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DLS Rotosim |
Bob Knight
Member From: Bowling Green KY
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posted 05 January 2006 08:05 PM
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http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum17/HTML/003759.html |
Kevin Mincke
Member From: Farmington, MN (Twin Cities-South Metro) USA
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posted 05 January 2006 09:20 PM
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I've got a BOSS SE-50 setting that I've tweeked for a good organ sound using the pitch shifter mode and delay/pan left & right settings. |
Jim Sliff
Member From: Hermosa Beach California, USA
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posted 05 January 2006 09:36 PM
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I have one of the Leslie 16's, which is identical to the Fender Vibratone Charlie was talking about. It's amazing sounding with steel - the mids go to the Leslie, and the extreme highs/lows go to the amp speakers. It gives you a huge wall or rotating sound. Many Vibratones (and Leslie 16's and 18's) have been modiefied to be used as extension cabinets without the (usually lost) crossover and switch that uses the amp speakers. They sound nowhere near as good. Do NOT buy one without the crossover!They can usually be found for $5-600 in decent shape. The stock speaker is horrible, and a Weber California 10 will double the volume and improve the tone immensely. The big wooden organ Leslies usually sound pretty harsh - the rotor portion tosses out way too many nasty-sounding highs. All that being said, I normally use a discontinued Korg G4 Leslie emulator - it's flat-out the best and mst realistic sounding off the floor units, and I've tried dozens. If you just want the slow speed, the old Arion SCH-1 (not the SCZ-1) chorus does a great job. But half the fun of a Leslie is the "ramping" function, where you play with the speed switch and kick it up and down in speed - it's almost like another instrument. Hope that helps. |
Eddie Thomas
Member From: Macon,Ga.,USA
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posted 06 January 2006 10:21 AM
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Hughes and Kettner "Rotosphere" is the cat's meow. I've been using one for the past 2 years, and everyone that hears it, claims its the closest thing to a B3 Hammond, even the rockers think so. A little pricey, but well worth it. Hope this helps. |
Erv Niehaus
Member From: Litchfield, MN, USA
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posted 06 January 2006 01:56 PM
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J W Day,
The H & K Rotosphere is a quite large stomp box with a tube and a couple of different knobs to dial in the effect. I place my unit by the amp and run a cord with a remote two button foot swith close to my left foot. This allows me handy access to turn the unit on and off. One of the buttons even allows you to go from high to low speed like a Leslie. Great unit! 
Erv |
Ricky Littleton
Member From: Steely-Eyed Missile Man from Orlando, Florida USA
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posted 06 January 2006 05:17 PM
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I use my Korg PX4 Pandoras Box. It has an organ setting and works fantastic.Ricky... ------------------
Emmons LeGrande - 8x4
Session 400 Ltd, Nashville 112,Hilton Volume pedal, Peterson VS-II Tuner
Dan-Echo, E-Bow, Ibanez Distortion, Bo-Bro, Ibanez Auto-Wah, Regal Dobro |
Rick Jolley
Member From: Heartland, USA
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posted 07 January 2006 05:00 AM
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CBS owned Leslie for a while and the Fender Unit is actually a little Leslie with a 10" Spkr, black tolex & silver grill cloth. It sounds wonderful, but isn't very loud. (Of course you can mike it.) You might be able to find one on ebay. (I might sell mine!) ------------------
Rick Jolley (Rick Zahniser)
Dekley S10 3/3, Session400
http://belizenorth.com |
Richard Nelson
Member From: Drogheda, Louth, Ireland
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posted 07 January 2006 06:37 AM
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I tried the rorary effect 38 on the Boss GX 700 and it sounds awful . What effect on the chain should I adjust ? There seems to be every thing on it . |
Jim Sliff
Member From: Hermosa Beach California, USA
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posted 07 January 2006 08:16 AM
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Two additional notes:I've compared the G4 with the Rotosphere and Leslie 16, all in the same rroom. IMO The G4 is a much more realistic sounding "Leslie" than the Rotosphere. And I do want to mention one to avoid like the black plague - the Danelectro Rocky Road. I had one for a while, and iit is possibly the worst sounding pedal of ANY kind I've ever owned (and I'm a pedal junkie...). The ramping function is the only thing that works - the tone is horrible, and it adds nasty distortion and a volume boost. There are modifications to eliminate the boost, but they don't change the horrific tone of the thing. Do NOT waste your money. |
c c johnson
Member From: killeen,tx usa
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posted 07 January 2006 10:43 AM
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In the 50s Shot sold me a Chordavox that was the greatest ever. I don't know who made it as it had no other markings on it. I was going through an Echoplex at the time which really enhanced the sound. I used it until the late 70s and that is when my youngest son joined a rock band and used the Chordavox instead of hiring a keyboard man. Of course it was stolen so no more good organ for me. CC |
JW Day
Member From: Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA
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posted 07 January 2006 12:14 PM
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Thanks Erv, I'll give one a trail run |
Gene Jones
Member From: Oklahoma City, OK USA
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posted 07 January 2006 12:37 PM
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The Cord-O-Vox was one of the most authentic organ sounds as it had a box with a wheel like a Leslie (maybe it was a Leslie, I don't remember). It's weak point was it's speaker, but it was replaceable with a better one. I played a Fender 1000 through a Cord-O-Vox with an Echo-Plex and a Standel amplifier during the 1960's.I once owned a Roto-Sphere and it sounded pretty good, but it did not have a by-pass switch and it negatively affected the tone of my amp when I wasn't using the organ sound. ------------------
www.genejones.com [This message was edited by Gene Jones on 07 January 2006 at 01:19 PM.]
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c c johnson
Member From: killeen,tx usa
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posted 07 January 2006 04:54 PM
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Gene, glad to hear another admit he used an echoplex.Most guys for some reason put them down.I still use mine on occasion when other effects won't compensate for the acoustics. I would use it all the time if I could find some good tapes. I have been on my last one for two yrs now just using it spatingly. CC |
Richard Nelson
Member From: Drogheda, Louth, Ireland
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posted 08 January 2006 03:17 AM
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I tried that Korg G4 and it is great for the Leslie sound but how do I make the steel sound like an organ now ? Chorus ? |
Micky Byrne
Member From: Essex and Gloucestershire England
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posted 08 January 2006 06:24 AM
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Hi Richard, I too use "sparingly" on stage a Korg tone works G4. I tweek the controls towards "horn" and use a little "gain" for the slight distortion, and just play block chords, no steel guitar licks, for the Organ "effect" I do this on the lower registers of my Universal steels.I guess that is as near to getting an Organ sound on a pedal steel, same as an Organ isn't going to be able to sound like a pedal steel. It's just a simulation of a Leslie for us steelers. :-)Micky Byrne, England |
Tommy Roten
Member From: Vanvikan, Norway
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posted 08 January 2006 08:12 AM
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Can we make a Organ sound like a steel??  ------------------
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Chris Bauer
Member From: Nashville, TN USA
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posted 08 January 2006 05:13 PM
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Anyone try the Boss RT20 yet? It sure looks interesting! |
Richard Nelson
Member From: Drogheda, Louth, Ireland
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posted 09 January 2006 05:43 AM
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Yeah Mickey I have tried what I have .....G4 and Roland GX700 . Not convinced . I think it just sounds like a steel with an effect on it .I recorded these things with a backing track and the steel on its own actually sounds better Full circle > I have one more unit . No two . A TC electronics Wizard and YamahaFX550 But I have a feeling organ players are in the clear ,and can breathe a sigh of relief. www.ricknelson.workzsites.com |
Gordon Borland
Member From: San Antonio, Texas, USA
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posted 09 January 2006 06:37 PM
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Play directly under a celling fan on high with a low celling. I know this works because it happend on a gig. The guitar player did not snap right away and could not figure out where my effects box was. I dont use one. That was really funny.
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Gordon Borland
MSA D10,FENDER STEEL KING, NASHVILLE 400,PEAVEY SESSIONS 2000, 1963 BROWN FENDER DELUXE NO REVERB. 1973 FENDER JAGUAR SUNBURST SIX STRING GUITAR, PEAVEY T60 SIX STRING GUITAR.
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Paul Norris
Member From: Andalusia,Ala. U.S.A.36420
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posted 09 January 2006 07:43 PM
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Alesis nanoverb. Set select knob to rotary ,turn mix all the way to the right,turn adjust knob all the way to the right and you have your organ sound. Good on lots of songs as back ground and very good on gospel.Has very good delay also. MSA-D10, Nashville 400 ,Alesis nanoverb. |
Russ Wever
Member From: San Diego, California
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posted 10 January 2006 01:54 AM
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quote:
Can we make a Organ sound like a steel??
A number of organ makers used to include a "Hawaiian Guitar" ( read" Steel Guitar" )
tab on their instruments soundbank.It didn't sound any more convincing than when steelplayers add animation (Leslie or electronic chorusing) to the sound of their steelguitar to imitate an organ. Most of the success of either disguise lies within the abilities and articulation of the player. ~Russ [This message was edited by Russ Wever on 10 January 2006 at 06:50 AM.]
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Micky Byrne
Member From: Essex and Gloucestershire England
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posted 10 January 2006 02:52 AM
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Hi Richard, read your homepage. Seems we have something in common. I was born in Singapore too, and my dad was a Doctor also.I came to England in 1958 though. We both play steel  Micky Byrne http://mickybyrne.50webs.com/index.html |
Richard Nelson
Member From: Drogheda, Louth, Ireland
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posted 12 January 2006 05:40 AM
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What !!!!!!A transplant ? Micky you definitly have something important to do on this earth soon |
Dave Boothroyd
Member From: The Malvern Hills
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posted 12 January 2006 10:09 AM
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The Hammond organ in one of our studios attempted to catch fire last week- the big smoothing capacitor on the drive motor exploded in a cloud of smoke.
There is no way our Health and Safety people would ever allow us to ever connect it to the mains electricity again, so I have the chance to do a bit of salvage work.
There is a nice valve amp in there- very similar to an AC30, two of the most lightweight 10inch speakers you ever saw, (!)and a very good spring reverb unit.
So I think I might build myself a valve combo.
It will need a pre amp- maybe a Line 6 XT?
So I will definitely have a steel that sounds like an organ.
I rescued the baffle board and speaker cloth, along with the Hammond badge, so it will look the part too!------------------
Cheers!
Dave PS We do have two more Hammonds- so it's not a disaster![This message was edited by Dave Boothroyd on 12 January 2006 at 10:10 AM.] [This message was edited by Dave Boothroyd on 12 January 2006 at 10:11 AM.] |
Russ Wever
Member From: San Diego, California
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posted 12 January 2006 11:03 AM
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quote:
We do have two more Hammonds- so it's not a disaster!
. . . not until one of your remaining Hammonds decides to catch fire - many tonewheel Hammonds were not fused - it's good to put fuses in them - click
~Russ |
Dave Boothroyd
Member From: The Malvern Hills
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posted 13 January 2006 08:27 AM
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Thanks for the caution Russ, but all UK electricals have fuses in the plug, and the studios have RCDs too.
That's why I used the phrase "attempted to catch fire"
I'ts amazing how much smoke it could create in the few milliseconds before the safeties cut it off!------------------
Cheers!
Dave |
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