Are today's players depending too much on effects?

Albert Svenddal · From: Minneapolis, MN

While listening to some steel players online today, it struck me that several of them were using a heavy delay effect. When I listen to the great players of the steel, such as Jimmy Day, Lloyd Green and others, they used very little, if any effects and they had some of the best tone I have ever heard.

I wonder if it's because that todays players have become dependent upon their effects to make them sound good and as a result do not perfect thier talent on the instrument itself. Kayton Roberts blows me away with his little non-pedal guitar and gets more out of that tiny instrument than some players with a double 12 string with 10 pedals and 10 knee levers and all the effects.

In my opinion, the player makes the instrument not the other way around. Ask a player today to play with no reverb or delay and see how good they sound then.
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George McLellan · From: Duluth, MN USA

Very true Albert. I think a little goes a long way. I've seen some racks that look like the cockpit of a 747. I use a DD-2 for small events and if I'm in a larger venue I'll skip the stomp box and use a little reverb. BTW, gonna miss ya at Wisconsin Rapids this coming weekend.

Geo

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

It depends a lot on what type of music you're playing and the mood of the song. One size definitely does not fit all.
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Theresa Galbraith · From: Goodlettsville,Tn. USA

Darvin,
Cool name by the way.
Right O! Smile

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

I use a single slap Delay , I picked that up from Buddy at a show in '77.

Effects, like anything else, over done are killers, used tastefully add, they don't make you play better or sound better but it may ADD to the Music or the phrasing.

Some folks like using them some folks don't. The good news is we can ALL turn them off !

Maybe I'm one that can be considered an abuser, but I haven't been told that by my band chumps yet Smile

, or anyone I suppose..

Mat Rhodes · From: Lexington, KY, USA

Yes, I depend on effects 100% of the time - otherwise, dry steel won't cut it for what I do. I simply can't get the fat tone and sustain that I need from my PSG without them. I'd rather be playing a Canopus NP steel for Hawaiian music, but then I'd have to buy one and reinvent the wheel by trying to learn it and tweak the amp to get the tone I want. And I already have too much crap to haul around for gigs.

When I do rock or pop tunes, there are times that simple steel just sounds ridiculous. Can you imagine playing "Welcome To The Jungle" with no distortion or reverb/delay?

Effect boxes have simplified my performance and the audience never complains about my tone.

Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

No. Effects are good, used sparingly, except for ballads where more is better. Many of the older recordings had heavy reverb. Live I use less. Dry steel sounds terrible.

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

It depends.

Roger Light · From: Sheldon, IL

I forgot my profex a few gigs back, and I struggled all night long for the sound I wanted. Just never got there. On the other side of the coin, it made me work harder to get a good sound from my hands and the reverb in the amp. And lets face it, unless there was a musician in the crowd, no one gives a *&^& about your tone anyway! Oh Well

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Mike Shefrin · Posted 4 Mar 2008 9:46 am

I agree with Dave M ...it depends. I have nothing against effects but personally I prefer not to use them. I mostly play straight ahead country western on the steel so I play my Sho-Bud through a volume pedal and straight into my Fender Steel King with some reverb, and it sounds fine for that style. If I added effects on top of that I would be gilding the lily as they say. Some players like a bit of delay(especially for slow tunes)and that's fine but I don't even use that. I love the sound that players like Jimmy Day and Buddy Charleton got with no effects other than reverb. I would say that some music calls for effects and some music doesn't. It all depends on what kind of a sound you want the steel to have integrated into the song that you play on. Sometimes effects sound great, and sometimes they don't. I guess my only objection is when effects are overused, and mask the lovely inherent pure tone of an instrument.

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I guess my post was a bit short, for me anyway.

The steel guitar is, to me, the most beautiful sounding instrument on the planet - with effects or not. If an effect makes it sound better to me in context, I use it. If it doesn't, I don't. Or sometimes I'm directed one way or another when I'm working on somebody else's project.

Whatever turns you on, man (spoken like a true philosophical relativist) Wink

Miguel e Smith · From: Phoenix, AZ

Albert, I think this is an interesting comment/question for many. From my perspective, the use of efx is a personal choice we each make whether we're experimenting or we simply like what we hear. I personally prefer to hear my choice of efx when playing whether it's a near dry verb or a combination of efx used very heavily. I very much consider my effect choices as an intregal part of my sound (with the exceptions of frequent experiments while looking for that "thing").

As far back as I can remember there have been conversations and even arguments relating to the correlation between the use of efx (even just simple verb) and the raw talent of the player. The argument that effects cover up a lack of talent is tricky at best when you consider the overdriven sound of someone like Stevie Ray or the vast amount of efx that E has used over the years (could E have played Witches Brew without an Echoplex?...sure but he wrote it with the delay in mind and his choice was to use it...it'd be weird without it having now heard it with it). The use of efx is an art within itself...not easily mastered. Taste is a personal issue and is more related to our individual interpretation and...choices.

I've listened to great players over the years that suggest that practicing completely dry can be a good thing. I too have done that a lot. But, in many cases, the effect you choose to use will take you in a different technique direction (i.e.; when using very bold delays) in which you allow the effect to work together with what you play. Kinda like those old enough to remember when all vehicles didn't have power steering and then a driver would use it for the first time...w-a-y different technique and the trick was to let power steering do what it does while we still control it.

Talent comes in many forms and levels and whether or not today's musicians are dependent upon efx or simply using their choices (better or worse) to create their sound or just being current with the times...it's all our individual opinions.

In general, efx are tools of the trade just like a guitar or an amp or picks. Take away some of the great players picks or their bar and see what they sound like...it'll be different at the very least.

In reading the other posts I think that many believe that it also comes down to personal choice and/or taste (In hindsight I can't always say that my choices were always of the best taste...but then again, my taste has changed a bit over the years).
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Mike S.
"Mike & T's House Of Steel" (band)
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Albert Svenddal · From: Minneapolis, MN

Thanks for all the response. Roger's comment is along the line of what I was thinking. Less use of effects make us work harder at getting a good tone and sound from our hands, amps and guitars. I am not saying that effects are bad and we should never use them. The balanced use of them are good, but when someone cannot play at all without them, ????
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basilh · From: United Kingdom

To answer the topic's title, yes..

Joel Meredith · From: Portland,Oregon, USA

Sneaky Pete is one of the greatest steel players ever and he used a ton of delay, overdrive, etc.

It really depends on the song and what it needs and the band you're playing in...there's not really an answer to this question.

Mickey Adams · From: Bandera Texas

Ive tried just about every effect known to man between guitar and steel. Steel guitar by itself dry, takes some getting used to. However the clarity is necessary when a room generates what a lot of todays effects are created to reproduce...ie: hall reverb...for one. The effect is an attempt at recreating the acoustic properties that a listener may experience in a given environment. Every situation requres a little tweaking IMHO. I love the fullness of a long delay, but as well the short quick slap is very useful as well. Lately Ive strived to get everything I want without digital processing from my amp for starters. Then try to add whats needed....Sometimes sparingly, sometimes for (((((((EEEFFFEEECCCTT.))))))))))
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Jim Eaton · From: Santa Susana, Ca

99% of the time it's guitar to VP to amp for me.
I always use some amp reverb with my NV-112's and will use my RV-3 with the "Lloyd Green" settings if it's called for by the song.
Doug Livingston (aka Ernest Bovine) paid me a very nice complement at Perl-Jam this last weekend when he said to me "your the only one in the room that is just going from your guitar to the volume pedal to your amp and your tone is great."
I guess simple is better! No extra cords and signal sucking stomp boxes to mess with your sound.
That's what works for me, YMMV.
JE:-)>
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chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

no..........most steel i hear on recordings these days sounds like good steel guitar!

Jim Walker · From: Headland, AL

There have been times recently where I did not have enough set up time to hook up all the "extras" so I just hooked up the steel, vol pedal and amp. Those particular nights I received even more compliments on my tone than usual. I am a firm believer that less is more with music and sometimes gear.

JW
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Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

I carry a Bo-Bro and a distortion pedal. Along with amp reverb, that's it for me. The 2 effects I do use (besides verb) maybe get used a total of 6 times during a 4 hour gig. What really bugs me are the players that use delay pedals ALL the time in place of reverb (I know reverb is a type of delay). I see a lot of players that when listening, you can distinctly hear the second note produced by the delay. This does not sound good to me at all except if used (once) to actually create a call and response type of effect. If timed properly, it sounds as though another player is following right behind you. Now some players do have their delays adjusted to where you can not hear the second note, but I still think the digital sound created is not as good as good old spring reverb. Chorus is another overused effect.

After all that (my opinions only), I think we should all buy a ring modulator and use it at least 90% of the time. Devil

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basilh · From: United Kingdom

How does one get their Ring Modulated ?
And would that be the Diamond Horseshoe variety or the sphincterial type ?
And on the whole is it a good thing ?

Mike Winter · From: Portland, OR

What Joel said...

Paul Norman · From: Washington, North Carolina, USA

I think that Lead Guitar players use much more
overly effects than do steel players.

Twayn Williams · From: Portland, OR

Using effects well is an art not everyone can master. I find steel to be enough of an effect on its own! However, I always use a volume pedal, and either a short delay or long reverb. I also make sure I have good buffers in my fx path to reduce tone-suckage.

Currently I'm using a Boss ME-20 multi-fx unit. It's very low to the floor, has a decent buffer, good delays, acceptable distortions and I really like the feel of the expression pedal. I don't like modulation on steel seeing as I have a hard enough time playing in tune as it is!
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Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

It depends on what you're backing. If the vocal is dry and the steel guitar has a lot of reverb they won't blend. Similarly, if the vocal has a lot of reverb and the steel is dry they won't blend.

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