Boss Tone/set-up

John Cox · From: Texas, USA

I have one of the newer Boss-tones. I've never been able to find that cello sound that in it. Can someone suggest settings- or what numbers I turn the knobs to?

thanks
JC.
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Ken Metcalf · From: San Antonio Texas USA

Try a really short, super fast bar vibrato and you should be able to get it or any fuzz to sustain endlessly for the cello effect on the low string.
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Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

Best I ever got was playing strings 4,5 and 10 at the same time (or pick them 1 at time quickly but let them sustain). Cut the treble down on your amp and increase the reverb. Some fuzz boxes can't handle the multiple notes and ends up giving you a tone an octave below the lowest note. That gets it down in the cello range. I also used an old Univox fuzz box that was a lot better than the Boss Tone.
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting.

Craig Schwartz · From: McHenry IL

John I too am looking for that sound,(string section and cello)

I dont have a boss tone, wish I could help you there,
I am using a Pod HD desktop Line 6 model,(demon spawn to some)
with a freeloader right out of the guitar. The Pod has 2 outputs
one goes direct to PA and the other Goes to my Vegas 400
which is not nessasary to use,

EDITED: I found a standard setting called SLO SOLO STRING that
comes very close to cello, NOTE * after I modified it.(I took out the tube effect
distortion and added a facial fuzz on a smaller amount, seems to be the key for cello )
If you add a base octaver you can get the effect of a Base cello and sound like JAWS.
for this delay you can even adjust the swelling ONLY,in for the timing effect of a bow movement using a delay with auto volume echo,
with hall reverb up quite a bit
it takes some getting used to,
I even tried to put the VP after everything and it made it more difficult to play with reverb, either way pump in your VP on all stacato notes.

For a string section sound, I`m getting close but not there yet.
I myself am shooting for that string section sound but the cello came out great with this setup,

the strings I use together FOR Emmons setup
2RKR & 5A (String section)
3 & 6 with or without pedals past 12th fret (string section)
4 & 8 up to the 12th fret (Cello)
5 & 10 up to the 12th (cello)

notice that the 2 strings have the same note together for the effect.
When you mix different notes you`ll know it wont sound right.
I gotta tell you I`ve had more fun trying to get this sound,
Its a discovery to find a whole different instrument in the pedal steel.
One other thing I`ve noticed is its all bar movement to sound like a violinist, No PSG moves,
Theres some retraining thats great for bar exercizing.
Dave Van Allen posted a song with a string section using a PSG. Ithink he said Sneaky Pete.Not sure
here it is and I hope this has been helpful,
http://dvanet.net/audio/01_Quits_mp3.mp3
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Helmut Gragger · From: Austria

We have been talking about that here too: http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=240060

-helmut
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Helmut Gragger · From: Austria

Garry Pugh · From: Nashville Indiana

I went to a Jeff Newman Seminar in Dayton in the 70s and Jeff showed how to get the string and cello effect. For the string effect you take 2 strings of the same pitch, i.e. the 1st string and the 4th string with the C pedal depressed making them both an F# note. Alternate picking both strings, they should be just slightly out of tune with each other. The amp should have lots of reverb and little treble. Get as much fuzz as you gain. It sounds odd but it really does sound like strings as you move the bar from fret to fret. I use my 4th (e) and raise my 2nd eb to e to get the same sound.
For the cello effect it is just as Richard said, use 4, 5 and 8 together, very cool effect.
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cell # 812-603-1612

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

Helmut, that is true about the different versions of the Boss Tone. I had one of the originals by Jordan. I have heard friends tell me the later ones by Sho~Sound (Sho~Bud) weren't as good, but I had no personal experience with them. The best that I ever had was this purple cased fuzz box (I believe it was made by Univox) that was much better than the Boss Tone. Back in the early-mid 70's, I had a gig as the "staff" steel player at a bay area studio. A guy I was playing for was doing his album there and the studio had me come in and do other peoples demos, jingles and stuff. They also had me do the string parts as mine sounded better than the crappy synth they had in the studio. The only problem I found was that you can't do anything up-tempo that sounded decent and can't get the type of sound where the string players are sliding the bow back and forth quickly while moving there fingers up the neck (an arpeggio or crescendo?). You hear this a lot on records, but really you need a real string section to get that. On stage, this effect is really hard to do on the fly, like switching from steel to strings and back to steel in the same song. I would sacrifice the turning down of the treble on the amp because I didn't want to have to walk back to amp every time I wanted to use it. Finally, I split my Twin Reverb into a head and cabinet so I could have the controls next to me. Then I got a Webb head and set the EQ section to boost the bass and cut the treble so I just had to hit the switch and boost the reverb. Then I just started to bring a synth and do string parts on it, along with horns, organ, etc...

Garry... The way I was taught to get the cello was to use string 4,5, and 10 and to do the "alternating picking of the strings. You might try that too. Don't remember if I learned that from Jeff or read about it. I think any 3 strings would work as long as you had the root and 5th of the chord and an octave lower of either of those 2 notes. It didn't work well with just one note and the same note an octave lower. It really needed that other note to make the fuzz box "O.D.".

It was a really neat effect. If I was to want to do it today (provided I could find a fuzz box that would work well for it), I would probably set up a switchable effects loop (I have one made by Radial) and run the fuzz, and EQ set up to kill the treble and a reverb pedal set really high. Then, you just step on the switch and there you have it. But I would have to be using it a lot to justify all the extra hardware.
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting.

Garry Pugh · From: Nashville Indiana

I used to do lots of string effect stuff. I had an Evans amp which was modified so that I had a reverb control clipped on the leg of the steel. You turned the reverb up on the amp all the way and controlled the level from your steel. I think the Webb amp had this as a standard feature at that time.

You are correct Richard it is a pain to turn around and adjust the treble on your amp. I still have a setting I programmed in my Profex II for the string effect. It boosts the reverb and cuts the highs.

Another cool effect is to use an EBO with a Boss Tone and the string effect settings.

To my ears the master of the Boss Tone was Sneeky Pete. He just burns it up on Devil In Disquise on The Last of The Red Hot Burritos album.
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Emmons PP D10 8X5, GFI Ultra D10,both are setup up "Emmons" style. Quilter 202 Tone Block, Nashville 400, Milkman 85, Stewart PA200, BW and JBL speakers, Profex II

cell # 812-603-1612

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

Actually, on my Twin, I had the reverb control on the front removed, replaced with a jack, and put the pot in a little box we made and clipped it to my guitar leg also. Just the treble thing was a pain. Having a Profex type unit would be a good way to get the preset you needed.
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting.

Jerry Kippola · From: UP Michigan, USA

Change the 3 ceramic caps to .05uf from .02uf, and the hi freq cap (47pf) to .001uf

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

Jerry Kippola · From: UP Michigan, USA

Try it you'll like it---worth 1000 words

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

I no longer have my Twin. Just curious as to what effect that cap change would have on the tone.
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting.

Dickie Whitley · Posted 23 Feb 2013 12:12 pm

OK, help for the clueless here, are we refering to Boss distortion pedals or something else completely?

Stephen Cowell · From: Round Rock, Texas, USA

http://www.geofex.com/FX_images/bosstone.gif
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Helmut Gragger · From: Austria

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