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Post new topic Reverb or not to verb?
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Author Topic:  Reverb or not to verb?
Al Terhune


From:
Newcastle, WA
Post  Posted 10 May 2001 10:07 pm    
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A thread I'm sure gone over thoroughly, but maybe not in this style...but probably so.

When playing "Hawaiian" music (and traditional country), I really love the sound of a steel with no reverb. I played for a benefit this morning (Hawaiian music), and found that although I "feel" this way, when I actually play out, it sounds so naked with no reverb -- there's really no masking imperfections like a nice, lush reverb can (and maybe that's another reason I like it -- it keeps me honest).

That said, when I play "folk/pop/rock" at clubs, I really like a good splash of reverb (slow and MOR songs -- uptempo, little if any).

What/where does everybody think their best reverb is/comes from? Amps? Stomp boxes?
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Rick Collins

 

From:
Claremont , CA USA
Post  Posted 11 May 2001 7:53 am    
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Reverb on the steel guitar should be only slight and barely detectable,___like a sprinkling of black pepper on food. I have a Webb 6-14 E amp and set the reverb dial on 1&1/2 of the 10 scale.

Rick
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Bobby Lee


From:
Cloverdale, California, USA
Post  Posted 11 May 2001 4:35 pm    
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I've always used reverb, but listeners have accused me of playing without it. It just takes a little bit to smooth out the notes.
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Andy Alford

 

Post  Posted 12 May 2001 4:50 am    
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Al,
I have been thinking about your post for awhile.It all comes down to what sounds good to the player and listeners.I use it sometimes but when I am a real 1950s way, it want be found.I like to play alot of Hank Williams stuff so no reverb then.I do enjoy reverb at other times.I like it but not to the point of coloring the steel till it sounds like a floating musical steel that may start hovering at anytime..When I am playing for the public reverb is used lightly.You might want to see how you sound without it.One place I play has all the reverb I want but it is the acoustics of the building.Thanks for asking this question.I want to see what everyone else thinks.
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Terry Huval


From:
Lafayette, Louisiana
Post  Posted 12 May 2001 5:30 am    
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As a fan of 1950's country music, I rarely use reverb. However, when I play steel on other types of country music, I might use a little. I find that using no reverb forces me to play better.
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George Keoki Lake


From:
Edmonton, AB., Canada
Post  Posted 12 May 2001 10:16 pm    
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I agree with Rick...use it sparingly. Reverb has a nasty habit of taking the full round sound out of your music when used to full throttle. I just put a "pinch" on my amp, somewhere around the 3-5 setting. Most stages you will play on have a certain amount of natural reverb anyway making electronic reverb unnecessary.
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Ray Montee


From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
Post  Posted 16 May 2001 10:41 am    
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I use just a tad of reverb! Not too little; not too much. Just enough to give some depth to anotherwise motionless sound.
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Todd Weger


From:
Safety Harbor, FLAUSA
Post  Posted 25 May 2001 10:16 am    
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I adjust my reverb to the style and tempo of the song. Very slow ballads get more, up-tempo tunes less. Westernswing gets almost "dry" treatment, and blues gets slightly more than that. It all depends on what's right for the style/tune for me. The most I ever use, though, is maybe 2 1/2 or 3 tops for a ballad, and only Fender spring reverb through a Fender tube amp sounds "right" to my ears (though, I HAVE heard others with other setups that sound killer, too)!

TJW

------------------
Todd James Weger/RD/RTD
1960 Fender Stringmaster D-8 (E13, C6) through a vintage Super Reverb


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