Do you use Reverb when playing Hawaiian style?

George Rout · From: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Tom, I used to use an early DOD chorus when I took my little German (can't think of the name) 6 string lap steel to the Toronto beaches when I first met my wife Faye. The little Citizen battery amplifier didn't have any effect, so like you, I got the sweetened sound with the chorus unit.
Geo
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"I play in the A Major tuning. It's fun to learn and so easy to play. It's as old as the hills....like me"

Bill Creller · From: Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)

I've been using just a slight touch of reverb, for a long time. Some can't hear it, but I can ! Very Happy

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

If you play with reverb, delay and chorus, I find this effects case to be real handy. :

George Rout · From: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Erv, that's the same case I have for the 3 pedals I have, chorus, digital delay and the Tom Brumley resonator. They are all for home use, I never take them out.
Geo
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http://georgerout.com

"I play in the A Major tuning. It's fun to learn and so easy to play. It's as old as the hills....like me"

James Kerr · From: Scotland, UK

Many great names of the Steel Guitar mentioned here and I ask the same question I have asked before, "why is it thought the right way to go, copying note for note and exactly the same sound as these greats" does anyone think those great men copied someone else? or did they create their own sound, if so why don't you do the same, be original, there are no prizes for sounding exactly the same as someone else.

There is Reverb on both of my recordings here, is it too little, too much or just about right, so we can judge what listeners are looking for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1td5vUq1bY

6 String Guitar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTmg9o1UXOo

7 String Guitar

JK.

George Rout · From: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Scott, I just came across a pic of the Bogen Model CHA33 (33 watt) I had. This was the last pic, I sold it about five years ago. I had long disposed of the cabinet I had for it in the 50's and had bought a 12" Traynor 40 watt extension speaker for it which worked really well. I had five or six amps at the time.

Geo
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http://georgerout.com

"I play in the A Major tuning. It's fun to learn and so easy to play. It's as old as the hills....like me"

Scott Thomas · Posted 6 May 2019 9:44 pm

Thanks for the pic, George. That's a good looking vintage amp. And of course Traynor there in Ontario makes great equipment too.

Don Kona Woods · From: Hawaiian Kama'aina

I lived in Hawaii from 1961 to 1974 and knew most of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar players and their playing styles and sounds. They did not use reverb. I do not believe that Hawaiian Steel Guitar players today use reverb because there is an effort to perfect the classic Hawaiian sounds of yesteryear.

I play only Hawaiian Music and tried reverb years ago just to try it, but I discarded it because it moved me away from the true Hawaiian sound.

Andy DePaule · From: Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon

Hi David,
I've only played seriously with non pedal steels for a little over 3 years now.
Still consider myself a beginner on these instruments.
Always used reverb on my pedal steel guitars for 40+ years.
When I got into non pedal I didn't like it with the reverb on my main amp, a Peavey 112 Nashville.
Was using a small Danelectro and then got a nice old 1940's Epiphone and those seemed to get just the right tone for non pedal.

Recently got an older Webb amp to fulfill a long time dream, and it has such wonderful reverb as well as vast tone control.
With that I can get great non reverb sound and thats suitable for many kinds of tunes.
Just recently started using the reverb on some of the non pedal stuff and in this amp it sound great too.
Seems to make many tunes sound so much richer. I only turn it on a very little and less than I use with the pedal steels. My vote is YES!
I've put all my other amps away now.
Do what sounds best to you, but not all reverbs sound the same.
Andy Very Happy

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Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project.

Ashoke kumar Das · From: West Bengal, India

Hi,I want to listen the right steel guitar tone without reverb.

David Matzenik · From: Cairns, on the Coral Sea

At the risk of running off topic, for me this subject is related to amplified music in general. It is often said that its getting hard for musicians to make a buck in the recorded music industry because of new formats and the internet. I think the realty is that we have become saturated with recorded music, and that means electric amplified music, and along with it comes effects. I'm sick to death of fuzz, feedback, wah-wah, phasing, delay and everything else including reverb. I want to hear real music, and I don't care if it is not a virtuoso performance. Some people don't know how to have fun any more. They'd rather listen to a carefully manicured recording filtered through a wall of electronics than go to a local bar and hear real person give their best unmanipulated shot, worts and all.

I met an audiophile once, who had a huge vinyl collection. I asked him what kind of music he listened to. He said, "Anything, as long as it is a good pressing." I said, "I don't mind scratchy 78s."
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Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother.

David Knutson · From: Cowichan Valley, Canada

My goal with reverb on any of my solid body instruments is to add, at the amp, something as close as possible to the natural overtones and "reverb" that exist in my acoustic instruments, unplugged. There is a "depth" to acoustic instruments that the pickup-to-amp-to-speaker pathway doesn't quite achieve, for me, without some help.

I agree with you, David M. that effects are wildly and tastelessly overused a lot of the time. But, that said, I'm just trying to satisfy MY ear and get the sound that I am looking for.
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David K

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