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Topic: Steel Guitar Black Box: Is there no substitute? |
Chris Tarrow
From:
Maplewood, NJ
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Posted 4 Aug 2023 3:15 pm |
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| I love my Steel Guitar Black Box but am trying to lighten the load on travel gigs. Anybody found anything more compact that does a similar job? |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 4 Aug 2023 5:46 pm
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| Brad's Freeloader. It's a solid-state buffer with a variable input impedance knob. It's small, sounds great, adds a lot of tonal diversity to the sound, attaches to the leg of a pedal steel, and a battery lasts a real long time. Oh, and it's not expensive and has no tubes to replace. |
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John Ducsai
From:
New Hampshire, USA
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Danny Letz
From:
Old Glory,Texas, USA 79540
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Posted 5 Aug 2023 7:14 am
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| The later SGBBs are much more compact than my old one is. You might check that if yours is an older one. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 5 Aug 2023 7:21 am
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Doesn't the Goodrich Matchbox do the same thing?
Plus you have a volume and tone control right at your finger tips.
You can hang that on one of your guitar legs.
Erv |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 5 Aug 2023 7:30 am
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| Dave Mudgett wrote: |
| Brad's Freeloader. It's a solid-state buffer with a variable input impedance knob. It's small, sounds great, adds a lot of tonal diversity to the sound, attaches to the leg of a pedal steel, and a battery lasts a real long time. Oh, and it's not expensive and has no tubes to replace. |
I agree, wholeheartedly.
There is something almost magical in that little Red Box.
I've owned several buffer/impedance matching devices over the years and this is my favorite. Read about it here:
https://www.sarnomusicsolutions.com/products/freeloader-buffer.html
_________________
Lee, from South Texas - Down On The Rio Grande
There are only two options as I see it.
Either I'm right, or there is a sinister conspiracy to conceal the fact that I'm right.
Williams Keyless S-10, BMI S-10, Evans FET-500LV, Fender Steel King, 2 Roland Cube 80XL's,
Sarno FreeLoader, Goodrich Passive Volume Pedals, Vintage ACE Pack-A-Seat |
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 5 Aug 2023 7:57 am
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You don't specify if you are looking for a smaller buffer (with the super versatile variable impedance) or if you are looking for a smaller tube device.
I am another Freeloader user. I don't leave home without it. It is lightweight. Solid state.
I doubt that you could find a tube device that is smaller and lighter than the BB. Not one that runs tubes at honest voltage vs. some gimmicky fx pedals that run the signal in the vicinity of a lo-voltage glowing tube and call it "tubey goodness!!"
I assume the weight & mass of the BB (not all that big of a deal but something that also deters me from carrying it) is an essential part of its robustness and quiet hi-fi level of signal massaging. |
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Fred
From:
Amesbury, MA
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Posted 7 Aug 2023 3:39 am
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| Another vote for the Freeloader! |
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Tim Harr
From:
Dunlap, Illinois
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Posted 8 Aug 2023 4:14 pm
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| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
Doesn't the Goodrich Matchbox do the same thing?
Plus you have a volume and tone control right at your finger tips.
You can hang that on one of your guitar legs.
Erv |
Not with an actual vacuum tube. Not the same thing.
_________________
Tim Harr
Mullen G2 D-10 (9p/5k)
Retired, US Army Band (Steel/Dobro/Guitar)
Kemper Profiler / LW 89 |
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Brett Lanier
From:
Madison, TN
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Chris Tarrow
From:
Maplewood, NJ
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Posted 9 Aug 2023 8:05 pm
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| Thanks all! Sorry should have specified happy to try solid state. I don’t think there’s a smaller or better tube unit than the SGBB and yes I have the newer one but it’s still pretty big and heavy. Will try the freeloader! |
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