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Topic: Tone Problem |
Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 9 Oct 2000 3:01 pm |
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We have an extra room, off of our kitchen, that I use for a practice room. (It's also where we keep a desk, computer, file cabinet, bookshelf, etc.) The room is about 10'x12'. I have a real tough time getting a good tone out of my guitar in this room. I have a Mullen U-12, stock pickup. I have both a Peavey Nashville 400 (with Lemay mod) and an Evans FET-500 LV. No matter which amp I use, it takes lots and lots of tweaking to get a halfway decent tone. Usually there is too much mid-range. If I back off on the mid-range, there is too much bass and treble. Back off on either of these and it sounds worse. I can haul everything out into the family room, or out to the garage, and everything sounds great. I also had this problem when I played an Emmons P/P.
I'm guessing the problem is caused by a small room with carpet on the floor and lots of furniture and stuff. Have any of you folks had this problem? I know, I should spend more time practicing and less time worrying with tone problems, but it really bugs me.
Lee, from South Texas |
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Gary Dillard
From:
Tuscaloosa, AL
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Posted 9 Oct 2000 3:11 pm
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Lee,
I believe you answered your own problem. The garage sound usually gives a nice open sound while the carpeted room does give the "flat" sounds. That is why studios have the carpet everywhere, etc, etc, because they do not want anything except the natural tone of the steel.
During my years with the Kingsmen Qt., I found that I would have the same problems at different venues. In other words, I would have to adjust differently for outside gigs like fairs, and differetly for auditoriums, etc.
Hey, that is why I like pickin in the garage...just a nice open sound.
Good question...can't wait to hear what others think about this. |
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Tony Rankin
From:
Land O’ Lakes, FL
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Posted 9 Oct 2000 5:16 pm
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Gary,
It is nice to see you on the Forum. I play with a gospel quartet based in Dayton, Ohio and we have done a lot of songs that the Kingsmen popularized. In fact, the quartet opened for the Kingsmen once, but that was before I was with them.
I am glad to see you on the Forum and I am sure you will have good things to contribute. |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 9 Oct 2000 6:42 pm
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Hi Lee,
Try facing the amp diagonally across the room about 15" off the floor on some form of stand and in a corner approx.15" from the walls. This will simulate an exponential enclosure and give the bottom end a lift naturally and alter the perceived range of the tone controls.
A little extra reverb could also help.
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Basil Henriques
Emmons D-10 1970
and
Emmons D-10 1970
1949 "Leilani"
1949 Dickerson
RICKENBACKER "Olde Uglie" Twin 8
"Fender 1000"
| Quote: |
| Steel players do it without fretting |
http://homepage.tinet.ie/~basilhenriques/
http://www.stax-a-trax.com/
[This message was edited by basilh on 09 October 2000 at 07:45 PM.]
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gary darr
From:
Somewhere out in Texas
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Posted 9 Oct 2000 7:39 pm
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Lee,I too shared a very similar problem. I used to practice in a room about the same size with 10' ceilings. The problem is that there is reaccuring consentrations of frequency within various intersections within the room .You can hang carpet padding and or carpet on the walls to reduce the high-mid to high end frequency flutter echo,if your low -mids to low end is boomy, you will probably need low end absorbers mounted on the walls.There is a pretty good book that I have used that gives computations for studio it's called "How to build a small budget recording from scratch " by F. Alton Everest. This book was most usefull in building my garage recording studio . There was a lot of work was in this project studio,but the end result was way better tone from my amps in the room. Good luck in your quest for perfect tone!!!
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sho-bud,session 500,american standard strat,shecter tele,peavy classic 50
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 10 Oct 2000 7:41 am
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| There's an easy solution to this, just put the amp on a chair right behind you, and tilt it back so it faces your head. 'Course, you can't play too loud, but you really get the true sound, and not somehing that's bounced back at you off a wall or ceiling. |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 10 Oct 2000 6:26 pm
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Thanks for all the replies, guys.
What I have found that works best is to put the amp about 8 inches away from a wall and tilt it back, against the wall. Then I set up my steel right in front of it. That way the speaker is pointed right at my face. Donny, this sort of goes along with what you suggested; however, I believe that a good portion of that "tone" we try to get comes from those reflected sound waves. I think that those reflections work against you in a small room, though. Keep in mind that my education is in accounting, finance, and banking, not acoustics, so what do I know?
Lee, from South Texas
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 10 Oct 2000 6:36 pm
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| You know when it doesn't sound right, Lee. And THAT is the most important thing of all! |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 10 Oct 2000 6:48 pm
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Another part of the equation would be my almost 47 year old ears. But, let's not talk about that! 
Lee |
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