Tips for better tone on your Pedal Steel Guitar - Part 1 - Equipment

This video is Part 1 (of 2 videos) that shows beginning pedal steel guitar players the importance of good tone and how to develop a sound that you like.

[@Gratefulman1965]

Long time country singer and guitar player here. New to Lap steel. Now that I’m 59 it’s long over due. 🎶

[@donkuhn9597]

Gilroy that was some good information, thanks for putting it together and sharing it

[@donchristy5469]

Great video Gilroy! Thanks for the great tips!

[@lewisbighuber7029]

Thanks for taking the time to share.

[@evanpachal2672]

Great video! Thank you for providing me with such great instruction... Basic, clear and easily understood...

[@jaygold4467]

Excellent practical advice.

[@larrydering1598]

Thanks for sharing your wisdom from experience. I have no luck with my Peavey nashville bass on 3/4. To my ears it's too bassy. I agree with you on the GHS strings. I use SIT Buddy Emmons sets. Great information and help from you.

[@WeezWorld730]

ghs makes George L’s strings. Nice videos. Enjoy watching.

[@cincinnatipedalsteel4347]

We play to our tone... No truer worda have been spoken. I work on mine constantly

[@blackemmons]

Thanks!

[@frankortega4280]

Thank you Gilroy.

[@frankortega4280]

Love the GFI Ultra. I own one as well.

[@rickythomas6214]

i bought boss amp i added 5 inch to the body an put a 15 inch 4 ohm great sound had to put new cover on front i love the sound

[@1deadmanshand]

Hello Gilroy, can you tell me what finger picks that you use, placement of picks, and what bar that you use. Thank you.

[@jadm110]

do you have a video on how to get started????

[@CA10Z]

Would you mind explaining the Red plague with Fifteen Stars. Thank you Michael

[@gilroyhollistermusic9199]

Sure.... it's just a patriotic quilt.

[@CA10Z]

@@gilroyhollistermusic9199 Thank you...to some it may mean even more. Take Care...

[@hectorroussel6179]

What,s the best string a person can buy for a steelguitar

[@Junior-jw1bb]

I live in NY and don’t have the option to try different steel guitars because it’s not a popular instrument here. I listened to a lot of different guitars on KZbin, looked around for suggestions, went on the Steel Guitar Forum and after buying a second hand MSA which was older, I sold it and ordered a new Mullen G2 S10. I changed the single coil pickup it came with to a Lawrence 705 and I use a Peavey Nashville 112. I’m always tweaking the amp to find that country music tone that I really like. But I still haven’t hit that exact tone I’m looking for. Any suggestions on what pickup might give me for the that country tone ? Any help is greatly appreciated

[@larrydering1598]

Hey man, the 705 is my favorite pickup. I have them on 3 different steels. My Mullen is an older model 1993 pre RP D10 8x4 and still has the stock pickups. I struggled for years trying gear and effects, various speakers and tone settings. Techniques play a big part of your tone. Gilroy is giving solid information here. I watched all the greats play at shows and it's my belief that the player using a quality amp will sound great because of their Technique. Good gear matters but if you attend as many shows as I have, the Peavey Nashville 112 is very popular and sounds very good when the right player is on stage.

[@ronboring1673]

Would it be better to start on a lap steel first

[@jonathanfrieze8497]

I'm trying to find a better volume pedal I'm 6ft and I'm using the big ernie ball I'd love to have a low profile expression pedal but I don't know if I should go with a nice passive live a dunlop or should I just be patient and save up to get a nice active volume pedal anyone willing to chime in would be greatly appreciated I'm using a double neck Franklin into a supro titan also if anyone knows what could have caused my steel in the middle neck switch were you can play both necks at the same time and it and the e9 neck went out when I push over to only e9 it works fine but I'd love to figure that out when you tap the pickup selector it can make the sound cut in and out just subscribed today so glad I found your channel thank you

[@gilroyhollistermusic9199]

I use a Hilton Electronics volume pedal. It's low profile. Works great, no noise.

[@jonathanfrieze8497]

@@gilroyhollistermusic9199 thanks for the reccomendation i got myself a hilton low profile for about 175$ and i got real lucky im currently waiting for it to ship but i got a vegas 400 for 230$ total shipped to the door you cant beat that only thing was i never got to hear it and theres only one video on youtube and its demonstrating a bad reverb hum so im biting my nails waiting to see how the vegas 400 sounds im sure it will soumd. better than my jc-120 but idk what i was thinking i spaced out i actually have a 1973 marlen pull release D-10 8x4 im gonna make sure i get the chip kit but i will make sure that it doesnt already have newer fox mod chips before i buy some im just curious if im gonna want to keep the black widow in it or get a newer lighter speaker thankfully im still young enough i dont mind heavy amps i just want to get the best possible sound i can get from the resources i have thanks for the hilton tip i really do love it and really brings back all the nice top end that you lose with a passive pedal especialy with long cabels thats my next upgrade id like to get some george l's cabels

[@sesa2984]

Hi, I’m coming from the handheld guitar world(I play a Gibson ES335 through an old Magnatone) and I just bought some lap steels to get my feet wet in this world. I don’t seem to find steel guitar players as obsessed with tube amps as the rest of us are, and in fact alot of them happily play solid state. Am I wrong about that? I’m wondering is there something about the clean glassy tones of a good solid state amp that lends itself better to steel playing? If so, I have a Fender Ultimate Chorus that I’ve had since I was a kid in the 90s … wondring if that won’t work just fine.

[@gilroyhollister4155]

That Fender amp should work fine.

[@danwhite7678]

Boss Katana: I noticed you had one in there background if another video. Did you do a speaker upgrade? If so, what did you put in?

[@larrydering1598]

Dan, I'm a pedal steel player with a boatload of amps, including the Katana 100. For me the stock speaker is fine. I do prefer to plug a line 6 pod in the line in on the rear giving me more tone options. But it's fine from the normal input without doing that. Hope this helps.

[@gilroyhollistermusic9199]

No... I did not do a speaker upgrade on the Katana 100 amp.

[@jeffpenner7083]

Steel guitar store.. HA! Haemrd to find anybody who knows what the instrument even is up here in canada

[@phlarrdboi]

Did he call Virginia Midwest? Whut????

[@gxtmfa]

Maybe he meant to say Ohio? There’s a store in Ohio