BoBro Dobro Simulator Info wanted!!!!!Please help

[MadMatt]

Hello,
is anyone out there having any information about Dobro simulators?How do they work?Whats the Deal?
Any Schematics around?
Every bit of info is more than welcome!
Thanks,
Matt

[Gilles C]

Here is how it sounds

http://www.steelguitar.net/audio/bobro.wmv

and look

http://www.steelguitar.net/bobro1.html

That's a start...

How would you want to use it? What guitar, etc...

Gilles

[andy123]

FWIW....  From here...   http://www.jerrydouglas.com/f_BBDetail.cfm?MessArch__ID=7089

"These devices have been around for years, Bruce Zumsteg of Zumsteel used to sell a pickup simulator and Goodrich sold the recently discontinued Matchbro, which was essentially an equalization circuit tailored to emulate the timbre of the resonator guitar. None of these devices quite nailed the sound, IMO, just kind of gave a dobro flavor, similar to a Franklin ped-a-bro. I haven't heard Bobbe's new BoBro, but I'm guessing that it works somewhat the same way as the MatchBro did. Most steel players that use these know that it's not a substitute for the real thing, but might need it to cover a few songs that might have a token dobro lick or two."

[tommy.genes]

Listening to the demo video, it sounded just like an EQ change to me.

Looking at the picture, it looks like they started with a Boss EQ pedal and permanently "set" the sliders. Maybe they made a few mods to the center freqs as well.

I would think you could take the idea even farther with more-resonant filters...

-- T. G. --

[Harry]

Anyone else think that the little box made it sound worse?

[Processaurus]

modded boss acoustic simulator, perhaps? 

[MadMatt]

thanks for the help!I think going for filters and eq´s is what i have to try.
Or maybe an integrated dobro into hammond 1590bb miked by a u67?
thanks

[slacker]

I'm pretty sure the bobro is a GE-7 preset in some way probably by replacing the sliders with fixed resistors or just by snapping off the knobs.
If you look at the photo Gilles C posted it's the same colour as a GE-7 and the LED is in the same place. Seen as how they couldn't be bothered to remove the BOSS logo I doubt the resprayed it.
http://www.bossus.com/index.asp?pg=1&tmp=19

[Gilles C]

You could have found it...

At first, I thought of a modded AC-2, but the color wasn't right. But the GE-7 fits well. He says he changes or installs a new IC, but ?

I was thinking about modding a Purple Peaker.

I once posted a spectrum display of my Dobro guitar for someone in another thread who wanted to simulate a Dobro sound, but, I couldn't find it. I would have to record and capture it again.

Gilles

[stm]

I once posted a spectrum display of my Dobro guitar for someone in another thread who wanted to simulate a Dobro sound, but, I couldn't find it. I would have to record and capture it again.
Gilles

Oh please do so!  A mod to Mr. Eq would allow up to 6 peaks/notches with the CD4049.

[slacker]

But the GE-7 fits well. He says he changes or installs a new IC, but ?

We all know how changing out a perfectly good opamp increases mojo 
If it is a GE-7 then it's got to be one of the worst deals ever. Take a $99 pedal, break it and then sell it for $299 or what ever the price was.

[Gilles C]

I once posted a spectrum display of my Dobro guitar for someone in another thread who wanted to simulate a Dobro sound, but, I couldn't find it. I would have to record and capture it again.
Gilles

Oh please do so!  A mod to Mr. Eq would allow up to 6 peaks/notches with the CD4049.

What would be the best to record?

6 separate strings? Open strings all together?

Gilles

[Arn C.]

What about the "twang-a-matic"?  I believe it is online somewhere?    Supposedly can approximate the banjo or mandolin, maybe you could play with that circuit? I have it in .pdf format and would have to email it to you if need be.

Peace!
Arn C.

[stm]

[quoted]
What would be the best to record?
6 separate strings? Open strings all together?
[/quoted]

Gilles, that's a very good question!
I'm not sure indeed, however I feel that playing a chromatic scale from fret 0 to 20 or so on each string would do it, provided strings are plucked with equal strength and one can "read" the relative level between each note in a string.  If this were possible, one could obtain a kind of plot of the resonances/anti-resonances, I guess.

What did you do before to obtain a resonance plot?

[Gilles C]

That's the problem... I don't remember what I did 

I wanted to do a few tests today, but I broke a string while retuning. So I had to buy a new string (the only one I didn't have left, a 3rd).

Believe it or not, I also bought a Behringer equalizer. I find it a bit hissy, but I will use it mostly to find what frequencies I would like to use in a DIY fixed equalizer. A la Purple Peaker.

I"ll try to record something tonight or tomorrow if possible.

Gilles

[Gilles C]

I did a few tests but couldn't capture the screen for now. But the Dobro seems to have a peak at 100Hz. The sound is also more compressed than a normal guitar. I'll work a bit more on this later.

But what I begin to think is that the Bo-Bro is made mainly for a Lap Steel that already has some resonance, and just filters it for a less trebbley sound, more like a Dobro.

With a standard guitar, something to try would be a Ross compressor and an EQ (Mr EQ...). That would be a start.

Gilles

[Gilles C]

A little info I digged out from my favorites while doing a few tests

http://www.bobbrozman.com/soundhints.html

Gilles