Post by GuitarAttack Forum on Dec 27, 2017 7:52:40 GMT -6
I had to do this on a project...the singer had a good idea at the last minute and we didn't have a real dobro available.
I took a little hair scrunchy (get them at Walmart/Dollar General/everywhere) made by Goody and slipped it over the headstock so it would dampen the strings. This is to approximate the more muted sound of the raw strings on a dobro. Next, I mic'd the guitar with an SM-57 to get a more mid-rangey tone. I normally use a condenser mic but it was too "full range" for a dobro sound. Finally, if you are using slide, hold the guitar like a dobro -- in your lap, strings up. Something about the position affects the sound, too.
After I recorded the guitar, I scooped out nearly all of the bass and treble with hi and low pass filters to get a really midrange sound and added some hard reverb to give it a more metallic tone.
It takes some experimentation. I finally bought a used Line 6 guitar to use for these and other "good ideas" -- sitar, banjo, ganjo, and dobro. Might be worth checking in to.
Good luck -- tell us how it works.
John
I took a little hair scrunchy (get them at Walmart/Dollar General/everywhere) made by Goody and slipped it over the headstock so it would dampen the strings. This is to approximate the more muted sound of the raw strings on a dobro. Next, I mic'd the guitar with an SM-57 to get a more mid-rangey tone. I normally use a condenser mic but it was too "full range" for a dobro sound. Finally, if you are using slide, hold the guitar like a dobro -- in your lap, strings up. Something about the position affects the sound, too.
After I recorded the guitar, I scooped out nearly all of the bass and treble with hi and low pass filters to get a really midrange sound and added some hard reverb to give it a more metallic tone.
It takes some experimentation. I finally bought a used Line 6 guitar to use for these and other "good ideas" -- sitar, banjo, ganjo, and dobro. Might be worth checking in to.
Good luck -- tell us how it works.
John