F#/G# Lever - what's it for?

Jacek Jakubek · From: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

The LKR knee lever on my U-12 lowers my 6th string
from G# to F# and raises my 1st string from F# to G#.

What chords is this lever supposed to be used for?

I have an instructional book and a chord chart by Mel Bay that shows LKR changing the F#s on strings 1&7 to G instead of the change I have on my guitar.
This seems like a very useful change that allows you to get a 7 chord together with the AB pedals.

Wouldn't it be more useful to have the G knee lever instead, like in Mel Bay's book?

I probably won't bother to have it changed because I kind of like the sound that the G#/F# lever makes. It sounds good for ending a song when you engange it and then release it. But other than that, is it supposed to give you any chords, by itself or in conjunction with other pedals?

Does anyone here have the F#/G# lever, and if so, what chords or changes do you use it for?

Ulf Edlund · From: Umeå, Sweden

I raise both F# to G# on my guitars and use it mostly for licks and melody.

Uffe

Jim Palenscar · From: Oceanside, Calif, USA

There are a number of uses for it- ie.- getting a major 9th, etc- Paul Franklin has a teaching CD devoted to this and it pretty much says it all.

Fred Glave · From: McHenry, Illinois, USA

I've noticed that those changes are not uncommon on setups with 4 or more knee levers. It is probably more common to have the lever that raises the F#s to G though. Once you have the "BIG 3" levers (E to Eb, E to F, and D# to D), then you can set up the remaining levers for changes that fit your own tastes.

Stewart Thompson · From: Puyallup, WA.

LKR + RKL when used together will give you a V chord while in the I position, no pedals.
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Stew

Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

Click here and look at tabs 8 and 13 to see two uses for this change. There are many others and I've tabbed a few more of them out on other pages complete with sound files so you can hear how they are used.

Greg

Dean Parks · From: Sherman Oaks, California, USA

The 1st string and 6th string would normally be used separately with this lever, not together.

Jacek Jakubek · From: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Thanks guys.

Greg, your tab site is nice, I'll have to go through some of the examples.

I might have to check out that Paul Franklin instruction on this lever too, after I get some instruction for the more common pedals and levers
first.

Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

Greg, you are doing the steel community a big favor by posting that sight. Thank you.

Terry Sneed · From: Arkansas,

Jay Jessup · From: Charlottesville, VA, USA

While there are some chords that can be found with this lever in combination with other levers I would mainly call it a lick lever however you will find it used on most all of Buddy Emmons e9 tunes dating back to the Black album era and now that most modern guitars have tunable splits there are even more licks available with it. IMO not a must have but maybe one of the first you would want to add if you have more than four?

Jacek Jakubek · From: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Jay, I did notice that the copedant shown with any of Buddy Emmons' instructional material for E9th has this lever. If Buddy uses it, there must be a good use for it, since people say he's one of the best players.

James Morehead · From: Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.

Greg Cutshaw, I must compliment you on your TONE!! And your site is fabulous!! Cool

Jeff Harbour · From: Western Ohio, USA

I just recently played "Your Everything" by Keith Urban for a wedding. I ended up using this lever alot.

I used the 1st string F#-G# and 2nd string D-D# raises for the main lick that opens the song.

Also, while playing behind the vocals the 6th string lower (G#-F#) came in handy a bit. I used it along with the E-Eb lever to get an A chord at the 10th fret. I played a few licks where I slid straight from the A at the 12th fret (A&B pedals) down to the one at the 10th fret without changing grips. I was then positioned perfectly to hit the D chord that came next.

Jeff

Jeff Harbour · From: Western Ohio, USA

Sorry, make that 2nd string raise a D#-E...

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Lowering the G# to F# whilst also lowering the Es to Ebs, is a beautiful sounding move into a fat, fat V chord. Also going back to the 1. It's not so much the sound of the V or the 1 chord, it's more the "getting there" that sounds cool!

Ken Metcalf · From: San Antonio Texas USA

My Vertical raises 7th string 1/2 step with A/B pedals down and raises 5th string 1/2 step with pedals up.

Kenny Alien

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MSA 12 String E9th/B6th Universal.
Little Walter PF-89.
Bunch of stomp boxes

Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

Another change you can use in passing that will contribute to a "pedal" steel sound is to pick the 3rd string with pedal 2 down then release pedal 2, then pick string 1 with the G# knee engaged, then release the G# knee and continue down the scale rocking every pedal in sight as you go down the strings.

You can hear it here (You Took Her Off My Hands) at 20 seconds into the song.

Greg

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