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Topic: E9/B6 half stops - Who has them? |
Sherman Willden
From:
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
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Posted 2 Oct 2008 10:36 pm |
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Do you have any half stops on any of your pedals or levers?
Thank you;
Sherman |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 3 Oct 2008 4:25 am
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No.
_________________
Lee, from South Texas - Down On The Rio Grande
There are only two options as I see it.
Either I'm right, or there is a sinister conspiracy to conceal the fact that I'm right.
Williams Keyless S-10, BMI S-10, Evans FET-500LV, Fender Steel King, 2 Roland Cube 80XL's,
Sarno FreeLoader, Goodrich Passive Volume Pedals, Vintage ACE Pack-A-Seat |
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Larry Bell
From:
Englewood, Florida
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Posted 3 Oct 2008 6:33 am
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No.
I don't do half stops any more. I use a few splits, but mostly the typical E9 ones. I tune my 2nd string to D, and lower it to C# with the E to D# lever and raise to D# on RKR and to E on LKR.
I found spring loaded half stops to be temperamental and hard to dial in the positive stop without making the lever stiff. I had one on F# to G to G# on 1 and 7; and 2nd string D to D# and E on the Zum I played for 20 years but got to the point of eliminating them. I never could get both F#s to go to G at the same point -- that was one frustration. I like not having them. 
The 'additional rod' approach is not really feasible on a guitar with as many pulls -- esp on 5 and 6 -- as a U12 has on a single changer. There just aren't holes available in many cases -- unless you have an Excel with 10 raises and 10 lowers -- or whatever it is that they have. 
_________________
Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
My CD's: 'I've Got Friends in COLD Places' - 'Pedal Steel Guitar'
2021 Rittenberry S/D-12 8x7, 1976 Emmons S/D-12 7x6, 1969 Emmons S/D-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Quilter ToneBlock 202 TT-12 |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 3 Oct 2008 11:23 am
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I had a Half-Stop on D#>D>C# for a while.
Tried it but didn't like it.
I have a split-tuner "set-screw" at the changer finger for each string on my Sierra.
The only ones I currently use are for the B strings, so I can tune the C note (A+LKV), and Bb note (LKV), individually on strings 5,9,12.
I would like to have this set-screw at the changer finger on every steel I own, but I don't, so use the two-rod method on some of them for the same function.
~pb |
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 3 Oct 2008 5:56 pm
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| I have feel-stops on my 2nd string lower to D and C#, and on the raises to G and G# on strings 1 and 7. They are not very firm, but they do help me hit those middle notes more in tune. I have no idea how they work. I asked for them when I bought David Wright's Millennium and part of the deal was a factory installation of my setup. The one on the 2nd string works pretty good. The 1 and 7 string raises are on LKV, and it is difficult to feel half-stops on a vertical lever. It's there, but easy to overshoot. But I had already gotten pretty good at hitting the G with no feel-stop on my Zum. |
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Ulf Edlund
From:
Umeå, Sweden
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Posted 4 Oct 2008 2:37 am
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Second string lower, D/C#
_________________
1983 Emmons D10 SKH, Carter SD10, Nashville 112, Session 500, ProfexII, Lapsteels, GT-Beard reso, guitars of all kinds...
http://www.myspace.com/ulfedlund |
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Sherman Willden
From:
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
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Posted 4 Oct 2008 6:26 am
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Thank you all. The second string half lower is the one that I search for in and out. Sometimes I can hit it, most times I go past it, but then I also sharp it at times.
Sherman |
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C Dixon
From:
Duluth, GA USA
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Posted 4 Oct 2008 6:42 am
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From day one, I could never get used to a "half-stop". I now agree with Jeff Newman, "they are not a good idea".
I prefer to use two levers or pedals or combinations there of. So on my universals, I have a knee lever that lowers the 2nd string to D and another knee lever that loweres it to C#. And never the 'twain should meet'. 
c.
_________________
A broken heart + † = a new heart. |
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Larry Allen
From:
Kapaa, Kauai,Hawaii
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Posted 5 Oct 2008 10:15 am 1/2 Stops
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| I use one one my RKL to lower the E's to Eb and then D (my 9th is a B, 10th is an E)..easy to adjust and tune.I took the stock spring off and put a longer one on...feels great..Larry |
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Larry Bressington
From:
Nebraska
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Posted 5 Oct 2008 11:49 am
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It seems like, which ever choice you make, there are gains and losses, i have just gone back to a more basic setup after 15 years; I now only lower my second string to D, No C#, which i am not totally sold on yet, but it has really enhanced my control for speed pickin in live situations, the half drops are tempermental, and thats a faily big muscle in the leg. I also went back to a wound 6th which i lower a 1/2 step. This might sound restrictive for the Instrumentalist steel guitarist, but all my work in back-up club work, and a solid reliable stable tuning enhances your attitude behind aggresive playing; However some of the radio licks may be more challenging without the 2nd string drop, i am exsperimenting with half bar/ and other unison strings in substitute; It all in the hands of the player, i dont think we all have to copy everybody else, but it does help!  How many of us who have way too many knee levers actually benefit from them at gigs, sometimes it hinders your thoughts!  |
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