Knee Lever Knowledge....?

[Matthew Tansey]

Hey folks

I just got my first pedal steel and I'm having a total blast playing it. There are a few slight issues with it and I wanted to ask around the forum for some advice. The LKL seems to stick or something. It raises the pitch up, but then the pitch stays raised until I push on LKR. Is this normal or is it a malfunction?

Also, LKR seems to travel a quite far. I haven't figured out exactly how far it goes, but it seems like it drops the pitch about 2 full steps. Any thoughts?

Finally, sometimes my foot will slip off the first pedal and the rod will pop out. Any advice on what I can do to prevent this? Obviously, I can avoid slipping my foot off the pedal, but any other ideas?

Thanks

[Calvin Walley]

1st
the knee should not be sticking, it should return to the disengaged position on its on

where does the pedal rod come off at ?
if it is from the top, i had to remove a couple of them and bend the hook end closed a little more on a couple of guitar's

[Larry Bell]

Matthew,
Pedal steel is more of a muscle memory instrument than most other instruments. There are specific movements that are unlike those one would use in playing any other instrument -- ankle twists, pedal recognition, bar technique, right hand picking and blocking techniques. NOBODY masters these techniques without repetition.

My advice would be to find a teacher -- preferably one whose playing, sound, and style you find pleasing. If you can't find a teacher, then find a player who performs locally and WATCH CAREFULLY. There are some very bad habits that can take great effort to unlearn and a teacher can show you what proper technique LOOKS like and SOUNDS like. Jerry Fessenden is near Montpelier. If you don't know him YOU NEED TO. Jerry is not only a great player he builds a pretty great pedal steel too (I know -- I play one). If you're not close to Montpelier, I'm sure Jerry can help you find someone in your area of Vermont. New England is FULL of steel players.

Sounds like something is binding on your guitar. Turn it upside down and engage LKL. Look at what the changer does and what the pull train (lever to cross shaft to bellcrank to pullrod to changer) looks like -- and how the parts move to make a raise (look at the A pedal and watch strings 5 and 10) and lower (look at the lever that lowers 4 and 8 E to D#). It's gotta be there somewhere -- teach yourself how the mechanics work. That's another place where a teacher can come in handy. Many steel players are good with the underside of the guitar as well as the topside.

You didn't mention the brand -- this can be important. Also, there are no common pulls of two full steps. Do you know how to tune the pedal and lever pulls at the endplate? Do you know what each pedal and lever is supposed to do? Different players have different knee lever configurations -- be sure you know what pedal/lever pulls what strings in which direction AND how far they are supposed to pull.

Good luck -- c'mon back if you still have questions.

Oh -- the rod popping out:
It shouldn't happen if it's set up right. Some brands may do it more readily than others but it is a flaw in design.

Good luck. Find a teacher. That will solve MANY problems.

[Austin Tripp]

Larry is the MAN!

[bob Ousby]

Matt...Re the rod coming out, make sure it is installed correctly up underneath. On my Excel, the open end of the "hook" faces me...Bob

[Barry Hyman]

Sounds like you bought a used one that needs adjustment, maybe even repairs. Jerry Fessenden in Montpelier does repairs, as Larry said. I don't do repairs but I have been teaching music fulltime and playing steel for decades; I'm near Bennington - does that help?

[Matthew Tansey]

Thanks for the words of advice.

I'm actually rolling on down to Asheville, NC for the summer, potentially longer. I'm assuming that area will be a little more fertile with steel players and I can consult some knowledgeable folks down there I know.

The guy who sold me the steel was up front about it needing some adjustments so I was expecting it.

Its in solid enough shape to play with the pedals and figure that out until I can get someone to take a look at it.

[Brian Kurlychek]

So, what brand steel did you end up buying?

[Matthew Tansey]

I ended up getting a Wilcox. I'm playing it constantly and loving it. Thanks for asking.