If You Could Design Your Own Pedal Steel

[Alan Brookes]

If you had an unlimited budget, and could design your own pedal steel from scratch, and it would be built for you by a master craftsman, what features would you like ?

I'll start the ball rolling. For me I would like:-

[1] A wider string spacing, to fit my big hands. About the same as on a Stringmaster.

[2] Two 10-string necks, one E9 and one C6.

[3] Wide pedals, covered in rubber. Six of them, actuating BOTH necks, as on a Sho-Bud Crossover, but with a more reliable changeover mechanism.

[4] Two pickups on each neck.

[5] Roller nuts.

[6] A polished wood cabinet.

[7] Instead of legs, cast aluminum sideframes, like on a Singer sewing machine.

[8] A volume pedal built into the pedalboard.

[9] Wide knee levers, long enough to reach my knees, covered in rubber.

I half expect someone to come forward with, "Yes, but all those features are already available on the XYZ Super XL"...

[Mike Perlowin]

I would have the new Excel combined tuner and changer on the nut side of the neck, and have the strings make direct contact with the body in some way on the bridge side. Perhaps the way they go through the body on a Tele, or perhaps the way the Sierra lap steel is set up.

And if it could be done, I'd like to see a pedal steel guitar with a Peizo equipped bridge, but I believe it's not practical, because the Peizos pick up and amplify all the mechanical noise. (I've experimented extensively with them, and no matter what I did, they still picked up all sorts of unwanted sounds.)

[Danny James]

For me I would want Quality Harlin Bros. Multi-Kord style changers mounted vertically on the end so I could easily put any tunings on that I wanted to myself, in just a short while without having to turn the guitar upside down. I could easily and quickly experiment with tunings & change copedants if I wanted to. The pedals would be across the front like modern country steel guitars are. It would have a solid feel to it while using the pedals & knee levers which would work smoothly, Each string would have the capability of being raised or lowered in any combination with each knee lever and pedal. The guitar would have a nice wood body with lacquer finish. It would have an aluminum bridgework frame where the top of the pedal rods fastened and attached to the legs in a way separate from the body so that it totally eliminated any chance for cabinet drop. It would be made to be able to quickly change pickups as well. It possibly would have both a roller nut & bridge.

I have been thinking about this very thing for a long time and spent many hours making up various drawings to do just this. I firmly believe it can be done. Just MHO

[Robert Harper]

I would make the location of the pedals moderately adjustable. i seem to have difficult rocking on and off with out some how partially pressing the wrong pedal. I like the rubber idea. I wish I could play barefoot. Yes I am from Alabama. Also some movement in knee levers. I agree that it would be nice to be able to access the underside without all the
discombobulation that happens now. Mostly I would like to be able to play the darn thing

[Bob Simons]

Since weight and space aren't much of an issue, give me a self-tuning steel guitar-(the mechanisms do exist and work to a considerable for 6 string guitars...)
Maybe pneumatic or electronically activated pedals.
Multiple and interchangeable pickups.
Easy pedal height adjustments accessible from playing position (like MSA.)

[Jimmie Martin]

I would use my cabinets.
All of the mechanics would be by Mr. Weenick(top notch)
Jerry Wallace Truetone pickups
Also legs and rods by Mr. Don Burrows. Match that.

[Gerry Simon]

Lite enough so us older guys might play a few extra years...maybe carbon fiber shell and fiber legs; a cover for the bottom to keep out dirt and dust from those windy outside gigs; rounded corners and edges...nothing to bang or scratch; an ergonomic pedal rack curved around the player a bit to shorten foot travel, like some organs...;illuminated fret markers for those dark starts before the lights come up; keyless changer to shorten and cut the weight;maybe folding legs or something to cut the setup time;a large enough pickup hole to simplify replacement; and all black so it sounds good!

[Mike Perlowin]

I would use my cabinets.
All of the mechanics would be by Mr. Weenick(top notch)
Jerry Wallace Truetone pickups
Also legs and rods by Mr. Don Burrows. Match that.

MSA

[Dave Boothroyd]

All of the above, plus...
It should fold up and pack away into its flight case without any dismantling, unscrewing or even disturbance of the tuning.
Furthermore, the whole item when packed should be portable by a normal human being.
Cheers
Dave

[Danny Bates]

On my dream guitar, the strings would be much closer to the fingerboard. Sensors could detect which fret my bar was on, and the fret could pop up and make contact with the strings.

Then I could sustain any chord and start soloing over it.

[Jimmie Martin]

Sorry Mike but MSA doesn't hold a light to what i typed. Not even close.

[Mac Knowles]

Danny James... This is an interesting topic. I've thought a lot about the old Harlin changer etc. I'm actually building a guitar right now with a sort of similiar changer mounted vertically on the end. All the changes done with a screwdriver only, without turning the guitar over at all. It's a 12 string keyless.....I'm still working on the keyless contraption at that end. Without making the changer arms too long to be practical, I have 10 options for the pedals/levers. Can be 3 pedals and 7 levers, 4 pedals and 6 levers, 5 pedals and 5 levers...whatever adds to 10, and setup can be changed in just a few minutes. I'll be posting some pictures after a bit, but the Christmas holidays have reduced my workshop time to pretty much zero.
Cheers,
Mac

[Brett Lanier]

I want a tiny spring loaded lever just to the right of the p/u selector as a tone control for the C6.

[b0b]

I play a Williams D-12 crossover. It has a lever behind the left endplate that switches all of the pedals and knee levers from one neck to the other.

What I would like is a similar "switch lever" on a single neck guitar. It would change the tuning, and change the functions of selected pedals and knee levers.

Carl Dixon went down this road a while back with an Excel. His idea was to change knee lever functions on the fly with switches on his volume pedal. That's not really what I'm looking for, but it's similar.

For example, consider a U-12 tuning with 5+5 (no middle D string). With the lever in in the first position, all of the pedals and knee levers would have E9th changes. In the second position, the E's would be lowered to D#, the temperament might be adjusted for some strings, and the pedals and knee levers would all have the B6th pulls on them.

I'd really like that.

[b0b]

• • ...
  • electric linear changer integrated in a regular-looking keyhead.
  • ...
  • computerized to take any copedent changes and pitch adjustments for chosen Just Intonation variant(s) on all strings in any key and with any pedal/lever combination.
  • ...

Yes! Those features would make my "switch lever" idea feasible.

[Bob Hickish]

I would like an Auto-Play mode for those senior moments .

Did you ever play “ winter wonderland “ and then have to kick
“ Bum’n around “ almost impossible for the over the hill gang .

[Scott Howard]

Bob
I also want a singleneck crossover. Having also owened a Williams crossover , I have emailed back and forth with Bill sometime back about a singleneck crossover and he doesn't think it is possible. It may also be that is is just not a practical road to go down when it comes to final sales numbers compaired to initial time and cost for design and to produce it for a very limited market .

Did Carl get his going and working or was it just a idea in the plans ?

I would like a crossover U-12 SD ,keyless 5 pedals , 6 knee levers ,Pull the lever all pedals/levers go from E 9th to B 6th functions , quick change pickups , 25 " scale , Blonde curly maple top with changable front aprons of various colors to be slid in from the bottom while in the case . Changer on both ends one for lowers and the other for raises .

[ed packard]

Alternative PSG design shown here:

http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/ ... ON%20DATA/

And here:
http://www.sierrasteels.com/pages/index2.html

Two pickups, both tapped, either or both can be switched to series or parl, phase aiding or opposing.

Strings are the same distance apart at both ends.

30” scale length tuned to C as in C9 = E9 is at 25” scale length.

No neck block. Glass drop in fret board = back light or?

Fret board will be LCD computer driven. Could use LCD picture frame now for info.

Integrated changer and keyless/gearless tuner, on players left. No string puller needed.

Tuning screws can be Allen wrench (shown…keeps tweakers away), or finger knobs (not shown).

String can be removed and put back on.

The rod (under the strings) on the string retainer end can be changed to a variety of materials to change the tone.

Two pedals are added to get the 13 series tuning structures.

Room under the drop in fret board for lots of circuitry.

It will be interesting to see what the maker of the worlds most elite PSGs will do with the concept (don’t ask who!).

NEXT GENERATION:

Circuit boards are being made for the pedal/lever activation sensors. Object is to eliminate the rods, bell cranks, cross shafts, and mechanical changer.

Individual string programmable pickups proven out…packaging being worked out.

[Greg Cutshaw]

There's a few guitars out there now that meet my requirements except:


Why can't they design a changer finger with a removable cap on it. The part of the guitar that wears out first and kills the sound from buzzing has no field replaceable caps????


Greg

[b0b]

Bob
I also want a singleneck crossover. ...
Did Carl get his going and working or was it just a idea in the plans ?

Carl's Excel modification actually worked. See the second chart on http://b0b.com/tunings/CarlDixon.html for the copedent details. Mechanically, I have no idea how it was accomplished.

[Alan Brookes]

For me I would want Quality Harlin Bros. Multi-Kord style changers mounted vertically on the end so I could easily put any tunings on that I wanted to myself, in just a short while without having to turn the guitar upside down. ...

I expected Danny to jump in with this, so I left this off my list. The ability to change copedants quickly without having to play around under the guitar must be a #1 priority. Given that the Harlin design was one of the first, I'm astonished that future development of the pedal steel hasn't followed on along their lines.

[Danny James]

I was just talking to John Quarterman ( of the Quarterman Cone for resonator guitars) the other day and it seems he knew the Harlins much better than I. He enlightened me about Jay Harlin when they were still making Multi-Kords. Jay was still coming up with more modern designs including some I have discussed here such as the pedals across the front, sturdier guitar bodies, and keeping the changer where copedants were quick and easy to change without going underneath the guitar to do it. According to John much of this was still ahead of everyone else at the time. Exactly why he didn't get these designs off the ground "first" I don't quite understand. My understanding is there were several different ones trying to infringe on his patents as did one well known maker at the time.

[Jim Lindsey (Louisiana)]

Why can't they design a changer finger with a removable cap on it. The part of the guitar that wears out first and kills the sound from buzzing has no field replaceable caps???? Greg

Hi Greg ... at a steel show back in the early '80s I posed a very similar question to a couple of steel manufacturers ... why not make inexpensive thin metal caps (sold in packages of 10 or 12) that can fit individually right over the top of the string fingers so that it protects them from burrs and scratches, easily changed when you change your strings (just lift it off and pop a new one on).

Diplomatically, I'll not mention the names of the manufacturers I mentioned this idea to, but I was told by both that it would be impractical and people wouldn't use them. When they told me that, I just kind of 86'd it and never pursued the idea further.

[Allan Munro]

I am interested to see how many are mentioning electrical/electronic tuning/changer-action. Like it or not that will come - it has to. I know, from a previous thread, that many don't like it.
However, the OP raised an option that no one seems to have picked up on at all and that is surprising to me. That is his #7, side frames instead of legs. There would have to still be some way to deal with an uneven floor but otherwise, I think this would be nice.
The important thing that has come out of this thread is that there are still so many variants and variations in demand that there will continue to be a market for more than one manufacturer for a while yet.

Regards, Allan.....