Please Explain Why Padded Knee Levers Are Not In Use

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 28 Dec 2010 6:22 am

Richard,

Thanks for your generous explanation while pointing out the advantages of spring usages. I realized this morning that I should have pointed out my knee levers by going much further with their distinctive features. They are angled and rotate with leg movements. I don't recall ever seeing others that actually rotate with leg movements. The standard knee levers are nothing more than inflexible and unyielding assemblages. If I chose to place good money on the barrelhead, I would expect no less than a rotating and cushioned set of knee levers

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 28 Dec 2010 1:57 pm

b0b,

This thread gathered momentum at the onset only to nosedive as if to be shot down. I went back and traced some of the responses, hoping to spot something that would suddenly turn off the responders in such a perplexing manner. I read your words a few times, and even in the presence of a faultering thread, I must disagree with your assumed deduction. The cushioning effect is so minimal that to say that it would disrupt a system of feel doesn't carry well; not in this particular situation.

Tony Glassman · Post by **Tony Glassman** » 28 Dec 2010 4:06 pm

b0b wrote:
Please Explain Why Padded Knee Levers Are Not In Use
Because people who want padding can add it easily, and most people simply don't find it desirable. The firmness of the metal against my knee makes it easy for me to feel the point where the lever starts to pull the strings. I fear that any soft padding would tend to obscure that "start point", resulting in slight accidental engagement of the lever.

+1

John McConnell · Post by **John McConnell** » 28 Dec 2010 4:25 pm

Bill, I think sometimes folks use this forum to build themselves up at other folks expense. Going back to the Jeff Newman exipierence. We were playing 8 hours a day for a 4 day seminar. We were leanimng on the Eb lever and a couple od guys made comments about their legs getting sore. He solved the problem. He not only did this for those guys, he did it for the whole class. Don't worry about what these other macho guys think. Jeff always told us "Do what works for you and don't worry about what someone else thinks. Next they will ripping off the pads from the SD10's.

Dick Sexton · Post by **Dick Sexton** » 28 Dec 2010 6:16 pm

John, that may not be such a bad idea, ripping the pad off of an SD10. I've thought for a while now that the pad that extends to the end of the body at the key head end is just so much wasted space. Seem that if your centering your body at or about the 12 fret or higher, the pad on the back neck is wasted to the left of the nut. Why not put a box there to keep your picks and bar in. Maybe even aspirin or tums, that would make that space useful. Then you could take that unused padding and put it on the knee levers at no added cost. Looks like a win/win to me. And why don't they attach those pads with velcro.

John McConnell · Post by **John McConnell** » 28 Dec 2010 6:20 pm

No good deed goes unpunished.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 28 Dec 2010 8:01 pm

Bill Hankey wrote:b0b,

This thread gathered momentum at the onset only to nosedive as if to be shot down. I went back and traced some of the responses, hoping to spot something that would suddenly turn off the responders in such a perplexing manner. I read your words a few times, and even in the presence of a faultering thread, I must disagree with your assumed deduction. The cushioning effect is so minimal that to say that it would disrupt a system of feel doesn't carry well; not in this particular situation.

You and I rarely agree on anything, Bill. I've tried padded knee levers and found them squishy. I don't like them. I like the feel of solid metal against my knees. I can tell when it's moving. With padding, I can't feel the point where the string is activated very well.

As for momentum-killing, it's not important to keep a topic going. What's important is to disseminate knowledge about the steel guitar. In this topic, a novice would have learned that 1) some folks like padded knee levers, 2) it's easy to pad them yourself, and 3) some folks don't like padded levers.

All three of those points have been made quite well. If the topic has lost momentum, perhaps it's simply because there is nothing more to say about it.

Jeff Hyman · Post by **Jeff Hyman** » 28 Dec 2010 8:22 pm

Some good places to start looking. I don't wear shorts because the leg levers are to cold (as already mentioned). I'm thinking a nonstick, yet secure light product that gets shrink wrapped. I did this many years ago with an underground cable that was cut, It worked great. Finding a piece the size of a knee lever shouldn't be to hard to find.
http://www.weicowire.com/tableofcontents2.htm
http://www.buyheatshrink.com/heatshrink ... efin.htm#B
http://www.buyheatshrink.com/heatshrink ... bing.htm#B
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/e ... JMF1JVT7gl
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=shr ... FRIR&qpvt=

I always wear long leg jeans, so I personally have no need for such an item,

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 29 Dec 2010 3:39 am

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 29 Dec 2010 11:27 am

admin · Post by **b0b** » 29 Dec 2010 12:04 pm

Off topic posts have been deleted.

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 29 Dec 2010 2:13 pm

Of all the pedal steel guitars I've owned or played, I've never run across one that hurts my knees.

And I've got skinny, bony legs!

For me, it's a non-issue. I always wear Levi's denim blue-jeans when I play, and that seems to be enough padding for me.

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 30 Dec 2010 4:58 am

Stuart Legg · Post by **Stuart Legg** » 31 Dec 2010 1:49 am

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 31 Dec 2010 5:23 am

Dickie Whitley · Post by **Dickie Whitley** » 31 Dec 2010 5:39 am

I'm with b0b, I like the feel of the metal because I know exactly what the knee is doing. This discussion was over long ago. If you need padding, then by all means find a way to do it. Unless the whole pedal steel nation crys out for it, don't expect builders to start offering it.

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 31 Dec 2010 9:24 am

Dickie Whitley · Post by **Dickie Whitley** » 31 Dec 2010 9:37 am

Bill, only if that study is justified by the cost of implementing it, which at this point in time is not. The number of those feeling the need for such a product is so far few that any study of this cannot be economically justified by any builder. Therefore this entire conversation is moot and a waste of your energy for bringing it up. It apparently has been a waste of my time trying to get you to see that point. This is a personal issue and should be treated as such. Railing against the industry for such a personal requirement is selfish at best and whiny at the worst, in my opinion. And definitely a waste of b0b's storage and bandwidth.

Ross Shafer · Post by **Ross Shafer** » 31 Dec 2010 9:47 am

From what I can tell about most of the steel builders out there, they seem to be nice folks who want to please their customers. I have a feeling that just about any of them out there, for a price, would be willing to pad the knee levers on their guitars if the customer asked when placing their order....on the other hand if that same customer approached it with a "why are you blowing it by not putting pads on the knee levers" attitude....he might get a different response.

I'm fine without pads and think folks who want them should figure out a way to have 'em (as many obviously have)....railing on the industry as a whole and players who don't care for them about something like this just seems silly and devisive.

Happy Hot Dang New Year Bill and the rest of y'all!

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 31 Dec 2010 10:50 am

Dickie Whitley · Post by **Dickie Whitley** » 31 Dec 2010 11:14 am

Well Bill, my opinion is that instead of taking up all this storage space and continually railing against things you think are against you, why don't you implement your ideas and make a new changer and steels with knee-pads, and all the other stuff you complain about. If you want all this stuff, then invest into doing it, and see how the market reacts. Then your ideas will either be accepted or rejected on their merits. How about it?

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 31 Dec 2010 11:43 am

Dickie Whitley · Post by **Dickie Whitley** » 31 Dec 2010 11:59 am

If that's the case, then what was the point of this whole discussion you started?

admin · Post by **b0b** » 31 Dec 2010 12:30 pm

Discussions about forum etiquette are off topic. Please, stay on the topic of steel guitars!

I don't mind excessive bandwidth being used for steel guitar topics, but bickering about personalities is a real waste of everyone's time.

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 31 Dec 2010 12:56 pm

b0b,

I got hooked on batting ideas around. I'll move away from this line of bickerings to save face. Many of the responses from forum heavyweights have been basically nil of late. Quite the opposite of what I had hoped to overcome. There will be no need for future reprimands. Thanks for the great work you've done in support of our musical interests, and have a Happy New Year!

The Steel Guitar Forum

Please Explain Why Padded Knee Levers Are Not In Use

Pads?