So I wanna learn the pedal steel........

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 13 Aug 2014 6:39 am

Well, that's easy. Have you read the sticky post on how to tune a push-pull?
On a push-pull, you tune the RAISED note at the keyhead, then tune the open note with the recessed screws behind the bottom holes.

Peter Harrell · Post by **Peter Harrell** » 13 Aug 2014 8:05 am

Lane Gray wrote:Well, that's easy. Have you read the sticky post on how to tune a push-pull?
On a push-pull, you tune the RAISED note at the keyhead, then tune the open note with the recessed screws behind the bottom holes.

Yeah, I'll check it out this evening. I'm sure its no big deal.

I did get in touch with Doug Palmer and I think he will be able to help get me started. Super nice guy. And he doubles on saxophone so at least we have that in common.

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 18 Aug 2014 8:37 am

And have you checked out this thing? It's the tinkers' manual for the push-pull.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pedal-Steel-Gui ... 0598597396

Peter Harrell · Post by **Peter Harrell** » 18 Aug 2014 11:40 am

I hadn't seen that yet but I did get the book you recommended. I think it will help quite a bit. First lesson/guitar checkup tonite.

Peter Harrell · Post by **Peter Harrell** » 19 Aug 2014 4:24 am

Ok, little update here. Met with Doug last nite and as suspected the guitar needs a little work. Ended up just leaving it with him to straighten it out. It was some kind of totally off the wall set up, neither Emmons or Day. He is going to convert it too a standard Emmons setup.

After going over the guitar he gave me a lesson using one of his guitars and everything started to make a little more sense. Super nice and knowledgeable guy. Sucks having to leave my guitar and not be able to practice all the stuff he taught me but I'm sure this will be better in the long run.

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 19 Aug 2014 6:10 am

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 19 Aug 2014 6:11 am

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 19 Aug 2014 6:12 am

As I mentioned in a prior post, there is not such thing as a 'standard setup' (copedent), there are those that copy emmons and day, those that copy some other artist that "did their own thing", and those that "do their own thing".

I have 3 different guitars with three different copedents...example, E lower on lkr, on rkl, and on rkr.

MSA (Maurice anderson's company) seemed to put E changes on the right knee, and he is every bit as famous and great as Emmons and Day. That is what your copedent shows. You also have a standard pull (g# to f#) on P1... but it may be on P0. Paul Franklin has that specific pull on P0, along with a number of other pulls that act simulateously. It's where many universal players struggling for knee lever real estate put their G# to F#.

Bobbe Seymour has said that he considered string 9 and string 7 one of the keys to his style, and not many players seem to get the power of string 9, but it becomes a lot clearer when there are long forgotten changes like shown on your guitar's left cluster. Some good power there.

I guess I could go through and tell you what you do have on your guitar for changes, and they are certainly not "wonky", they reflect the specific musical ambitions of the original owner to get what he wanted out of his guitar".

Having found many non standard changes on used guitars I have bought, when I discover how to use them, I begin to consider non standard (eg. Emmons or day) a gift moreso than a nuisance.

Peter Harrell · Post by **Peter Harrell** » 19 Aug 2014 6:57 am

The "original owner" never learned to play the thing and I don't believe the copedant bore any similarities with what was actually on the guitar for whatever reason.

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 19 Aug 2014 11:05 am

I see, well, I appreciate you publishing the copedent cause I collect them...lol, and if this is the case, you have a 'closet queen', you got a great deal on the guitar.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 19 Aug 2014 3:32 pm

Tom Gorr wrote:
MSA (Maurice anderson's company) seemed to put E changes on the right knee, and he is every bit as famous and great as Emmons and Day.

I think the "E" changes started out on the right knee on most guitar brands! Used to be (back in the early '60s) that most of the guitars I saw only had one or two knee levers, and they were usually put on the right knee...probably so they would interfere less with using the floor pedals.