Seat Types and Height

Dale Dryden · Post by **Dale Dryden** » 3 Feb 2016 9:40 am

I'm new to the forum and a beginner, so hope I do this correctly. How important is the "seat" to your playing. I've read that the height should be 19" to 21" and I note that professional pedal steel guitar seats provide "fixed" seating, meaning no swivels, casters, wheels, etc. How does the height relate to how your knees fit underneath the instrument and when/how do you know that you need to heighten the legs and rods on your instrument. I am trying to outfit my practice area and thought I would just purchase an old wood chair. Maybe I'm making this more difficult than it needs to be but thought I'd ask. This forum is great and I appreciate the advice, in advance. Thanks!

Mike Wheeler · Post by **Mike Wheeler** » 3 Feb 2016 11:04 am

Welcome to the Forum, Dale. Don't worry about protocols here. Just ask questions when you need answers. We're all here to share info and experiences.

As to you steel seat....
When seated your legs should form a 90 degree angle under the guitar...(that is the correct height)
With good posture, you should be able to sit at you steel for at least an hour...(the seat needs adequate padding for you backside)

A pak-a-seat isn't needed unless you frequently need to carry your gear around to gigs, or jams, etc. Or if you're short on storage space for your steel accessories one would be handy.

As far as knee levers go, the steel should be adjusted to fit you, not the other way around.

Others may have more considerations. Hope this helped.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 3 Feb 2016 11:09 am

First off, I tried an office chair that had casters. When I would hit a knee lever, the seat wanted to turn in that direction, but not real bad. And if you are on a hard floor, it can slide back a little away from the guitar. Both not major problems, but I still don't recommend using one.

I'm not positive about the heights of seats.

As for the knee levers, I think height is very important. You don't want your knees hitting the bottom of the guitar, and I prefer them not touching the vertical levers. Since I play in cowboy boots, my right leg on the volume pedal would hit the bottom of the guitar. So I had to put a lift kit on the guitar and switch to a low profile volume pedal. I also found that the way my knee levers are adjusted, there is more distance between the towards the bottom, so I didn't have my leg right against the levers at the top of the lever. On my guitar, my knee would activate one of the levers slightly, throwing my guitar out of tune a little.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 3 Feb 2016 11:23 am

Mike made a few other points. The legs should be at a 90 degree angle, but I've seen many players that their legs aren't, and they play great. It would seem to me, it would be more comfortable to have your thigh parallel to the bottom of the guitar (unless you tilt your guitar). But I also think the right legs of many players aren't at a 90 degree angle, depending where they place their volume pedal.I place mine back from the pedal bar, and my leg is pretty much close to a right angle. If I was to do like many others, and have my volume pedal placed right next to, or attached to the pedal bar, my leg wouldn't be at a right angle, and I find it really uncomfortable.

Seat padding... A big thumbs up from me on Michael's advice. Since I have had my mild strokes, I have balance issues. One band I play with has a solid line of monitors that I would have to step over. So I stay in my seat the whole 4 hours, but I do stand up a little during breaks. If I need to go to the restroom, one of the band members helps me step over, or pushes the monitors out of the way, so I don't fall. So, that padding is very important to me.

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 3 Feb 2016 12:13 pm

Height: get close to the bottom of the guitar, but not quite touching it. Too low and the levers feel odd, too high and bellcranks tickle yer thighs.
Padding: quite dense, as you can't shift much.
The steel seats are popular because they meet those criteria for the vast majority of us. A thick phone book on the average chair will get the height, but fail for padding.
If you're not looking to gig yet (or don't mind schlepping a duffel bag), a drum throne meets the need well. Some steel players prefer them anyway

Ben Edmonds · Post by **Ben Edmonds** » 3 Feb 2016 1:16 pm

Portable folding keyboard seat can be bought for around thirty bucks and for me have the height and padding I need. Folds up flat so I I find it easier and lighter to carry than a drum throne which I used to use.

Edward Rhea · Post by **Edward Rhea** » 3 Feb 2016 5:20 pm

Dale, a search on forum archives will reveal a tremendous amount of info/discusions and many homemade seats that might help and even inspire you. I can't help but feel returning to your steel at a proper height and comfort level, familiarizes and promotes a better routine for practice and even learning? I'm aware that the pac a seat wasn't always around, but it's one accessory I don't want to be without.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 3 Feb 2016 5:55 pm

Height: get close to the bottom of the guitar, but not quite touching it. Too low and the levers feel odd, too high and bellcranks tickle yer thighs.

Gee Lane. The bellcranks tickling my thighs is the closest I get to having a girlfriend.

On the subject of keyboard seats, the student I had yesterday had one that I think was too low. When I played keyboards, I had one that could be adjusted close to the height of a steel seat. So, I believe there are different styles that are lower than the rest. Maybe take a tape measure with you, and check the height if you are going to buy one.

And, I used a good drum throne for years. Worked great. But Ben is right. Drum thrones are a bugger to carry around if you need to conserve space.

Mike Wheeler · Post by **Mike Wheeler** » 3 Feb 2016 7:39 pm

Richard, I use a piano x-frame bench seat (adjustable) and I did take a tape measure with me when I bought it...to make sure I got the height I wanted.

I don't play out anymore so the bench seat is fine. But I'd have a nice pack-a-seat by Mr. Naylor if I did any travel. I like his designs a lot!

Dustin Kleingartner · Post by **Dustin Kleingartner** » 3 Feb 2016 7:49 pm

I love my drum throne. I spent more than I wanted to, about $140, but I'm very happy. It has a "tractor" seat and a back rest, and it is height adjustable from 18"-26".

Allan Jirik · Post by **Allan Jirik** » 3 Feb 2016 8:21 pm

I use a Pro Line adjustable piano seat, I think it was about 50 bucks. Works great. I'd like to find a seat with back support pretty soon though.

Jan Münther · Post by **Jan Münther** » 3 Feb 2016 11:45 pm

Lane Gray wrote:Height: get close to the bottom of the guitar, but not quite touching it. Too low and the levers feel odd, too high and bellcranks tickle yer thighs.
Padding: quite dense, as you can't shift much.
The steel seats are popular because they meet those criteria for the vast majority of us. A thick phone book on the average chair will get the height, but fail for padding.
If you're not looking to gig yet (or don't mind schlepping a duffel bag), a drum throne meets the need well. Some steel players prefer them anyway

That's one question I was about to ask. I live in Germany, with fairly limited access to steel accessories of all kinds, and shipping a seat over from the US will likely be prohibitively expensive.
I thought about trying a drum seat when I finally get my WBS - good to hear this is not such an absurd idea, but others actually do it as well.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 4 Feb 2016 2:18 am

Ben Edmonds wrote:Portable folding keyboard seat can be bought for around thirty bucks and for me have the height and padding I need.

I have mine set at 21" as I am average height. Padding is adequate, as my brain gets uncomfortable before my backside does.

Scott Duckworth · Post by **Scott Duckworth** » 4 Feb 2016 4:28 am

Well, here's my seat..

It works out good, cause I'm usually fishing for a note or chord...

Ian Worley · Post by **Ian Worley** » 4 Feb 2016 9:22 am

Scott Duckworth wrote:...It works out good, cause I'm usually fishing for a note or chord...

that seat gives the term "bass line" a whole different meaning...

Ian Worley · Post by **Ian Worley** » 4 Feb 2016 9:32 am

this one is my favorite as it is fairly compact and portable and has good back support. Unfortunately it doesn't have much storage space but I think I can modify it.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 4 Feb 2016 11:41 am

Dale Dryden · Post by **Dale Dryden** » 4 Feb 2016 1:31 pm

I really appreciate all the input and I think I've scored a nearly new drummers throne from a drummer friend of mine for $70.00. Schwing!!!

Bryant Aycock · Post by **Bryant Aycock** » 5 Feb 2016 1:05 pm

Hello Dale, I am Walker Seats. Ergonomics is an important issue with any instrument. The seat you choose is not as important as the fit. I used a cut off bar stool for years and it worked fine. If you play a lot of different places, you will enjoy a "pack-a-seat." There are several brands and all are good. I'll be glad to talk to you about Walker Seats. Call me! Bryant Aycock @ 919-222-8015

Pat Chong · Post by **Pat Chong** » 5 Feb 2016 6:29 pm

Ian,
Very comfy, but your seat looks like it may limit movement (a little...) I think it would help if you put casters on the legs so you can slide your bar and roll to the next pedal press.....

Don Walworth · Post by **Don Walworth** » 6 Feb 2016 8:18 am

Ben Edmonds wrote:Portable folding keyboard seat can be bought for around thirty bucks and for me have the height and padding I need. Folds up flat so I I find it easier and lighter to carry than a drum throne which I used to use.

Have the same set-up here. Works on guitar as well as my Hammond organ.

Joe Naylor · Post by **Joe Naylor** » 11 Feb 2016 10:06 am

I build a lot of seats and my "standard height" is 20" and other seat manufacturers have been 21".

I use firm foam and others use soft foam.

From an ergonomics stand point your upper legs should be horizontal or slightly different.

Now saying all that I have seen all different heights. Heard that YOU MUST do this or that to reach pedals or knee levers.

Height is an indicator but all people with a certain height do not have the same length of legs.

my 2 cents worth.

Joe Naylor
www.steelseat.com

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 11 Feb 2016 3:25 pm

You could talk to Joe about it and get the seat top fitted with firmer padding.

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