RKL not working

Stone Preston · Post by **Stone Preston** » 9 Jun 2017 9:52 pm

Not sure what I did to cause this, but my RKL is not working correctly.

I noticed that RKL (which is supposed to raise both strings 1 and 7 to G) was only raising string 7.

The rod attached to string 1 is engaging, but it doesnt have enough pull to engage the finger of the changer. I tried tightening the tuner for that rod but its screwed as far as it can go but string 1 is still not budging.

Brand new to pedal steel so I'm not exactly sure how to go about fixing it.

Any ideas?

Tim Russell · Post by **Tim Russell** » 10 Jun 2017 2:13 am

It sounds like the bellcrank has loosened up on that string. What guitar is this?

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 10 Jun 2017 3:50 am

Stone, did I read where you got a Stage One?

David Nugent · Post by **David Nugent** » 10 Jun 2017 4:00 am

Could be the bell crank or possibly a loose rod depending on the pull system (if your pull rods have the right angle bend and secure to the bell crank with clips, this is most likely not the problem; the straight through style normally feature a tiny allen set screw to secure the rod which at times can loosen). Also, the nylon tuning nut itself could be stripped and not holding securely...FYI: If one of the above is causing the difficulty, be certain to back off the tuning nut before anything is tightened, otherwise you may have little or no adjustment available on the rod.

Stone Preston · Post by **Stone Preston** » 10 Jun 2017 7:28 am

Its a stage one

Stone Preston · Post by **Stone Preston** » 10 Jun 2017 7:59 am

here is a video of the lever. Let me know if you need to see another angle or anything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv8AUY7DzEo

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 10 Jun 2017 8:25 am

Your nylon tuner for string one is too short and not reaching the finger far enough. You either need a longer one or put a small spacer between it and the finger. They should all be the same length.

You can find nylon spacers at the local home improvement stores.

If Doug sees your video, he can advise you on whether the rodding is correct etc. and other stuff including this.

Stone Preston · Post by **Stone Preston** » 10 Jun 2017 8:57 am

I've emailed Doug to see what he thinks about it. Thanks for the help guys.

Charley Bond · Post by **Charley Bond** » 10 Jun 2017 10:42 am

Looks like your nylon nut has bottomed out. If you look in one end & see threads & look in the other end & see hole, turn the hole end toward the guitar & start turning..

If this ain't the problem, put a short spacer of any kind (tubing, washers or ????)between the nut & the changer, that should give you some pitch change on that string.

Good Luck...

Stone Preston · Post by **Stone Preston** » 10 Jun 2017 11:05 am

I have a quick question about how pitch lowers work for this pedal steel. I can see that when a string is raised, the rod is pulled back and the nylon nut attached to the rod pushes the finger in, raising the pitch of the string.

How do lowers work? The rod is pushed the opposite direction but there is no nut on the other side to push the finger the opposite way. I can see that the finger actually does get pushed the other way but how?

Charlie Hansen · Post by **Charlie Hansen** » 10 Jun 2017 11:19 am

I'm no expert but I'm fairly sure that the tension of the string activates the lower.

Howard Parker · Post by **Howard Parker** » 10 Jun 2017 12:25 pm

Click HERE for diagram.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

h

Stone Preston · Post by **Stone Preston** » 10 Jun 2017 2:32 pm

Got a spacer for the tuner and its working fine now! Thanks guys!

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