'70s MSA 5&4 copedant?

Jonathan Gregg · Post by **Jonathan Gregg** » 25 May 2005 5:44 pm

This will seem funny, and I have resisted posting sooner so as not to revisit my less informed past, but back in the mid '70s I bought an MSA S10 with 5&4. With no one to show me anything and no clue how to find instruction I bailed after a few fruitless years.

Now that I am playing for real, or as real as I can, I am trying to remember what the two extra pedals (besides the regular ABC setup) did and why that that configuration didn't last. I don't think I've ever seen another like it. Was it an attempt to use universal tuning concepts on an E9?

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 25 May 2005 8:38 pm

Jonathan.. LOTS of 70's MSA guitars shipped w, 5+4... I had 2 of them myself. You could set pedals 4 and 5 to do whatever you like. I have been using a MINIMUM of 5+4 on E9 for 28 years.. My current setup is 5+5, and I have had E9 S 10 guitars w 7+4 and 6+4... You could do the Franklin pull on one of those pedals and then use some oddball pull no one else uses...bob

Jim Eaton · Post by **Jim Eaton** » 26 May 2005 7:41 am

According to the MSA manual;
LKL = 1ST F#-G
LKR = 2ND Eb-C#
9TH D-C#
PED-1 = A
PED-2 = B
PED-3 = C
PED-4 = 2ND Eb-D
PED-5 = 6TH G#-A

RKL = 4/8 E-F
RKR = 4/8 E-Eb

I had a 5/4 S-10, and I remember tearing out the standard set up and putting ABC on 234 and using the 1&5 as the extra pedals.
3/6 G#-G or the Zero pedal has been a long time favorite of mine and 4th E-F# on 5 is great for Moony licks too. My current MSA is an SD-12 Ext E9th with this pedal set-up, but my KL's are standard Emmons with E's on the left.
JE:-)>

Jonathan Gregg · Post by **Jonathan Gregg** » 30 May 2005 1:20 pm

Thanks guys.
I realize you could do whatever you wanted with those pedals, but I was curious what the original setup was. Much appreciated.