I stumbled upon a used Carter Starter 10 string at a local music store over the past weekend, and noticed they had the pedal bars attached as shown below:
Although I'm new to the world of pedal steels, as are the kind folks at my local music store, is this an acceptable technique of setting up? Or is this entirely incorrect? I know I've never seen one setup like this before...
Any help you may have would be much appreciated. They are asking 1100 for it with a gig bag. Would you pass or play?
yes it is setup wrong. i would not pay more than $800.00. if ,you buy it have some one who knows pedal steel to set it up for you.it will get you started in the pedal steel world.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT1TvjnlYHM
LOL! Somebody should have googled "pedal steel" before setting it up like that!
Like this pedal steel icon in Logic Pro - kinda made me laugh that the legs are straight, the pedals are huge and too close to the center, the pedal rods go THROUGH the rack (how are they pulling anything?), and there are no knee levers. A designer sat there and created this...how? Without ever looking at a picture of a real pedal steel?
Not only did it get set up "wrong", but someone put a lot of work to move the pedals from the keyhead end to the changer end. Then to move the undercarriage parts to the changer end. Maybe a left hander. I would never buy that guitar, and not for more than 3 to 4 hundred if I lost my mind and wanted to buy it.
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, NV400, NV112 .Playing for 53 years and still counting.
Wow, good catch on the pedals being moved - that's something I hadn't considered, and would be a major deal breaker for me now that I think about it.
I appreciate everyone's insight into the matter and I think I'll pass on this one. But at a minimum, I'll be able to pass this knowledge on to the shop, who may learn something as well (like basic setup!).
They probably just mounted the pedal bar upside down and didn't really change anything on the pedal bar or guitar. Some big time wing nuts at work here for sure!!
Handy if you have a parrot that likes to climb up the pedal rods. Lousy if you want to actually play it.
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional
Jay Jessup wrote:They probably just mounted the pedal bar upside down and didn't really change anything on the pedal bar or guitar. Some big time wing nuts at work here for sure!!
You're probably right. I'd love (or maybe hate) to see where the hooks on the pedal rods are hooked up.
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, NV400, NV112 .Playing for 53 years and still counting.
Jay Jessup wrote:They probably just mounted the pedal bar upside down and didn't really change anything on the pedal bar or guitar. Some big time wing nuts at work here for sure!!
Not sure about that - the rods that go diagonally are way longer than the one that goes vertically.
Not only would I leave that one in the store, I'd also ask them to pay you money for just looking at it!
The steel guitar is a hard mistress. She will obsess you, bemuse and bewitch you. She will dash your hopes on what seems to be whim, only to tease you into renewing the relationship once more so she can do it to you all over again...and yet, if you somehow manage to touch her in that certain magic way, she will yield up a sound which has so much soul, raw emotion and heartfelt depth to it that she will pierce you to the very core of your being.
I have set and looked at this picture for quite a while. It looks as if the legs in the back of the guitar are at a longer angle than the front legs.
It looks as if the front legs which would have the pedal bar attachment hardware are on the back of the guitar, And the back legs are on the front.
I believe the rods are just hooked to something not the actual pedal rod levers connector holes on the cross rods. Looks as if the rods are hooked 180 degrees from where they should be. and to what????
If the legs was removed and rotated 180 degrees under the guitar. the pedals would be under the front of the tuner head and then it should hook up correct. And look like a guitar most of us know and sit down to.
