New PSG, new player

Richard Foster · Post by **Richard Foster** » 19 Sep 2022 9:07 am

Hey folks , new PSG guy. I just purchased a Carter starter. It is a 3x2 , I know, I purchased it 1) it fit in my budget 2) was all I could find locally. I am 70 been playing guitar off and on for about 55 years, was for the most part rhythm guitar and singer last four years got more serious. Been told I am at an advanced intermediate, so much for so much. The guitar is a 10 E9th running. Now to the question. How bad did I limit my potential? Can I play Major, minor, 7ths ? Lastly think I need a mentor/instructor. I live in OKC, Ok. Be gentle LOL I love music and been wanting a PSG for a long time. Do have a 6 string C6 lap steel been practicing, left and right hand basic techniques, for about a month. Thanks every one for your time.

Bobby D. Jones · Post by **Bobby D. Jones** » 19 Sep 2022 7:42 pm

Welcome to a Steel Guitar journey.
With 3 pedals, And if 1 of the knee levers raises E"s strings 4 & 8 to F and the other knee lever Lowers the E's strings 4 & 8 to D# there is a lot of music in the guitar. You have to find the music and bring it out.

Here on the forum, In the Store, b0b sells Mel Bays E9th Chord chart. It is a road map for chords on the E9th neck. A good deal for about 7.00 dollars.

Shows pedals to engage, And knee levers to use to make Major, Minor, 7th, Augmented and Diminish chords.

Good Luck in your journey with steel guitar, Happy Steelin.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 20 Sep 2022 2:18 am

Welcome. The 3 pedals and 1 knee are plenty to start. Probably 90 to 95% of my playing is the A and B pedals and the knee that lowers the E's.

A comment on bar handling. I started on Lap steel and was taught the common way of moving from say 3rd fret to 9th fret by lifting the bar and placing it at the 9th fret. On pedal the "preferred" method would be to mute the strings with the right hand and slide the bar to the 9th fret.

Was listing from Ohio on public profile intentional? since you say you are in Oklahoma City?

Tommy Mc · Post by **Tommy Mc** » 22 Sep 2022 5:51 am

Although I've never owned one, I was under the impression that the Carter Starter was a 3x4 (4 levers).https://steelguitar.com/manuals/CSOWNERSMANUAL.pdf
That's certainly what the manual shows. There are lots of posts here about weak levers on the CS, so it's worth checking to see if the extra two have been broken/removed....and might be repairable.

If one of your levers lowers the E's, then you have the ability to play a ton of music, and even more if the other one raises the E's.

Richard Foster · Post by **Richard Foster** » 22 Sep 2022 2:47 pm

ok guys now that I received the PSG it indeed has 3x4 the folks that had it(guitar center) obviously didn't know what they were talking about. My guess is this was taken into the store because dad or grandpa had passed and they didn't play. So I had ordered new strings so spent today taking old string off, cleaning and very light oil(3 in 1) , . Got the new strings tuned, but not sure the pedals, or at least some of the levers are working properly. Got some feelers out for someone in the area that is familiar with the mechanical rods, pedals and levers. I am out of my element on the mechanical parts. I live in OKC area, so now I am looking. As said in my first post the shipping box was almost totally destroyed. Thanks for all of your responses.

Rich

Richard Foster · Post by **Richard Foster** » 22 Sep 2022 2:49 pm

Suppose to of read some of the pedals and levers I think are working improperly.

Tommy Mc · Post by **Tommy Mc** » 22 Sep 2022 4:08 pm

Richard Foster wrote:Suppose to of read some of the pedals and levers I think are working improperly.

Refer to the OWNERS MANUAL for instructions on setup and tuning the pedals and levers.
There is a chart (aka "copedent") on page 6 which shows what each change is supposed to do. For each change, there should be a rod running back through the endplate at the bridge end. (The changes are tuned by adjusting the nuts on the ends of those rods.) For instance, when you operate pedal A, you should see a linkage which pulls 2 rods....one for the 10th string, and one for the 5th string. Start by making sure all the rods for each change are attached and moving when the pedal or rod is activated. It's a pretty simple arrangement, and if one isn't working, you can compare it to others. I haven't worked on one, but I assume two of the levers (LKL and RKL?) will have reversing mechanisms, so you can compare them. Once you establish that everything is operating, follow the instructions in the manual to tune the pedals and levers (and set travel if necessary).

John Hyland · Post by **John Hyland** » 22 Sep 2022 4:15 pm

I can’t speak from direct experience but it seams some PSG are very sensitive to the string selection. That is the gauge and whether is it wound or plain. This can dictate whether the mechanism can be adjusted satisfactorily. Someone here might help or an internet search would probably locate the owners manual. Maybe you have it already. I would recommend using the gauge/ type the factory specs. The manual should/could give you help to set things up too.
EDIT Seems you have the necessary info on the previous post.

Richard Foster · Post by **Richard Foster** » 22 Sep 2022 4:24 pm

Thanks will tackle that tomorrow. Thanks for the help.