Leave it alone, or, improve it and relearn...

Ray Minich · From: Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra

Well, all this talk about "buttery smooth" pedal action has me questioning my setup. So I go and decide to take all the play out of the pedals, and kinda tighten things up a bit on my Dekley D-10. Eliminate the jerky feel on "C", and make the action on A, B, & C a bit more precise.

I got tears in my ears, from lying on my back, crying on my pillow, over them awful little setscrews.....

Now that things are tightened up a bit, and the strings are back to being in tune, the pedals sure feel different.

Gotta get used to a whole new foot pressure and swing.

Mike Wheeler · From: Delaware, Ohio, USA

Well, those little setscrews may be a pain, but I'd rather struggle with them in an MSA or Dekley than many other designs I've seen. Those setscrews are one of the reasons I bought my Dekley, and have fond memories of my long gone MSAs.

The rods stay locked in place much better than the right-angle-hook designs. And once adjusted well, there's no appreciable slop anywhere.

Hang in there, Ray. All that effort will pay off big time.

One more thing...also take the time to get the pedals timed exactly like you want them, and you'll smile everytime you play it. (that's always the hardest part, though)

[This message was edited by Mike Wheeler on 14 November 2006 at 11:28 AM.]

Bill Duve · From: Limestone .New York, USA

I had to learn about hunting them setscrews
with a cigarette lighter before I could start to learn to play because someone else had jacked them around so bad, but whats he mean about timing, Ive heard of it, what am I missing ?

Charlie McDonald · From: out of the blue

You get used to those little set screws the more you futz with them. Your confidence increases over time.
Timing is everything, isn't it, Mike?
Some of those jerky pulls mentioned may need a little applied logic to make two strings, like the C pedal's C# and F# raises, raise to a higher pitch at the same time. The A pedal's raising of two strings an octave apart with different guages is more of a challenge, but when they raise together, it is so sweet.

Learning to make these adjustments yourself is the finishing touch of psg work. I find it satisfying to sweat the petty stuff; makes my brain work, and the results are so nice.

[This message was edited by Charlie McDonald on 15 November 2006 at 07:01 AM.]

Mike Wheeler · From: Delaware, Ohio, USA

You got it exactly right, Charlie. You described it very well. All those pulls are a pain to get setup, but once they're set to your liking, playing is just wonderful and you'll feel the guitar responding better than ever before. Actually, it's a VERY important key to playing at your best. With a poorly timed guitar you're constantly fighting to get what you hear in your head to come out of the speaker.

A steel's mechanics are often the biggest impediment to the learning process. Learning to do this stuff yourself is extremely valuable. Some players like a stiff pedal action, some like it soft...some like long pedal throw, others like it short and fast. It's all about what you like...there's pros and cons on both sides. So learn to do it yourself...then, later as you develop more skills, you can always change it.

edit to add: By "timing the guitar" I'm refering to both the pedal action and the multi-string pulls.

[This message was edited by Mike Wheeler on 15 November 2006 at 07:32 AM.]

Bill Duve · From: Limestone .New York, USA

Somebody must up there love me then..
I didnt know beans and just followewd the owners manual instructions, when i got it all back together again it took about 1 - 2 turns on the nylon to tune the pedals A & B and they sound fine...just beginners luck, C 0r 3 pedal not so lucky but I dont use it anyways right now, usually such luck shall not follow me. I think when I came to the C pedal I was overcome by that new math stuff cause its stamped on the pedal rods as 1&2&3...

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