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Topic: Steel Height? |
Tom Mossburg
From:
AZ,
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Posted 27 Feb 2007 1:33 pm |
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| What is considered to be standard height for a steel, from the floor to the strings? |
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A. J. Schobert
From:
Cincinnati, Ohio,
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Posted 27 Feb 2007 1:54 pm
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| That has to do with how tall you are you may need a 1 or 2 inch over hieght, or if your small then you would need under hieght. |
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Tom Mossburg
From:
AZ,
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Posted 27 Feb 2007 2:06 pm Steel Height
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| Thanks A.J. I should have clarified the question. What is considered to be the standard height for a normal sized person i.e what is the baseline. I have three steels and they all are different heights so how do I know which one is "standard height"? If a steel were 1" overheight, what is the measurment the 1" over is? |
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Patrick Laffrat
From:
Gemenos, France
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Posted 27 Feb 2007 2:30 pm
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29. 1/2" = 75 cm  |
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Fred Justice
From:
Mesa, Arizona
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Posted 27 Feb 2007 5:07 pm
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Tom I have 3 pedal steel guitars setting here and all 3 are at 30" from floor to strings, hope this helps you.
_________________
Email: azpedalman@gmail.com
Phone: 480-235-8797 |
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A. J. Schobert
From:
Cincinnati, Ohio,
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Posted 27 Feb 2007 5:53 pm
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| Tom my carter is I think about 28 1/4" on the e9th neck, I am 6'2" and I probably should have broke down and got a 1" over hieght kit thus making it easier to pass knees going from neck to neck take care. |
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Tom Mossburg
From:
AZ,
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Posted 27 Feb 2007 6:15 pm Thanks
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| Thanks guys! I thought that it may vary from brand to brand, but at least I know which of my guitars are "average" in ht and which is over. |
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Henry Nagle
From:
Santa Rosa, California
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Posted 27 Feb 2007 6:16 pm
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| I'm 5'9 (and a half!). That's pretty average, I think. When I rest my foot on my volume pedal and measure to the top of my knee I come up with just under 26 inches. My guitars are about 26 inches off the floor and I find that very comfortable. |
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Brint Hannay
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 27 Feb 2007 8:11 pm
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There are really two issues:
The height of the strings, affecting hand and arm position,
and
The height of the underside, affecting knee access and comfort
Since the measurement of the guitar body from the plane of the strings to the underside of the end plates varies from brand to brand, though only by an inch or two at most--and since knee lever lengths may vary and most vertical levers (if present) are at least somewhat adjustable, the height from the floor to the strings seems to me to be the one to use to define the "height of the guitar".
It's surprising how much difference one inch can make. I'm 5'8" (and maybe a half). I have several guitars that I measure as 30 1/2" from floor to strings, and one that measures 31 1/2". The latter is substantially less comfortable for me to play--so much so that I'm going to have the legs and pedal rods shortened by an inch. |
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Don Discher
From:
Sault Ste Marie,Ontario,Canada
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Posted 27 Feb 2007 8:16 pm height
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| My Carter has a 1" lift kit and is 30 1/2 in. from floor to strings. |
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Brint Hannay
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 27 Feb 2007 8:30 pm
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| Henry Nagle wrote: |
| I'm 5'9 (and a half!). That's pretty average, I think. When I rest my foot on my volume pedal and measure to the top of my knee I come up with just under 26 inches. My guitars are about 26 inches off the floor and I find that very comfortable. |
If you're using a standard profile volume pedal, there'd be more of an issue with the other knee--at least there is for me.
I'm surprised at some of the numbers here--I've always assumed that my 30 1/2" guitars were the standard height, and attributed the fact that my knees catch the knee levers quite close to the end to my own legs being short. |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 27 Feb 2007 8:53 pm
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We should hear from the guitar manufacturers, because I am of the opinion that THEY refer to the height as the height from the floor to the lowest part of the apron. i.e. leg clearance.
_________________
Steelies do it without fretting
CLICK THIS to view my tone bars and buy——> |
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Henry Nagle
From:
Santa Rosa, California
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Posted 27 Feb 2007 9:10 pm
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| Brint - I meant 26 inches clearance underneath the guitar. Sorry that wasn't clearer. |
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Chip Fossa
From:
Monson, MA, USA (deceased)
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Posted 27 Feb 2007 10:44 pm
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When I ordered my Williams U-12, about 10 years ago, I asked Bill (Rudolph) to make all my legs and rods 1" shorter than his usual specs.
As it turned out, I wound up putting extensions, and extender pads on my knee levers anyway.
It's a tough call. You gotta really know your bodily dimensions, if you're serious, and ordering a brand new steel.
Basically what I've found, in spite of my 1" compromise, is that knee levers are just TOO short. It seems all steels I've ever owned and/or played - the dang knee levers always seem to hit right at the top of your knee, and the bare bottom of the knee lever. I know it's me, I guess. My BOD is definitely not the standard pedal steel template.
But, ya work around it - it's no big deal (I Think) 
_________________
Chip
Williams U-12 8X5; Keyless; Natural Blonde Laquer. |
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John Fabian
From:
Mesquite, Texas USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 28 Feb 2007 3:11 am
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Most guitars are about 25.75" to 26" (a small variation is due to slightly different leg angles) as measured perpendicular to the floor from the floor to the bottom of the end plate. (Measure off the front side of the guitar for better accuracy.)
String height will vary up to about 2.5" due to cabinet depth and the distance of the strings from the top of the cabinet.
The reason the distance from the floor to the bottom of the end plate is fairly uniform for all steels is that most builders use the same leg manufacturer(s) and the legs have become standardized with regard to length and construction.
_________________
John Fabian
Carter Steel Guitars
www.steelguitar.com
www.steelguitarinfo.com
www.carterstarter.com
www.magnumsteelguitars.com |
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Brint Hannay
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 28 Feb 2007 6:05 am
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Henry, I knew that's what you meant.
My point, though, was that the volume pedal elevates your foot and thus your knee as compared with the other knee. It's on the left knee that I, like Chip, just catch the ends of the knee levers.
When I had Billy Cooper replace all the knee lever brackets on my Super Pro with aluminum ones back in '84 or so, I had him also replace the levers themselves with aluminum ones one inch longer. |
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Ernie Pollock
From:
Mt Savage, Md USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2007 4:55 am Humm?
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I solved my just being just a little too tall, not much, just about 6'1, I just took a tubing cutter & took 3/4 of an inch off the legs on the GFI Pac Seats that I used, solved alot of problems getting under some of the steels that I have.
Ernie 
http://www.hereintown.net/~shobud75/stock.htm |
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 2 Mar 2007 5:54 am
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I had a new Zum in 2003, and it turned out to be maybe 1/4" - 3/8" higher than my Emmons LeGrandes. That wasn't a factor I'd even considered.
That's not much of a difference, I know, but it was enough to prevent me from ever feeling comfortable playing the new steel. I no longer have it.
RR |
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Bo Borland
From:
South Jersey -
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Posted 2 Mar 2007 9:28 am
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At 6' even, I never had any problems with the standard height.
But I do like my steel to be a little higher at the back than the front. I started out that way to keep my bar from falling off 
Once in a while I will sit in on a steel that it lower in the back .. playing uphill... that is strange.
_________________
Bo Borland
Rittenberry SD10 , Derby D-10, Quilter TT12, Peavey Session 400 w/ JBL, NV112, Fender Blues Jr. , 1974 Dobro 60N squareneck, Rickenbacher NS lapsteel, 1973 Telecaster Thinline, 1979 blonde/black Frankenstrat
Currently picking with
Mason Dixon Band masondixonband.net |
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Dennis Schell
From:
Shingletown, Shasta county, Kalifornia
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Posted 2 Mar 2007 11:05 am
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| Bo Borland wrote: |
At 6' even, I never had any problems with the standard height.
But I do like my steel to be a little higher at the back than the front. I started out that way to keep my bar from falling off
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I'm 5'11" (shrinkage due to old age!) and my Morrison is at around 30.25" at the strings. I too like a little tilt for the same reason as Bo
(I guess I should have had Ray Morrison build me a real cool 1" blind hole near the pegheads with a polished alum insert into my steel like he has on his personal guitar. No bar can escape that!)
FWIW,
Dennis
_________________
"Bucks Owin" |
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