The Steel Guitar Forum

hi guys, i want to soften up the pedals on my dekley s-110,they seem a little stiff .how do i go about doing this?

There be two drilled & threaded holes in the side of a Dekley pedal, for the swivel ball to screw into...

Are the pedal rod swivel balls threaded into the pedal hole closest to the "pedal axle" already"?

If not, a start is to move the swivel balls to these holes and readjust.

If they are already there, then it gets more interesting...

hi, the swivels are in the back threads already.
i have looked at the bell cranks where i believe the next step to be.what are your thoughts?

If by tight or soft feel is the amount of allowed travel, I have found by using the hole closest to the cross rod on the bell crank gives the 'smallest'
amount of travel ("tight feel"), while using the hole furthest from the cross shaft on the bell crank yields the most amount of travel ("loose feel").
Of course, you have to adjust the string note both open and with pedal/knee engaged again just to be sure it works. Curious if others who have played around with their Dekley have found this to be true. I think the Dekley is easy to work on and adjust as long as those set screws don't get stuck or gaul.

On a Dekley or any all-pull guitar, having the pedal rod connector on the pedal closest to the pedal bar will give an easier but longer pull. Try this first, as no travel adjustment under the guitar will be needed.

Similarly for the pullers, the closer to the cross shaft, the easier and longer the pull will be to pull the change to pitch. The travel will probably have to be adjusted if you change these.

I've replaced many of those itty-bitty set screws (in the bell cranks, when they'll fit) with stainless socket head cap screws (#6) so's as to give more of a head for the allen wrench to mate with... Also, put a teeny dab of never-seize on the screw to keep it from galling. A little bit messy but beats the alternative.

hi jim,
thanks for the reply.i have owned a steel for one month now so keep that in mind. my pedals on my dekley take more pressure to depress than other guitars i have tried.the ball joints are in the screw holes close to the pivet point.
is there another way to adjust the pedal tension?also the pedals seem to each have differant pressures,is this normal?

If I may jump in....yes, that is normal, Curtis. All the talk about bellcrank holes is due to the fact that that's the way to adjust for the pedal action you refer to. The guitar can be setup for firmer or softer pedal feel, but you have to know what you're doing.

Being a beginner, it would probably be best to have an experienced player, or steel tech, assist you in making the appropriate changes. Dekley guitars are among the simplest to understand and make rodding changes on. Once someone shows you what's involved, you will likely be able to make future changes yourself...it's not rocket science.

Being from Texas, it's probably going to be pretty hard to find a decent player to help you .....I'm kidding!! There are great players all over that state!! Surely someone would be willing to help you out. Maybe start a topic asking for help?

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