9th sting lowering

Larry Bressington · From: Nebraska

I am looking for a new idea for my my 9th lowering.
I have taken it off a couple of years ago for this reason;

I use a ' tunable half stop, on my second string, it was not a positive stop when the 9th string drop just started to kick in just before the 2nd string half stop, [ D NOTE] it made for un-decisive and in consistant half stops on stage and was a confidence dropper when i went for half lower on the second.
I can live without the 9th drop, but i do miss it somewhat when playing chordal style steel.

Do you have any other idea's for the 9th, maybe on a different lever, that i haven't thought about, i'm open minded.
Thanks mates!
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A.K.A Chappy.

chas smith R.I.P. · From: Encino, CA, USA

I tune the 9th to C# and pull it up to D with RKR when the 2nd string goes to D. The B, C#, E, F# on the bottom opens things up for me.

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

I tune both my 9th and 2nd strings to C# and raise them to D with my LKR.....JH in Va.
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Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!

Larry Bressington · From: Nebraska

Thanks chas that's a good idea, how is the half stop feel, is is smack on using string gauge for balance.
I used to use the 9th for my half stop on my 2nd, but it never seemed to stay perfect even with every adjustment in the history of steel guitar.
Duanne marrs got me sold on the half stop idea which has been wonderful and solid, until i intergrated the 9th with my 2nd string, it's a mushy half stop if you know what i mean.

P;S are you pulling your 2nd string down a whole step too?? Thats what i am doing.
_________________
A.K.A Chappy.

richard burton · From: Britain

If your steel has a vacant hole in the raise segment of the ninth finger, you can use a rod attached to a bellcrank (on the same cross-shaft that lowers strings 2 and 9) to fine tune the ninth lowered note.

In other words, you can start the ninth moving exactly when the second string has dropped a semitone.

This will mean that the ninth will drop too far when the knee lever reaches the end of its travel.

This is where the extra rod comes in, as it raises the ninth up to the C#

Larry Bressington · From: Nebraska

Thanks rich, that sounds like a great idea, i'm goona give that a go and take off the 'adjustable half stop'.
I assume this works on 'all pull' guitars because the raise over runs the lower and return spring tension.
_________________
A.K.A Chappy.

richard burton · From: Britain

Larry,
For a really positive semitone feel, leave the existing half stop on as well as adding the extra rod.
Maybe reduce the spring pressure on the adjustable half-stop if it is too hard to push.

chas smith R.I.P. · From: Encino, CA, USA

Larry, I don't use a half stop. I've never played anything that needed it. Then again, the "word on the street" is I can build a guitar, but I can't play it...so take anything I say with a grain of salt.

Barry Hyman · From: upstate New York, USA

I bought an MSA in 1974 that came with this setup: (Which I never changed because at the time it was obvious that MSA knew a lot more than I did about the logic of copedants.) A knee lever lowered the second string D# to C# and the ninth string D to C#, while the fourth pedal just lowered the second string D# to D. When I ordered my new Williams in May I kept those two pulls just the same, because I don't have to hassle with half-stops, and because I can get a lot of chords on the first, second, and fifth (or sixth) strings by lowering the second string with my foot while doing something else with my knee. On those strings, with my F# to G raise and my B to Bb lower, I can get, in open position, B, Bm, G, G7, D#m, C diminished, B augmented, D, F#m, and more I can't remember. I think a lot of that is impossible with the half stop knee lever.
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I give music lessons on several different instruments in Cambridge, NY (between Bennington, VT and Albany, NY). But my true love is pedal steel. I've been obsessed with steel since 1972; don't know anything I'd rather talk about... www.barryhyman.com

Larry Bressington · From: Nebraska

I wanted to try something off the wall, so i put my '9th lowering' on my same lever as my 1 and 2 pull, LKR.
So i have first string a full tone up, second string a half tone up and ninth lower on the one lever.

I want to keep my 2nd string lower isolated if possible, as it's such a powerful tool.
I'll give that a go for a while see if i can settle into it!
Thanks mate's!
_________________
A.K.A Chappy.

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