The Steel Guitar Forum

I happen to be short. 5' 7-3/4" to be exact. I am starting to think my steel was set up for somebody closer to 6'.

I found this quote in an old post:

ergonomic guidelines say your thighs should be parallel to the floor, likewise your forearms, with little or no flexing of the wrists in either direction. To get those relationships, you will usually need the lowest part of the instrument (back apron, knee lever, whatever) to just clear your knees or thighs.

Ok, when my thighs when parallel to the floor, I actually used a level, my chair height comes in at 17-1/4"

At 17-1/4 I have 2-1/4" clearance from the top of my right knee to the bottom edge if my guitar.

In order for my arms to be parallel with the floor my guitar would need to be 3-1/4" shorter

Of course I only have 2-1/4 to work with, I could get more if I ditched the cowboy boots but I always go to gigs in boots.

I supposed I could have notches cut where my knees go to get the right height.

Anyway, before I call Roy Thomas about modifying my Pedalmaster I thought I would see if any of you guys have done something similar.

I'm trying to get myself into the correct playing position and I don't expect I will grow anytime soon.

The last guitar I bought came one inch lower than standard and it was a total revelation. Playing is waaaaaaay easier than ever before. Why it never occurred to me previously to try this is a mystery. As someone very close to your height, I'd sure recommend trying it.

Kevin, I am 5' 6.54321" on a good day. My Desert Rose is 24" from bottom of guitar to floor. Works great for me...but I don't play in boots anymore - else I might have wanted another 1/2". To me the difference shows on the volume pedal side when using knee levers (for what you want). My Hilton is lower than my Goodrich - that's where using the Goodrich w/boots would need another 1/2". Deck of guitar is about 27" from floor.

Prior to this guitar I played all standard height guitars - but always a bit too tall.

My seat is 19 3/4 inches high. Before you start lowering you may need to add a cushion on top of the seat temporarily to see if it makes a difference.
I am 2 inches shorter than you and I do not want mine lowered.
If you lower it You will have to cut all 4 legs off and change or cut all the rods running to the pedals.

My Desert Rose is 24" from bottom of guitar to floor. Works great for me

Interesting, my guitar is 26-1/4 form the floor.

That 2" would be right about what I need. And yes that sounds like a punchline to a bad joke


The legs on my steel are adjustable, the back pair have 3-1/2" adjustment left while the front is a problem since I have the pedal bar attached right under the height adjuster and can't really go down any further.

It would be nice to sit down at a shorter guitar and see how it feels. All I know now is if I raise my chair high enough for my arms to be comfy my back hurts and my legs get tingly after a while. If I lower my chair down I'm back to elbow pains.

Notches??? on my steel? Not on any day good or bad.

Sorry guys, I have to laugh, 5'6"/5'7" as being short. I'm about 5'2" now and most any one of you would tower over me. It is true all sizes don't fit all situations or people. My strings are about 26" from the floor, measured straight up. My seat is a little tall but I feel most comfortable with my thigh level and my foreleg only slightly extended. I've found that if my leg makes a 90 degree or less at the knee, my ankle/foot action suffers and my foot cramps. My forearm is parallel to the floor. It wasn't always this way, and I believe now it was a learning process, best learned early on. The problem, it is not easy or inexpensive to change legs and/or pedal rods. Seems the market caters mostly to 6' players. But one size does not fit all.

My thought now, level thigh, level forearm, slightly extended foreleg, With positive easy access to the vertical and all levers... And do what ever it takes to get there. Other opinions my vary!

When I got my 76 MSA S-10 Classic, It was WAY to tall. I'm 5'7 the guy that owned it before I'm sure was over 6 feet. Took it over to a friends shop and cut the front legs and rods off. Works perfect,EASY to do,had it done in about an hour. Cost me NOTHING but a thank you to my buddy for helping me. YOU BETCHA,DYK?BC.

I went to visit Roy over at his shop where he build the Pedalmaster guitars today. He told me that whenever he makes a guitar for someone he gets their measurements and makes the legs the correct length if they need something other than the standard size.

Since this guitar was one he made many years ago it came in the standard size.

Roy is making me a new set of legs and rods to lower the guitar down where it needs to be for my height.

He also told me what height my chair should be for my size. 17-1/2" His math was right on as the night before I did my experiment with the level to get my legs parallel to the floor.

This is also good info since I do want a pack seat and now know how high mine needs to be.

As always going to see Roy is educational. I learn something new every time we speak. It was also cool that one of the guys from Jackson guitars called while I was there and they launched into a fairly arcane discussion of a tuning I had never heard of and the right string sizes to use ect..

It really is nice living near the builder of your guitar. I can only imagine the shipping cost on something that heavy.

I,ve been playing with the whole height thing and I still seem to need a 1/2'' board under my heel of my pedal foot. I practice in slippers with a heel and play in Dunlop volley's ( sandshoes). I did have an accident years ago which has left me with very slightly less ankle movement. Without this board my ankle cramps up. I have played with seat heights. Does any one else have this issue? (I have my guitar on a slight forward tilt to allow a little more room from seat to under frame.)