The Steel Guitar Forum

Here is quick little clip where I play my S12 Jackson Blackjack Custom with an added arm lever. More explanation below with photo.

Rose Colored Glasses - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvNV9d8miOA

Thanks to Harry & David Jackson for putting up with me when I bring my ideas to them. Here is a picture of the arm lever. It works absolutely like a dream. It does not get in the way of your normal playing whatsoever. LOVE IT!

Great picking Zane.
See the comment I posted onYouTube.

love ya pal,
Bill Ferguson

Outstanding job, Zane. I really like the effect you get from the lever. Oh yeah, your playing ain't to shabby either!

Nice Zane. How practical is it to use while you are picking? I'd like to see that if you have any videos of it. I always was intrigued by the wrist levers MSA offered, but always wondered how, or if, it would affect your picking.

Richard, it doesn't effect it at all. I didn't use it much in this video and when I did I tried to overemphasize so you could see that I was using it. Harry Jackson nailed it because it is in perfect position and it is very easy to engage. Seriously, I wouldn't live without. It is just as usable as any pedal or knee lever I have. As a matter of fact, the functionality of it is better than a vertical knee if that tells you how much I like it.

Zane ,what strings does it raise/lower.Does it take the place of a vert.knee or just an add-on to enhance the vert.?I've seen some of the special guitars that GFI made for some handicapped fellows using arm & hand levers,pretty neat & very nice of them to do so.

Tony Prior has an arm lever on one too.

I like that Jackson volume pedal!! Didn't know they made those.

Thanks Bill Ferguson! Always good to hear from ya!

Ransom - right now I have whole tone lowers on strings 5/6 which is known as the "Franklin" pedal I suppose. I think it works better than a vertical knee but I still have a vertical so it is not a replacement. I have seen the one that Gene Fields made. That's quite the machine.

I don't think builders will ever offer these arm levers as an option. They should in my opinion because I think they are better than having a double knee lever. I have never been able to get used to a RKRR or whatever.

The BMI guitar I have for sale right now as 2 arm levers. One goes to the right and the other to the left. It is sharp.

Todd Brown - Harry and David make anything. I think maybe they are even the people behind the Harry & David shops! LOL!

Harry and David make anything. I think maybe they are even the people behind the Harry & David shops! LOL!

You know, I thought I saw some arm levers on the jars of jam in their last catalog.

Wow,ya meen they make & sell jam too,whew doggies,ain't no end to what them fellers do.

Now you got me to thinkin',maybe I can do that to my BSG as well as adding a 4th pedal,hmmmmmmm!
I may need another leg & arm tho.Be like a "Octopus" guitar.

Zane,

Great playing, as always! Thanks for sharing that with us.

Tony Arrowood has an arm lever on his Marlen. I think he chose to add it because he was running out of space underneath. I don't know what change he has on it, but it appears to be related to his inside RKL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap9_68PE ... re=related

Keep those YouTube posts coming!

Mike Robbins

"Tony Arrowood has an arm lever on his Marlen."

Yeah,Not Tony Prior,sorry for the confusing & thanks for setting this old man straight.

Zane..your playing and tone are incredible!

Hey Zane, Ok, I am hooked. Where can a guy get any of your cd's?

That is one of the most beautiful renditions I've ever heard.....wow......

Zane, you call it an am lever and I call it a wrist lever. THIS MEANS WAR!

Seriously, no matter what we call it, this type of lever is very cool. I think that as time goes on, more and more players will see the advantage of having one.

Mine lowers the 5th string to Bb. What does yours do?



(BTW you sound great, but then, you always do. No surprise there.)

I don't think builders will ever offer these arm levers as an option. They should in my opinion because I think they are better than having a double knee lever. I have never been able to get used to a RKRR or whatever.<<

Zane, I agree, I have seven knee levers and three pedals on my wide body S-10 Williams..if I had to do it over I would order 5 knee levers and 5 pedals..also, as you suggested, eliminate the pad except a small one on the right end..having a pad run the full length of the strings restricts bar movement or at least makes one hold the left hand higher than one would if the pad were not there.

Brad Malone wrote:I don't think builders will ever offer these arm levers as an option.

MSA and GFI will. MSA (Johnny Cox) built mine when I ordered the guitar. And Gene Fields will build a guitar with 3 or 4 of them if you wish.

Mike, please read again..Zane wrote that

I stand corrected as to the authorship of the statement, but the fact remains, I ordered the purple Milly with the wrist (or if you prefer, arm) lever and MSA built it for me that way. And Gene field built a multiple wrist lever system with 4 of them for Kurt Kowalski, (whose feet are paralyzed.)

Brad Malone - always good to hear from ya. I'm pleased to hear that you are taking a suggestion of mine about the "picking pad". Let me know how that goes for you.

Mike & Brad - I think manufacturers will likely do what ever is requested of them for the most part. I just don't think anytime soon we will see arm/wrist levers as common as the "double knee lever" (RKRR for example). Even though I don't think there is much question that the arm/wrist device can be easier to engage than a double knee. I remember at the 2010 ISCG seeing the GFI guitar that Gene had built for Kirt. What a moving story. Thanks for posting that picture Mike. By the way, I just got the package from you and I'm looking forward to listening to all of that. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Wally - as for the CDs....I think most people have at least 10 songs on a CD. I need to learn a few more tunes.

I have 3 CDs (one is instrumental) but nothing that is completely ALL STEEL GUITAR.

Zane,

Now that is a nice rendition of RCG Mister! Very cool setup you have there!

Great listening as always! Thanks!

BTW, I think Bradshaw was doing a similar thing with some type of wrist levers on MSA's years ago, I am kinda surprised it didn't catch on more than it did.

Thanks John. It wouldn't surprise me to see more arm/wrist levers in the future. The talent and genius of these builders is constantly improving the structure and capabilities of our beloved instrument. We are just mid-stream on the development of the pedal steel guitar. Or at least that is how I see it. I appreciate the kind words about the tune. I really like the modulation in it. I'm definitely going to record this for my new instrumental cd.