How Do You Refer To Your Pedals?

Jeff Scott Brown · From: O'Fallon Missouri, USA

On another thread (http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=236520) someone asked if I would list my copedent so I made a simple table that shows what I have. See below.

I am not sure what to call the pedals to the far left and far right. I have heard folks refer to the far left as a "zero pedal" so I called that one P0. I referred to the one at the far right as P5. I know that the numbering doesn't add up there since there are 3 pedals between P0 and P5, not 4, but P5 somehow makes more sense in my head so that is what I labelled it.

Are there any standards that folks use to refer to pedals other than A, B and C? Also, if you have non-standard pedals, are there any standard ways of representing any of that in tablature?

Thanks for any input.

JSB

Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 unless i am talking to another steel player, then it's A, B, C etc...
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 55 years and still counting.

Jeff Scott Brown · From: O'Fallon Missouri, USA

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

I call it "Zero, A, B, C."
Although I put P5 on a knee, I still call the C6 pedals by their standard names, and I call P8 P9 when discussing the guitar (it raises 3 and 7 to C#), disregarding the fact I only have 8 pedals.
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Jeff Scott Brown · From: O'Fallon Missouri, USA

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

I would name your pedals Franklin, A, B, C. I don't have a name for your 5th pedal. I would name your levers F, X, E, G, D (left to right).

People have their pedals and levers in different order, which is why I name them according to function, not position. P0 is a position indicator - it tells you nothing about what the pedal does. Most people put the Franklin changes to the right of A B C. About 20% of players use the "Day" C B A ordering.

You cannot communicate musical ideas with names like P0 and LKR, because the changes connected to those names are different from one guitar to the next. Even the knee lever name G is sketchy and ambiguous, but my students understand what I mean so I stick with it.
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Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

Yes, A refers to the pedal that raises the B's to C#. When talking to other players, I don't use letter designations for the levers, except maybe the F lever. That is the only one everyone seems to agree on. I call them by what they do (E's to Eb, 2nd string lower, etc...). C6 neck I just use the standard pedal numbering even though I have some floor pedals on knee levers.
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 55 years and still counting.

Jeff Scott Brown · From: O'Fallon Missouri, USA

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

I'm with B0b. Your P0 I'd call Franklin as it's common (I guess you could call my P0 the White raise, mine raises 1&2) . Since your P5 isn't a common one, calling it by its function would make more sense as P5 has a standard use, but on C6.
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Archie Nicol R.I.P. · From: Ayrshire, Scotland

A, B, C, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

Arch.

Jeff Scott Brown · From: O'Fallon Missouri, USA

Henry Matthews · From: Texarkana, Ark USA

Archie Nicol wrote:
A, B, C, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

Arch.

If Day setup the it's: C, B, A, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

The A pedal raises 5 & 10 from a B to C# ( that's alwaysA pedal)

The B pedal raises 3 & 6 from G# to A (always B Pedal)

The C pedal raised 4 & 5 (always C Pedal)

No matter whether it's day or Emmons setup
Hope this helps
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Henry Matthews

D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
D-10 1974 Emmons cut tail, fat back,rosewood, 8&5
Nashville 112 amp, Fishman Loudbox Performer amp, Hilton pedal, Goodrich pedal,BJS bar, Kyser picks, Live steel Strings. No effects, doodads or stomp boxes.

Jeff Scott Brown · From: O'Fallon Missouri, USA

Henry Matthews · From: Texarkana, Ark USA

Sorry Jeff, didn't understand exactley what you wanted. Yes, Franklin pedal is what I would refer to it as also. Bob has good point.
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Henry Matthews

D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
D-10 1974 Emmons cut tail, fat back,rosewood, 8&5
Nashville 112 amp, Fishman Loudbox Performer amp, Hilton pedal, Goodrich pedal,BJS bar, Kyser picks, Live steel Strings. No effects, doodads or stomp boxes.

Brint Hannay · From: Maryland, USA

In what context are we speaking of referring to that pedal? In a copedent chart it seems unnecessary to write in "Franklin," and it certainly doesn't cover a far left pedal that does something different, like mine that raises the 6th string a whole tone. And the chart itself gives the function of the pedal. I'd say 0 or P0 works just fine.

Archie Nicol R.I.P. · From: Ayrshire, Scotland

I own a 12 string Universal. When playing in E9th mode I use the what I assume is the traditional reference to the first three pedals as ABC for Emmons set up or CBA for Day. I find it easier to use the numerical system for the rest of the pedals in B6th mode, what with the knee levers being referred to by letters. Just a personal thing. If I had a `Franklin` pedal, things might have be renamed/numbered. I'm happy with what I've got on what will be my last ever guitar, I think.

Arch.

Ned McIntosh · From: New South Wales, Australia

Inside the carrying-case of every steel I have is a manual, with a copy of the copedent. When people ask "how does it work" I produce the manual and turn to the copedent, then explain how to read it.

Every copedent chart refers to the pedals as 1 to 8, with the knee levers as LKL, LKR, LKV, RKR, RKL etc. My setup is straight Emmons, with G# lowered to F# on RKL, with a split to G in conjunction with pedal 2.

My Franklin Change is lowering strings 5 and 10 on pedal 4 (which is also the first C6th pedal). The sixth-string lower to complete the Franklin Change is already on RKL. I like it like that. I don't refer to pedal 4 as the Franklin pedal because it is only a part of the change. I just call it pedal 4.
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The steel guitar is a hard mistress. She will obsess you, bemuse and bewitch you. She will dash your hopes on what seems to be whim, only to tease you into renewing the relationship once more so she can do it to you all over again...and yet, if you somehow manage to touch her in that certain magic way, she will yield up a sound which has so much soul, raw emotion and heartfelt depth to it that she will pierce you to the very core of your being.

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

The is no industry standard for naming, except the "A,B and C" pedals seem to be generally standard.
The "Franklin Pedal" wherever its located seems to be the name associated with that.

Knee levers can have different names, e.g. Jeff Newman called the lever that lowers the E's to Eb the "D" lever. Others refer to it by a different letter designation.

In a copedent chart references are often pedal numbers and knee levers labeled as "LKL", "RKL", etc.

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

Pedals ABC are pretty much standard by now
as mentioned :
Emmons copedent :
The A pedal raises 5 & 10 from a B to C# ( that's always A pedal)
The B pedal raises 3 & 6 from G# to A (always B Pedal)
The C pedal raised 4 & 5 (always C Pedal)
Day set up is reversed : left to right C B A

the PF pedal is either 0 or 4 (see your post concerning it's emplacement)
lowers string 5 B to A - lowers string 6 G" to F# - lowers string 10 B to A
some prefer having that on a lever

When it comes to levers, the standard still needs to be standardized
since steelers have different set ups, rather than refer to LKL, LKR, RKL, RKR, refer to the Harmonic funktion they offer
basically i use what "many" use :
D lever lowers string 2 Eb to D & string 9 D to C#
E lever lowers strings 4 & 8 Es to Eb
F lever raises strings 4 & 8 Es to F
G lever raises string 1 F# to G or G# - string 2 Eb to E & string 7 F# to G or G#
instead of raising string 7, some prefer to lower string 6 G# to F# ( PF pedal has that lower)
V lever (Vertical) lowers string 5 (& 10) B to Bb

Georg Sørtun · From: Mandal, Agder, Norway

Like so: E major w/chromatics.

Dick Sexton · From: Greenville, Ohio

Designated by function, or as close as possible. Pretty intuitive.

Although in my circle of close friends and associates, calling them by "there" names or types of fruit, ie. apple, orange, banana, etc. as long as they and I know what they do, really doesn't matter much. Only becomes an issue in comunication, but even then, a minor inconviance.

I find, the longer I play, the less it matters.

Roual Ranes · From: Atlanta, Texas, USA

Them thar thangs.

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