The Steel Guitar Forum

Hello all,

I purchased an MSA Semi-Classic last year, three pedals and one knee, in mighty fine shape. It was looked over by a professional steel player in Branson who said it was a fine steel, as well, so I'm fortunate to have found myself a steel guitar for a nice price. I also had the fortune to take some lessons from that player as well as another down in Nashville but my primary limitation right now is obviously the lack of additional knee levers.

Now, it seems at present that the guitar is equipped for the addition of a second right knee lever and a forth pedal. Is there a likely suitor for additions such as this on MSA steels? I'm obviously very new to the game but I would love to make some necessary additions to this guitar so I can really be off and running.

I'm curious about locating the second knee lever for the right knee and most of all concerned about how one would go about installing levers for the left knee? The metal body concerns me as I wouldn't have any means of drilling, nor would I ever feel enough confidence to do so.

Excuse my long-windedness but I guess this is all just a really long way of asking... Is any of this feasible? Cost-effective? I purchased the guitar for only $250 so I have a lot of room to work before I've technically "spent too much," I feel. Is there a go-to authority on MSA steels?

Thanks so much, folks, I appreciate your responses and your fine community here!

Tyler, Semi-Classics came with one lever standard, but I have seen them equipped with up to four levers.

Many years ago, MSA offered kits to add the second right knee lever. Adding a second right knee lever should only require parts, but getting the specific parts could require some hunting and possibly custom fabrication or modification of existing parts. There are Forum members who make or offer stock parts for older MSA guitars (Michael Yahl and Tom Bradshaw come to mind), and while they are primarily aimed at the Classic models, some of those parts might be useable to add levers to a Semi-Classic.

As you alluded, adding one or two left knee levers will require some modification in addition to parts. Here are a couple of older but applicable Forum threads that discuss Semi-Classics:

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... 28cf1f618f

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... a+cosmetic

My first steel was a Semi-Classic and it was indeed a well-built guitar.

I bet that the aprons are already drilled for a full guitar's worth of rods. If you remove the 6 (or 8? pretty sure 6) screws holding the the panel on the rear apron, you'll see LOTS of empty holes and only 4 used.
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You didn't say whether you have RKL or RKR, but if you have RKL, the RKR and its reversing linkage both screw into holes on the rear apron.
The MSA LKR also screws into holes on the rear apron, but most people don't like where they have to go. I like the Zum lever for LKR, it's totally compatible and the reverser is part of the lever bracket, which screws to the deck instead of the rear apron. Bruce doesn't sell anything but the lever and bracket, so you'd need shafts, cranks pull rods and the rest from MSA parts guys

Fo'Bros Michael Yahl, Jim Palenscar and Tom Bradshaw all sell MSA replacement parts
www.psgparts.com for Michael Yahl
www.steelguitars.me for Jim Palenscar
http://www.songwriter.com/bradshaw/ for Tom

EDIT: I'd forgotten about the endplate needing drilling. Not a huge job