The Steel Guitar Forum

Ok, newbie type question here, but say i went from a .017 for the 5th and .020 plain on the 6th string, and went to a slightly heavier guage (i.e. .018 5th, and .022 plain 6th) will I have to lengthen, or shorten the throw for pedals affecting these strings(i.e. will a heavier string require MORE or LESS travel to accomplish the same raises/lowers).

Thanks in advance..... I know this should be common sense but the ol' brain isn't working well these days *laugh*

I don't think the gauge changes you mentioned would have too much affect on the throw. I think you can get by with just adjusting the tuning nuts.
Erv

The larger gauges will take a hair less travel, maybe 1/2 to 1 turn of the tuning wrench.

Jim,
are you sure?
In my experience, larger gauges tuned to the same pitch as thinner gauges, require more travel to raise/lower a half/full tone.

I had always believed as Jim.I use a .013 for my F# to G# raise.I broke the string and had no 13's only a .012.The 12 pulled 40 cents sharper than the 13.I've had the same experience when I had to use a 13 in place of a .014 for the 4th string.Now I don't like a 13 for a 4th string.But it made the pedal softer.As did the 12 for a 1st string.------bb

Granted I haven't done a lot of experimenting with this, so maybe it varies. For me on the G#'s-A, a .022P has a shorter stroke than a .020P and a .012P has a shorter stroke than a .011P.

Right. The heavier strings tune up tighter, and require less travel. Typically, the difference is small enough that you can handle it with the tuning nut.

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<small><img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic), Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6), Roland Handsonic<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Bobby Lee on 01 November 2002 at 12:23 PM.]</p></FONT>

A heavier string requires more travel here.