The Steel Guitar Forum

Hope this question doesn't sound to crazy or uninformed, but:

If you were to setup an E9 10 string to play primarily the so-called "west coast" sound, would it be any different that the so-called "standard" 3-pedal, 4-knee lever set up? If so, what would be different? Don't ask me any questions 'cause I probably won't be able to answer them

Why am I asking this question? I don't know, I guess I'm just curious about it -- Thanks

Hey Tom,
With 3 floor and 4 knees this is what I'd do. First off you need to drop the 5th string B to C# on your C pedal. The E needs to come to F# with the B remaining constant. Some people do this on a knee lever but I don't think it's as quick to do it that way. You need to lower string 3 from G# to G. What I'd do is take one of the knee levers and put that change on it along with raising string 7 F# to G#. The 7th string raise is a Tom Brumley change which he actually has on pedal one. Another knee lever change would be to raise string one F# to G and the other two would be the normal raising and lowering of the E's a half step. I prefer to do that on the right knee with the lowers being on RKR. Turn your treble and reverb up on your amp. I use a matchbox with the tone control on the top and back it off a good bit for a fatter tone. When I want to approximate the Mooney sound I turn the treble up on the Matchbox which seems to work just fine.

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

Those are essential changes all the way, Jerry, however doing it that way means having to use both feet whenever you want to play standard B+C pedal licks and on regular E9 pedals 1 to 3 that would be a bit awkward I guess, having to press three adjacent pedals and your feet right next to each other. Unless you figure out a way to press all three simultaneously with your left foot... Remember Mooney has E9 on the back neck so the pedals are more to the right, where usually the C6 pedals are, and the distance when he takes his right foot off the volume pedal isn´t that long, and there´s some space between his AB and E to F# pedals also.
What I have done is put the E to F# on a knee lever. I have no problems playing the Mooney stuff that way. Mine is on RKL which also lowers string 3 on the C6 neck. In that way there is like a half stop feel so that lever also serves as my "F" lever. (on string 4; I raise the 8th string to F on LKL. The other change on my LKL is 2nd string D# to D which I find too important to give up.)
Of course, if you had five levers, you could dedicate one to the E to F#, maybe vertical, and leave the F lever as is.
I´d also consider dropping the C pedal, moving A and B to positions 2 and 3 and put that combined 3rd string G# to G/7th string F# to G#(cool idea Jerry) on pedal 1 (where Brumley has the latter change).

Just some ideas,

Joe H.


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One of these days, if I feel like it, maybe I´ll do it...!