Just little things I would like to know

Richard Tipple · From: Ohio, USA

1. Does adjusting the pick-up distance from the strings,change tone ,volume output, or both ??

2. Who was the founder of the E9th tuning & which came first,,E9th or C6th ?

3. Are there any steelers who reverse the pick-up leads and play out of phase ?

4. Why cant they make a steel with short pedal travel with (soft) pedal action ?

5. Why are the (left) knee levers on S 10s 3x5, off set virticaly to the right of the floor pedals making the left leg & foot do a contortion to get a A&B pedal down with LKR ?

6. Why are there front leg adjusters on steels when the pedal bar always stays the same. Unless one plays with 4" heels on, who needs the adjustments ?

7. Once and for all ,,does the Goodrich L-10 volume pedal have the impedance matching circut built in it ?

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

#1: Definately. You will no doubt get a very technical explaination as to why form some of the other forumites.

#2: C6th was before E9th. I'm not sure anyone really knows who invented the E9th.

#5; I think they place them at that location because most players align the middle of their body around the 12th to 15th fret. This placement allows a good angle for the leg to go between the levers. If they are too far right, try moving them more to your satisfaction.

#6: The legs are just part of a microphone stand, I believe. This is how they are made available to the suppliers. Also, if you are taller and need to buy rod extenders to raise the guitar, you would have to buy new legs if the are not adjustable.

chas smith R.I.P. · From: Encino, CA, USA

#4. Mechanics. Force, distance and leverage. The same reason why the car takes off from a stop better in 1st gear than it does in 4th.

Joerg Hennig · From: Bavaria, Germany

#5: If LKL is placed a little farther to the left than usual, it will very easily touch your left leg all the time when your left foot is on the pedals which may become very uncomfortable, not to mention that you might accidentally engage it when not desired. If LKL is too far to the left you will have to do an "outwards" stretch whenever you want to engage it, which is also quite awkward.

quote:
making the left leg & foot do a contortion to get a A&B pedal down with LKR ?

I got around that by putting a less frequently used change, such as the 1st and 7th string raise, on that lever and have the more frequently used 4&8 lower somewhere else. I know this is not to everyone´s liking.

Regards, Joe H.

David Doggett · Posted 10 Feb 2004 11:10 am

1. With single coil pickups, the pickup distance has a huge effect on the signal to noise ratio (the 60hz hum is constant, but the signal gets louder as the pickup distance gets closer).
2. Both tunings go back to the Hawaiians, who tried many tunings. I don't think anyone really knows which was first. But since the original Hawaiian guitars were just Spanish guitars turned over and played lap style, I wouldn't be surprised if some kind of E tuning was tried before C6 was developed. But C6 seems to have been more common among country steel players immediately prior to the development of country pedal steel by Bud Issacs (who nevertheless used E9 on the first moving harmony country pedal steel commercial hit).
3. Out of phase with what? Unless there are two pickups, how can one pickup be out of phase with itself?
4. They could make a pedal steel with shorter and softer pedal action (each designer sets his own goal for that). But still, adjusting around that built in action, as Chas says, there will always be a trade-off between short and soft, because of the fulcrum effect of the lever actions of pedals, bell cranks, and changer fingers - it's high school physics.
5. Can't improve on what Richard said.
6. You can make minor adjustments of the front legs and still get acceptable pedal height. In fact on one pedal steel I adjusted the front legs to get better pedal clearance off the floor, even though otherwise the body height was okay. So within limits adjustable legs allow you to adjust either body height or pedal floor clearance, and I'm glad they make them that way (having started on a Maveric without this feature).

Richard Tipple · From: Ohio, USA

Well thanks fellas for the answers.
As for #3, I guess I played lead guitar too many years.
#4 Im gonna hire a side man just to work the pedals for me.
#5 see #4 above.
#7 they say it does ??
#6 makes sence to me know.

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

1. Yes.

2. There was NO founder of the E9th PSG tuning. This is because it evolved. It was not invented as the tuning we use now. Bud Isaacs started it. Buddy Emmons, Jimmy Day, Ralph Mooney and Lloyd Green all added something to make what the standard is today. It began as an 8 string tuning with an E on top and NO E like we have on our 8th string today.

E9th PSG was before C6 pedal steel guitar. The non pedal C6 tuning was invented by Jerry Byrd in the 30's.

3. I feel certain there are some but I have never known of any who did it. Unlike the regular guitar and the rock crowd, most steel players have opted for the "clean" sound which is not what playing "out of phase brings".

4. Each string exerts approx. 30 lbs of pull. The law of physics dictate that the shorter the travel the harder the pull, and vice versa; UNLESS, you use some sort of power assist; which to date has never proven feasible; albeit a number of things have been tried.

5. Most players sit closer to the right end of the guitar than towards the middle. This causes the leg to be at an angel with respect to the first 3 pedals. Since the pedals expand from left to right (to accomadate the full 10 pedals), it is necessary that the left knee cluster (E9th) NOT be equadistant over the A B C pedals.

6. The adjustment part is NOT necessary in the context you speak. However the lip on the adjustment collar forms a perfect and positive 'stop' against the force of pull of the pedals.

7. I have NOT a clue.

carl

4.

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