Emmons' Knee Levers

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Sometime back I posted about a nice homemade accessory for Emmons' knee levers. Recently I received an email enquiring how these "paddles" were made.

The following are photos of the one's the late Mac Atcheson made for me; with an explanation under each photo.

These are LKL and LKR with the knee lever paddles attached. Note the following:

1. They have a very comfortable bend in them.

2. If you look closely, you will see that I have mine set lower than the bottom of the knee levers. This is because I have short legs. This allowed me to order the standard size legs when I bought the guitar. They extend down about 1". But you can move them up or down as desired.

3. The bends on LKR and LKL are in line with each other. This facilitates perfectly the angle my left leg goes into the cluster.

3. Since LKR is further forward than LKL, the direction of the bends aids the above.

Here you see just LKR. You can see the bend quite clearly and also how it extends below the knee lever. Great for those of us with shorter legs.

Here you see the paddles removed. On the left one (LKL) you see the shadow of the 6-32 setcrew that locks it on the knee lever. In the future I will use a nylon allen head capscrew here so it does not mar the knee lever, but will still grab tightly.

I will also drill a slight dimple in the back side of the knee lever so it always goes on the same place. Finger tight is all that's necessary; so they are easy to take on and off.

This is another view showing the 1/16" by 1/2" U-channel aluminum "peened" to the paddle which is 1/16" by 1 and 1/2" aluminum bar. Both these are stock items at Home Depot.

You can also find rivets there or at your local hardwared store. Use flat head rivets and peen them really flat inside the U channel. This allows the channel to fit all the way on the knee lever.

You can see the setscrew easily on the left channel. The captive nut (for the setscrew) is an item not normally found in hardware stores. It is called a "self clenching nut" and is available from Small Parts Inc at 800-220-4242. They are normally installed on the back of the metal.
But in this case it would prevent the channel from sliding over the knee lever.

Mac found that putting them on the near side caused NO problem due to the fact there is NO stress in that direction. You clinch them by inserting a screw from inside the channel and tightening it down once by installing two nuts locked against each other on the exposed thread. Once its seated, it won't come out. The locking setscrew that holds it on is inserted from the outside.

Not all will like them. But if you are one like Mac and I, who have bony knees (or legs), they are a blessing: and they feel soooooo good. I hated that sharp corner on the left knee levers from the first day I got my PSG.

So, if you fall into that camp, build yourself a couple. I ended up putting them on all my knee levers. And I love them. Mac bent the paddles by putting some padding around the part the vise grabs, then using two blocks of wood (to keep from marring the paddle) clamped to the other part. If you use a bar clamp you can bend them easily.

Only a slight bend is necessary as you can see. Then put a buffing wheel in your portable drill with some impregnated aluminum rouge available from Small Parts; and you can buff them to a chrome like mirror finish. Mac sprayed the backs of them black with flat black paint.

carl

[This message was edited by C Dixon on 18 February 2004 at 05:02 PM.]

Roger Crawford · From: Griffin, GA USA

Don't forget the vertical knee! I don't sit as far under my guitar as a lot of people do, and the LKV on my Emmons is a little too far forward to reach comfortably. Mac made me a wide paddle that makes the lever easy to use. Since it has to come off to pack it up, he put a thumb screw in it rather than the set screw.
If you could imagine it, Mac could make it! We all miss him dearly.

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Yes he did Roger. The man could build anything. Never in my life on this earth have I EVER seen anyone like him. He was a genioius at crafting anything one could think of. And he could do it lightning fast.

It seemed that anything he needed was at his fingerips in that tiny crampled work space he used. We will all miss him terribly. The dearest man I have ever known. May Jesus rest his soul.

And yes, he also fashioned a paddle on his own vertical knee lever I assume just like yours. In facts he had them on both verticals--E9th and C6th.

The most unique one was on his 2nd LKL. It looked wrong until you tried to engage it. Then and then only did you realize his genious. It made it very comfortable to engage because the way most engage this lever it contacts the knee in a most vulnerable spot. His paddle solved this IMO.

carl

A Better Way

Stephen Gambrell · From: Over there

Mac was a brilliant man, no doubt about it! He'd donr that trick on my LKR, on my LeGrande, where he put a pin in the lever, and it worked to the right, lowering the "E's" on E9. and to the left on C6. I never got to know him, but all the guys I know who did know Mac say he was one of a kind. I wish I had known him.

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Yes Stephen,

Mac came up with that trick and it was indeed slick. The reason he did it was two fold:

1. It saved a knee lever yet had the full affect of two separate knee levers.

2. He wanted pedal 8 on a knee lever.

His genious allowed him a way to make LKR on E9th be usable in both directions (so it could be used when playing C6) and yet still fold when ya put your guitar in the case. He fashioned a pin and clever latching gizmo to it as you know. Could not have been simpler yet could not have worked better.

But that was the way his precious mind worked. Again, NO one like him,

carl

Al Marcus · From: Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)

Carl-Great Post about Mac. I wonder why don't these genius builders give us these options?? There can be lots of improvements in Knee levers.

Ed Fulawka puts on his guitars, (Ricky Davis has one on his Fulawka,) two rods you pull out to make the RR and RL Knee levers to switch from E9 to C6 necks. That is a GREAT feature.

Why don't other builders try this on their guitars. Confused

?.............al

------------------
My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/

Dave Burr · From: League City, TX

I'm not sure if they are "standard", but my Remington Sustainmaster (bought new in 99') came with pads on the knee levers - only they didn't have the bend in them. Maybe Bobby Bowman can shed some light as he does the assembly on Herb's guitars.

Carl, I emailed you a picture.

Respectfully,
Dave Burr

Kenny Forbess · From: peckerwood point, w. tn.

My Derby,(the one Buddy Emmons owned) has the paddles, I think they all did back in the 90's.
Kenny

------------------
66 Emmons D-10 8&8

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Yes, Mullen and Remingtons and some others use paddles. However, unless they are bent like Mac made for me, they are unacceptable in my case; since my knee would still contact the knee lever on the corner of the knee lever; due to the angle my left knee works in the cluster.

This is why I love the ones pictured soo much.

carl

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

More wonderful testaments to a really class, great man. We miss you indeed, Mac. "It's not what you take with you- it's what you leave when you go"... Mac will always represent the essence of generous spirit to me. I wish there were a thousand more like him.

------------------
Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

Oh, and Carl, many thanks for posting these pics and ideas. I'll bet they help a lot of folks get right in the knees...

Forum Index > Pedal Steel		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic

All times are GMT - 8 Hours	Jump to: