The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi Steelforummembers,
I have two steelguitars D-10 with different C6 copedent's. One is a old ZUM8/8 and the other is a Little SGI8/4.
The ZUM have some Actions more Actions than the SGI.
Maybe there's a lot wrong in my Setup?
I like to get normal playable Standard C6 Setups. I'm not so good in C6 Knowledge and a bit confused. Please tell me your ideas about actions: what I should change, what I need to add and what's totally wrong in my two copedent's.
Thank you all.

The Zum's LKL confuses me. Yes, it's good to raise C to C#, but I (and the late Mike Auldridge, from whom I drew a LOT of inspiration) raise both Cs together, but we do it with the 8th pedal position (but not the standard P8, both of us have a standard pedal on a knee, so that there's a pedal left over: he put P8 on his LKR, and that's where I put P5).
It's also common to raise 6 to F, but that's usually done with a change that lowers 2 to Eb. The LKV also confuses me, as it's basically P5 without the bass strings, but if you added those pulls to the LKV, it might make a really stiff change.
Its LKR is my (and Mike's) RKL. While the asymmetry looks odd, I've not once wished 8 went to Ab or that 4 went to G (but if you wanted to play E9th country sounds, you might want that).
If you moved the 3rd string raise on LKL to a 2nd string lower, I'd say it was a comprehensive setup, although I'd move the A-Bb to the LKV (and probably put P5 on a knee because it eliminates the double-footing of P5/7 and of bouncing between 5 and 8.

Lane Thanks for your thoughts.
I think my Steeltech.have to do some changes.All ZUM Kneelevers need reasonable actions. The SGI C6 is almost like the Emmons Setup.

On the SGI, does P5 really raise the 1st string from D to A, up a whole fifth? Is that a typo perhaps?

Maybe the copedent on that neck was originally set up with a G string on top instead of a D, Jim?

Jim and Jeff, sorry that was a mistake in Notation. The topstring and Action in the SGI ist D raise to E!

The left knee levers on your Zum are totally wack. The SGI is standard except for that 1st string P5 change (bad idea - remove it). Some people don't raise both C's to C# on RKR, but many do.

To get the Zum back to something normal, I recommend:

RKR: Raise 3rd string C to C#, maybe 7th string too (same as on the SGI).

LKL: lower 4th string A to G#

LKV: lower 2nd string E to Eb, raise 6th string E to F

LKR: raise 4th string A to Bb

Why would you ditch the 8th string whole tone drop? It's handy.

Hi Bob, Thanks a lot. Now I have a plan to work with.

Raising the 1st string to Eb is useful so that with P6 you have a 7th chord available as well as a 6th. This is usually done on P8 which is otherwise inactive in that area.

Also useful melodically with the 13th chord (P5&6, back a fret) to give the second degree of the scale.

Lane Gray wrote:Why would you ditch the 8th string whole tone drop? It's handy.

Just trying to get more "standard", Lane. I've never noticed that change on anyone else's guitar. I agree that it could be useful, as well as the 9th string raise to G on P4. They just aren't very common.