The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi everyone, I've been learning a lot about the steel through reading your messages. I think this is a great forum. Anyway, I'm from St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, and have been playing music professionally for 10 years. I love classic country, but I'm especially in love with steelers who use the instrument for atmospheric pads and stuff, like Daniel Lanois and Ken Greer (from Canada). Ken Greer actually played some amazing steel on my first record. Does anyone know him? Played with Tom Cochrane & Red Rider?

Anyway, I finally got a steel of my own, and i've been wrestling to get it into a playable shape. I think my steel's setup is a little different than most... I think I read some posts which talk about a "direct pull" thing, which is how my steel works. The "lowering" levers just "let the string out", and employ springs to bring them back into positon.

I have a Maverick in E9 tuning, at least it 'says' Maverick on the front, but from what I've read on these forums, the maverick has only one knee lever. Mine is set up for 4 (though I need to purchase a few more pull rods to employ the fourth, which I'll set up as a RKL). Could my Maverick have been modded or something?

The issue I'm having is with the strings that require both a raise and a lower on the same string. When the 'raise' nut is close enough to raise a string a full tone, it winds up stopping the changer too early when I try to lower the note. I can get either the raise or the lower in tune, but not both it seems. Am I missing some high math?

I don't know if anyone here has a steel with a similar setup, but I'd love to resolve this because I'm wicked anxious to start learning this instrument! If I've explained it poorly, I'll try to gear up a digital camera or video camera to paint a better picture.

Thanks for the help!

M. www.markbragg.com <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Mark Bragg on 30 March 2005 at 11:24 AM.]</p></FONT>

<SMALL>Am I missing some high math?</SMALL>

Nope, The Maverick changer will allow you to raise OR lower a string, not both.

Regards,
Bob<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Bob Knight on 30 March 2005 at 12:15 PM.]</p></FONT>

Oh that sucks! Well is there a real good rodding setup out there to try that doesn't require a raise and a lower on the same string? It seems really odd, because the bell cranks on my instrument seem to be lined up for the basic E9 setup with both a raise and lower on strings 4 & 8.

Mark - Toward the upper right of this page is a "search" function button. Click on it and do a search for

Maverick raise and lower

You should find previous discussions about this. I believe I remember some people claiming that a string could be set up to be lowered and raised. An email to Bobbe Seymour could probably get you a quick answer, also.

sales@steelguitar.net

Good luck.

Lee, from South Texas

The Maverick copedent is:
<font face="monospace" size="3"><pre> P1 P2 P3 Knee
F#
D# -D
G# +A
E +F#
B +C# +C#
G# +A
F#
E -D#
D
B +C#</pre></font>As you can see there are no pedals that raise and lower and no strings that are both raised and lowered.

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<font size="1"><img align=right src="http://b0b.com/Hotb0b.gif" width="96 height="96">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
Sierra SD-12 (Ext E9), Williams D-12 Crossover, Sierra S-12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra Laptop 8 (E6add9), Fender Stringmaster (E13, C6, A6)</font><font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by b0b on 30 March 2005 at 01:50 PM.]</p></FONT>

Your first mistake was buying a Maverick.

The Mav is pretty limited but don't let any of the doomsdayers here slow you down. There is plenty of music to be made on a Maverick, even with 3 X 1. You'll have that much more you can do with the extra knee levers.

Will you eventually want to upgrade? Sure. But you've got a great instrument to learn on and it might well keep you happy for a very long time.<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Chris Bauer on 30 March 2005 at 03:08 PM.]</p></FONT>

I would set up a Maverick with 4 knee levers like this: <font face="monospace" size="3"><pre>
LKL LKR P1 P2 P3 RKL RKR
F# +G
D# -D
G# +A
E +F +F#
B +C# +C#
G# +A
F# +G
E -D#
D -C#
B +C#</pre></font>

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<font size="1"><img align=right src="http://b0b.com/Hotb0b.gif" width="96 height="96">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
Sierra SD-12 (Ext E9), Williams D-12 Crossover, Sierra S-12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra Laptop 8 (E6add9), Fender Stringmaster (E13, C6, A6)</font>

I couldn't play without lowering the 4th&8th strings E to Eb. To me, that is much more important that raising them. If I only had one knee lever, that is what it would do. I see that the 8th string is lowered but not the 4th. I don't think I ever played backup on a country song without lowering the 4th string. <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by John Daugherty on 30 March 2005 at 04:59 PM.]</p></FONT>

Lloyd Green does!

John - you can use the 2nd string instead of lowering the 4th ! Just like Lloyd.

A raise and a lower on the same string is achievable, if the finger has enough movement.
Simply attach a spring to a knee lever that is going to lower a finger, so that the tension of the spring overcomes string tension, and holds the finger in the mid-position.
Two rods are necessary for this: one to raise, one to lower.
R B

Get a Carter Starter and use the Maverick for window planter. They look great upside down with some roses in them.<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Kevin Hatton on 30 March 2005 at 09:38 PM.]</p></FONT>

The GFI Economy steel guitar will lower and raise the 4th string and you can have 4 levers on it. There are some limitations with this type of changer though, if you want to do a bunch of diffent changes. But the normal 3&4 works fine, and the GFI is a very good sounding steel guitar.

Ernie Pollock

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Paddy, I realize that there are different ways and locations to play a note. I like to bend the 4th string for some licks I play. It is all a matter of personal choice. I don't try to copy other steelers licks. Lloyd sounds great but we already have a Lloyd Green. I want to sound like myself.
One time I was playing a jam session with Merle Haggard. We started to play a song (Bob Wills I think). I said to Merle "you play so-and-so's part and I'll play the other guys part". Merle said "kick it off, I'll just play like Merle Haggard".

Thanks Bob, that last tuning recommendation is what I'm going to go for... I think that'll keep me busy for a long time. If and when I decide I need more changes, I may tackle the maverick raise/lower thing, as suggested by Richard (plus I did find some more suggestions on how to do this when searching the archives). Or I may upgrade at that point.

And to the naysayers, I'm very happy with my purchase: I live in a small city on a small island and pedal steels don't come by every day. I only paid $500 canadian, and I'll probably make that back in 6 months gigging when I get this thing running (knock wood).

Thanks for all the help!

M. www.markbragg.com

Great attitude, Mark, that Maverick will keep showing you new stuff for a long time, at least until you have the spare change for a more advanced axe. I worked with a Maverick - with NO knees at all - for well over ten years and it didn't hurt me at all, when I got my Pro I I was still learning new things to do on the Mav.

If it sounds good, well, it IS.

RIGHT ON Dave ........ it really is in the hands, you know !
Actually, I think I was a better picker when I had less to work with. Now I have so many options for hitting the same chord, that my mind hesitates while deciding which option I want to use. This,of course, is when improvising. If you have the licks worked out in advance,which I seldom do, it is not a problem.

Mark - You can squeeze lots of music out of that Maverick. Yes, there are better "student guitars" out there, but you don't own those guitars. You own your Maverick. Learn to play music on it.

Lee, from South Texas

Good attitude Mark and a cool website. Lemme know when you're going to be in Halifax and I'll try to get my daughter and her friends out to see you.

Great website, I am going to order your CD. Very impressed!

Mark,
I've emailed you details of how to get a raise/lower.
R B