The Steel Guitar Forum

Team

In my continuing effort to stump this fantastic steel guitar community, I am starting the new year off with a flourish.

I discovered my Marrs Pedal Steel has pedal rods about an inch too short for me and I am trying to replace them. I found some pedal rods on the internet but cant seem to find the right part that connects to the pedals.

In the picture below, the green circled part is what I am in search of, not the quick-connect ball joint style.

And for bonus points, how would I determine / measure the diameter of the rod in the picture other than comparing it to a rod of known diameter. (I realize that I may regret asking such a basic question in public so in my defense I am aware of what 'diameter' means...)I assume 3/16 in is a standard size but I am guessing.

Thanks for your help and consideration.

dk

Daniel: The rods look like 3/16 the one on the left is just like the connection on my Williams i just bought. I had to extend the rods on it as the guy I bought it from was about 5'8" and I had to raise it an inch to be able to get my legs under the guitar.
If you will screw the lower part of the rod your working with off and carry it with you to the Hardware store or Home Center, in the hardware isle you can find a bolt that will screw into your jam nut "FREELY" It should be a 10-32 ( #10 or 3/16 & 32 threads per inch) they should have a coupling nut (looks like a long nut with threads all the way through) and a bolt the same size a little longer than the length you want to extend the rod. Screw the coupling nut on your pedal rod screw the jam nut on the new bolt then hook the rod up put the pedal attachment on the pedal and hold the pedal to app. height. Mark the bolt long enough to screw back into the pedal attachment plate and cut the head of the bolt off with a hacksaw. a couple of extra 10-32 nuts on the bolt to protect the threads and clean them up when the cut is complete. Then put Jam nuts at all the joints to make it rigid and not allow it to unscrew while you play. My 4 pedal rods took 1 1/2 hrs and cost about $6.00.

Daniel I have a small guitar shop in Milroy In. about 1 hr south of you. been into steels over 30 years. glad to help anyway i can.
Tom Sosbe

Daniel,

FYI, the pedal rod is a 4.2mm diameter rod with a rolled #10-32 thread. I sell them.

The connector is about the same as an Emmons, although the Emmons will be aluminum and probably have an #8-32 thread. That can easily be opened up to a #10-32 should you acquire one. Finding anyone that has 1/4" hex nylon is going to be a bear so I suggest trying to find the Emmons connector.

You MIGHT be able to find something similar at ACE hardware that could be modified.

If I am reading this correctly, you want to make each pedal rod 1" longer. Here is another idea for you.
Use an extension fitting. Something like this:

https://www.gamut.com/p/male-female-hex ... 1f23cebf6f

Sorry for the long link, just the first place I found one. They are made of aluminum, stainless steel, brass, etc. Also you can use one that is threaded all the way thru and get an all-thread Allen screw to make it into a male/female.

There are places that carry these -- Fastenall here in my area is one -- Granger Electric is another. Take one of the rods with you and they can verify the thread.

Works for me.

don

Gentlemen

Thank you very much for taking the time to assist me. I wish more of our country behaved the way folks on this forum behaved.

dk