The Steel Guitar Forum

I am currently close in line for my Encore build and am considering having Doug install a Franklin Pedal.
To the players that have them or have played a steel with one, do you think it's a good option to add?
I am not a very advanced player but love the instrument and voicing possibilities and of course would love to play a fraction as well as Mr. Franklin some day!

I just purchased a guitar with a franklin pedal but havnt found much usage out of it currently. I'll be following this post

There is a video somewhere of Paul Franklin explaining how he added that change to trade licks with session pianists. High level stuff not essential to us mortals, I suggest.

Definitely have the Franklin pedal added to your guitar. Try it out using all the suggestions you can find. If you don't end up using it much, you will have an extra pedal, cross shaft, pull rods, nylon tuners, cranks etc for use elsewhere on the guitar. Buying these parts later can be more expensive.

Paul demos his Pedal 4: PF on E9 and C6

Paul demos his Pedal 4: PF on E9 and C6

I thought that it lowers 5,6, & 10. And that it would be to the left and called pedal "zero".

When I hear stuff that I have a hard time re-creating, for example, "Together Again" with Vince Gill, it makes me think this is where he uses it.

But I do want one.

These changes are a bit more versatile if you split them onto separate pedals. On the other hand you can execute certain riffs a lot faster if you have them all on one pedal.

http://www.gregcutshaw.com/Tab/Split%20 ... 20Tab.html

Greg Cutshaw has some really cool ideas for the Franklin change,,Well done Greg thanks for sharing

Thanks for some very helpful info, Greg.
All the advise is much appreciated!

I have a Franklin pedal in position #4 on my Zum Hybrid and I use it very often. I’ve found lots of uses for it. A couple of my favorites are at the ends of solos and also when doing big pretty retarding endings. Just use your imagination but I use it and I love it.

Great stuff Gregg - you are always a valuable resource. I love the tone of your MSA too.

Also, you can “tune out” any of the changes, so it becomes a simple one-string move.
For example, if tuning out the 6th string, the pedal just lowers the 5th string (B down to A).
Another example, tune out the 5th, just lowering the 6th (G# down to F#), which is a handy emergency one-chord move, in case you don’t have that change already.
By the way, another use of the full Franklin pedal is a kind of Dobro move, without moving the bar, using strings 5, 6, and 8 (or 4).