The Steel Guitar Forum

I recently bought a GfI steel and I have a bad left ankle and it is hard for me to push the A & B pedals, can anyone tell me if I can make these pedals easier to push down? Is there some kind a an adjustment I can do? Thank You.

Unless the guitar is grievously misadjusted and obviously poorly maintained (evidence of excessive old oil sludge in everything), the sort of adjustments that might make pedal feel somewhat easier are fairly expert-level procedures that can get you into some problems. As a relative beginner many years ago, I really messed up the playability of a steel doing these things. Learned a bunch. A tech could probably do these things but the results will be a trade-off for significantly longer pedal throws. And they won't be as dramatic as the difference between power assisted brakes and regular.

edited to add -- many years later, this is my now semi-expert opinion. If I could have a look at it, I'd assess its state of maintenance and evidence of changes made on the pulls and advise you on the advisability and benefit analysis of changing things. Your best bet is to find a local tech to advise you.

I'm no expert and I think Jon is right in his assessment. My feeling is that if you can flip the guitar over and get acquainted with how the simple machines underneath work, you'll have a shot at seeing why they're stiff and how they could be made softer (and also if there's gunk, as Jon says.) It will also help you understand the copious good advice you can find on this forum.

The only simple thing I thought of that you could do right away is to examine where the rod meets the pedal. Sometimes you can move the contact point further out/in on the pedal, thus changing the force/travel balance.

If you have limited ankle motion, you might be able to move the pedals closer to the middle, or switch the A, B, and C to a "Day" arrangement. But then you're getting into tech territory, or at least "lots of research and making mistakes" territory.

Older MSAs have two places (closer/farther from the axle) to screw in the ball joint on the pedal that allows you to adjust for travel vs leverage. Does the GFI have anything like that? I looked for pictures of the pedals but couldn't find anything up close. It would allow you to experiment without potentially screwing anything up.

Not sure how easy these are to add to a GFI but search for Raise Helper Spring.

There is several things that could be done to help you with this problem.
If The guitar is set up Emmons A B C pedals, Would it help if the guitar was changed to Day C B A pedals, So your foot and leg be in a more natural position?

If the pedals are far to the left, Could the pedals be moved closer to the center of the guitar help your foot position on the pedals? Would knee levers have to be moved also?

You list you live in Missouri. Since GFI is located in Marshfield Mo. Phone No. 417-859-2161. Contact them concerning this problem.

They should have the expertise and parts needed to help with setting the guitar up for you.
Or explain how the problem could be corrected for you to do.

I OWN 2 GFI GUITARS, GFI HAS BEEN GREAT FOR HELPING.

Good Luck in getting your guitar fitted to you. Happy Steelin.

Robert, on your GFI you can easily move the pedals about an ich to the right, to get an easier pedal access.
loosen the screws in the pedal bar and just hook your rods from the other side. I`ve done it on two GFI s and it works well.

Hey Robert, what part of Missouri are you in?

When I got my GFI a few years back, the pedals and RKR were all too stiff for my taste. They were easy to adjust and today they all work just right. It’s just a matter of adding travel to reduce pressure. GFI’s have among the best mechanisms for ease of adjustment and dependability. I’m just outside St. Louis and would be glad to help. I’m not much of a musician but I am a pretty good mechanic.

Robert Ripperden wrote:I recently bought a GfI steel and I have a bad left ankle and it is hard for me to push the A & B pedals, can anyone tell me if I can make these pedals easier to push down? Is there some kind a an adjustment I can do? Thank You.

Robert.. here is an idea that hasn't been mentioned but has always worked for me... Sometimes its the pedal angle that causes issues with pedal "stiffness" issues... In other words, some guitars are set up with pedals higher off the floor than they need to be, and puts them at more of an angle vertically... Thats has always been extremely uncomfortable for me, and lowering the pedals closer to the floor has helped greatly.. Most people generate greater downward pressure when using the foot and ankle as a lever when the foot is closer to the floor... It doesn't soften the pressure needed to push the pedals by lowering them, but seems to simply because of the leverage...
I would see where your pedals stop when pushed down, and if there is a lot of clearance between the bottom of the pedals, and the floor, you might want to adjust the ball joint quick connects on the pedal rods so the pedals are closer to the floor.. Be aware, you may also have to adjust the stops and the nylon tuners, and you must be sure the bottoms of the pedals have sufficient clearance or you'll go crazy trying to play in tune... I am very anal about pedal height .. I have no ankle problems but always felt the pedals felt much lighter the closer to the floor they are set.. Its certainly worth a try, it always worked for me... bob