The Steel Guitar Forum

How do you move from AB pedals to BC pedals? Do you uproot your foot and replant or do you pivot from an anchored heel?

Pivot.

Unlike C6 pedals.

Yes, pivot.
It seems many players plant their pedal foot somewhere between B and C (Emmons) and pivot over to AB from there, so that’s the position I chose even though I spend more time with AB.

Pivot, I suppose.

I wish my C pedal (actually P1 for me) wasn't so stiff! Sometimes, I'll commit to it, only to find that I haven't fully depressed the pedal and 4 and 5 aren't fully raised.

I sometimes wish it was on a KL somewhere.

I tend to use the C pedal with the 9th as the root of the chord (rather than for the three-string licks). It's a nice fat sounding maj7 or maj9.

It's only raising those two strings: why should it be stiff??

Roger Rettig wrote:Pivot, I suppose.

I wish my C pedal (actually P1 for me) wasn't so stiff! Sometimes, I'll commit to it, only to find that I haven't fully depressed the pedal and 4 and 5 aren't fully raised.

I sometimes wish it was on a KL somewhere.

I tend to use the C pedal with the 9th as the root of the chord (rather than for the three-string licks). It's a nice fat sounding maj7 or maj9.

It's only raising those two strings: why should it be stiff??

I never encountered a "stiff" C pedal. I've had a 71 PP Emmons, the 82 Franklin and two GFI's. Maybe something to do with the Legrande III counterforce? I've seen posts about it being stiff and even some in Nashville removing it because of stiff pedals.

Jack

I'm pretty sure my counterforce has long since been disabled. A succession of repair guys have said that a guitar plays easier without it.

My guitar doesn't suffer from drop. I've learned from my experience that I may have wasted $280 back when I ordered the steel.

Pivot-ish.

Pivot.

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I think you should learn to pivot, it's the most efficient and accurate way.

I'm still learning that.

Honestly, I rarely use the C pedal. Most of the time I grab the 9th tone (or whatever) on the top string, same as I do for my missing lowered root (grab it on the next string down).

My tendency for a long time was to crowd the left foot over AB and relocate it to use C, or BC. It worked fine enough, but it eventually hit me that if I positioned the heel in the BC position and got used to using less of my foot to activate the A pedal, then the whole foot could move like the hand of a clock.
What really weaned me off of unnecessary crowding over the AB pedals, was buckling a vertical RayBans case at the bottom of the A pedal rod, on the inside of the guitar, preventing my foot from going too far over the A pedal.
This forced me to only use as much of the foot as was necessary, ie, just the side tip for A, a little more for AB or B, and a square on approach for BC.

In a related question, is it possible to activate the BC pedals while keeping the AB pedals down in transition? Ie have the A and C# not change pitch while the E becomes F#?

Zach

Well, I'm no pro, but definitely the exception on this one. For me to get a real solid feel on B & C (esp if I need to rock off of C), I pick up and move my foot to those 2 pedals. My ankle just won't pivot enough to get B&C from the A/B position. Took me a while, but now I have the muscle memory to nail it as needed.

Well, I'm no pro, but definitely the exception on this one. For me to get a real solid feel on B & C (esp if I need to rock off of C), I pick up and move my foot to those 2 pedals. My ankle just won't pivot enough to get B&C from the A/B position. Took me a while, but now I have the muscle memory to nail it as needed.

Since I lower my Bs with my vertical lever, I often start in AB position (1 chord) and while notes are ringing, slide up one fret while releasing B pedal, adding the raise of Es and lowering of Bs and still stepping on A pedal …. To get the 6 minor chord smoothly, rather than shifting to BC.

you need to have some one to reajust the c pedal.