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Topic: Knee Lever Use Hurt My legs...Your? |
Dick Sexton
From:
Greenville, Ohio
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Posted 15 Jul 2009 10:28 am |
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I'm short. My knee levers fall at a very uncomfortable place on my legs. I've got flags on RKR and LKR that work just fine. But on the LKV, LKL and RKL, I am pushing on the narrow side of the levers, the 3/8" side of a 3/8 by 5/8 piece of aluminum.
I found some 3/8 inside channel aluminum and some 1/8 by 1 1/2 inch flat stock and made a removable flag for my LKV lever that is very comfortable. I made it longer then the original lever so that I could activate both the KLV and LKL or LKR levers very easily. I'm now considering making this type of removable flags for all of my knee levers.
Might there be any interest in such a thing for other players? I don't want to go into business making these things, but if you have some interest in it let me know, I may.
Oh, I play a Derby, the knee levers are 3/8 by 5/8 in. My Rains is slightly less, but doable.
Just curious if others are feeling the discomfort or am I just gettin old, (er).
Last edited by Dick Sexton on 17 Aug 2009 6:03 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 15 Jul 2009 10:38 am
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| my steel came with flags. i took them off...just more unnecessary junk to me. however, any help on the verticals is always good. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 15 Jul 2009 3:34 pm
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| You might try using a piece of foam pipe insulation. The size for 1/2" pipe will slip right over most levers, and it weighs next to nothing. (Purchase it in any home/buiding supply store.) |
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 15 Jul 2009 6:03 pm
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| I have bolts in my left knee right under the skin and knee levers can be dangerous to my health so I put neoprene rubber like what wetsuits are made out of on both my LKL knee levers. I use 1/16" thick stuff.You can get it at hobby and craft shops in 12" sq sheets and put it on with contact cement.Put it on the facet in question,trim it flush to the lever edge with a razor blade or wrap it around two or more facets to suit your needs. It does the trick,looks neat,folds up as normal and it's not bulky or ridiculous like garden hose,PVC pipe or other hi-tech hillbilly solutions I've seen. |
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Larry Bressington
From:
Nebraska
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Posted 15 Jul 2009 6:41 pm
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How stiff are the pulls??
_________________
A.K.A Chappy. |
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Dick Sexton
From:
Greenville, Ohio
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Posted 16 Jul 2009 4:20 am KLV lever - made my own, problem solved
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This is what I ended up doing. Works great.
Donny, I was concerned about the room for that foam. If I we're taller, that would have been perfect.
Michael, I'll keep that in mind for the future. Great Idea.
Larry, the KLV pull is pretty easy, now it a pleasure to use.
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Greg Wisecup
From:
Troy, Ohio
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Posted 16 Jul 2009 4:49 am
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Dick. You must have forgotten that you did this 6 & 1/2
Years ago! Look at the date on the pics.
Old age. Livin in the past.
(What are you gonna do?) 
_________________
Derby SD-10 4&5 Black!(duh)/
Derby D-10/Steelers Choice/
Goodrich 120/ 2- Katana Boss 100's
/Nashville 400
RV-3/ Zoom MS-50G
As long as I'm down in the mix I'm Fantastic! |
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Dick Sexton
From:
Greenville, Ohio
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Posted 16 Jul 2009 4:54 am Now where's that button?
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| Well, old is as old does. Not drooling yet, TTL. Still good with my hands, "life is good". |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 16 Jul 2009 7:09 am
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My Williams has the extruded knee levers on it with the built in flags.
However, when I got the guitar, they were a little too short and they ended right at my knee caps. After a while it got to be uncomfortable. I had Bill send me another set of knee levers that were a couple of inches longer.
Took care of the problem in fine fashion.  |
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Dick Sexton
From:
Greenville, Ohio
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Posted 16 Jul 2009 7:21 am
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Erv,
Exactly, fell right on the left side of the knee cap. Uncomfortable to engage, this has solved that problem. I'll talk to Charley Step about this one day, when my time here is done. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 16 Jul 2009 8:50 am
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On the latest model Williams, Bill Rudolph redesigned the knee levers. I think it possibly had to do with the cost of fabricating the extruded ones on prior models. I really liked the old design:
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Greg Wisecup
From:
Troy, Ohio
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Posted 19 Jul 2009 8:13 am
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Last night my good friend Mr. Sexton came out to her me play and much to my surprise brought me his new LKV mod to try. I had told him earlier that my levers play so easy that I probably wouldn't need one. He put it on anyway and MAN! It really felt great. Very easy. More surface area and much more comfortable. It's also very secure. If feels as though it was made on there. I really liked it. I think I might get to test them for the other knees as well. Nice job Dick. Thanks.
_________________
Derby SD-10 4&5 Black!(duh)/
Derby D-10/Steelers Choice/
Goodrich 120/ 2- Katana Boss 100's
/Nashville 400
RV-3/ Zoom MS-50G
As long as I'm down in the mix I'm Fantastic! |
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Dick Sexton
From:
Greenville, Ohio
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Posted 19 Jul 2009 11:37 am KLV Mod...
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Greg, thanks. I was hoping you might like the thing. I'll build you a couple for your other levers as soon as I finish mine and test for bugs.
Erv... That's what I'm talking about. No doubt in my mind, that Willy has to be a dream to play. But, what a heard of levers... |
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Charles Davidson
From:
Phenix City Alabama, USA
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Posted 19 Jul 2009 2:08 pm
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I mentioned this in another thread,I'm a short little critter,[five,six] Years ago bought these little do-dads called PEDAL PALS from Frenches,they are similar to flags,a flat piece of alum.about the size of a cig pack,they just slide on the lever and tighten with a thumb screw,takes about ten seconds to put them on or off,and you can adjust the height the way you want them,have been useing them for about fifteen years,they work great. DYK?BC.
_________________
Hard headed, opinionated old geezer. BAMA CHARLIE. GOD BLESS AMERICA. ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST. SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC ! |
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Dick Sexton
From:
Greenville, Ohio
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Posted 19 Jul 2009 4:09 pm Pedal pals?
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| BC, do you recall what you paid for them? |
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Charles Davidson
From:
Phenix City Alabama, USA
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Posted 19 Jul 2009 8:48 pm
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Dick,sorry don't have a clue,that was fifteen years ago,I bought three,was'nt much,maybe fifteen or twenty bucks for all three,don't know if he still has them or not,just call Frenchy's[spelling] just go to venders at top of page,he's there.been using them a long time. DYK?BC.
_________________
Hard headed, opinionated old geezer. BAMA CHARLIE. GOD BLESS AMERICA. ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST. SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC ! |
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Freddie Wooton
From:
London, ky
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Posted 20 Jul 2009 9:55 pm
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| Dick, Could you build a flag to fit an Emmons LG II. I've had recent knee replacement so I need one for my RKR. It's really painful trying to use that little piece of angle that drops down. Call me at 606 878 9622. Thanks,Fred |
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Dick Sexton
From:
Greenville, Ohio
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Posted 21 Jul 2009 5:49 am Flag for Emmon LG II
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Freddie,
If you will email me, I'll see what I can do. My pleasure... |
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Raymond White
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 17 Aug 2009 5:39 pm Derby guitar levers
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| Dick ,what you could have done,was to ,have a machine shop ,shorten ,all 4 legs and pedal rods by (1)inch ,that would work well for you,since i am only 5 feet & 7 inches ,it is a nice fit,I also have a derby.i do all my guitars that way,i own it so i fix it to what is comfortable to me.....just my 2 cents,Ray White byron ga.(steelmanplayer@yahoo.com) |
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Dick Sexton
From:
Greenville, Ohio
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Posted 17 Aug 2009 6:02 pm
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Hey Ray,
I didn't send it to a machine shop, because I do all my own work. I cut 2" off the legs to get it to a forearms level height. Height isn't the problem, I guess it's just that the knee levers fell at the wrong place on my knees/legs. (Old Soft Knees) Also the levers on my Marlen are flat side against the knees, the 5/8" side and my Derby was the 3/8" side of the 3/8" X 5/8" material. As you can see, the flags I built are 1 1/2" material against the knees. Hardly feel they are there. I know there are many ways to take care of this, this is just one way. No right or wrong, just what works for you.
Not many players can sit behind my steel with the deck level. |
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