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Topic: How to set PSG pedals |
Hans Penner
From:
Manitoba, Canada
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Posted 8 Oct 2011 12:07 pm |
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Can someone please give a detailed explanation of how the pedals should be set up. I spent much time trying to find an answer on the forum and found one comment. Pedal A is set to horizontal and then two turns higher. B was set so that when A is down I can operate the LKR without touching the B pedal. C was then set to the same height as the B pedal. What would you recommend?
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At long last, July 14, 2011 and I have a musical instrument I CAN play.
Stage One, Nashville 112, Hilton pedal, Black Box |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 8 Oct 2011 12:30 pm
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| you'll get different answers but mainly you want to set them to be comfortable for the way your body moves and to blend with combinations of pedals and knee levers. everyone is shaped a little different. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 8 Oct 2011 12:44 pm
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On my Franklin, the A and C pedals are slightly higher than the B pedal. But all 3 pedals bottom out evenly.
The knee levers are a different story and it depends on their physical location, in respect to the floor pedals and whether they are adjustable. |
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Hans Penner
From:
Manitoba, Canada
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Posted 8 Oct 2011 12:57 pm
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OK, thanx. Guess I'll be experimenting. So much of starting to play a PSG seems to involve me hunting for answers and experimenting to see what works for me. Its still exciting to do so since I'm just TOO thrilled to finally have found an instrument that I CAN play.
_________________
At long last, July 14, 2011 and I have a musical instrument I CAN play.
Stage One, Nashville 112, Hilton pedal, Black Box |
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Doug Palmer
From:
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 8 Oct 2011 1:27 pm Pedal Height
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At Emmons we set them all 1 and 9/10" above the floor. Pedal B was then lowered a couple turns. It really depends on your shoe/boot, floor covering and your personal feel.
Doug
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Emmons D-10, ST-10,LD-10 III, NV-112,Fender Deluxe Reverb. Authorized wholesale dealer musicorp.com! |
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Hans Penner
From:
Manitoba, Canada
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Posted 8 Oct 2011 7:05 pm
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OK, given that you, Jack and Doug, seem to recommend about the same thing, I am going go to over to my steel right now, get down on the floor, and and set the pedals as described by Doug. The one thing repeatedly emphasized by my son, Nathan, who studies classical guitar, is, "Make sure they teach you the proper technique. Its way harder to unlearn a bad habit than learning the proper way from the start." Thank you for helping me. Hans
_________________
At long last, July 14, 2011 and I have a musical instrument I CAN play.
Stage One, Nashville 112, Hilton pedal, Black Box |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 8 Oct 2011 7:18 pm
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I've always adjusted all the pedals level and then raised the "A" pedal just a bit. I like to have the "B" and "C" pedals the same height.
I have the "Franklin" changes on the 4th pedal of one of my guitars and have it adjusted a little higher than the adjacent pedals. It makes it an easier target to hit when I swing my foot over to use it.
Lee, from South Texas |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 20 Oct 2011 4:18 pm A comment on technique/posture
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Since Hans mentioned it, in conjunction with his classical guitar-picking son.
One posture point to avoid pinching nerves and tendons:
Adjust seat v. guitar height so that you have essentially a straight line between elbow and palm in the vertical plane. If you roll your wrist up or down, you can bind/pinch the nerves and tendons. After about two hours of playing, stuff feels numb. Oddly, switching to a different diameter bar can loan you some comfort, but the ergonomics/posture matters.
Edited to gets Hans's name right
Last edited by Lane Gray on 20 Oct 2011 6:47 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Hans Penner
From:
Manitoba, Canada
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Posted 20 Oct 2011 6:25 pm
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Lane, your advice is good for all PSG players except me. I have a rather deformed right elbow and I play in a position that would probably send shivers down your spine. At my first lesson with my first instructor he didn't know what to do. Initially he tried to teach my what you just described and then he threw his hands up in despair. I would just need to figure this out on my own. Well, if you'd been there, you could have busted a gut laughing at the stunned look on his face. I am a determined SOB. I finally have an instrument I can play. 57 years old and, thanx to my oldest wanting to get a lap steel, I stumbled upon the PSG. My oldest son pointed that I should be able to play a lap steel. Probably, but the sound of the PSG is what I've always loved ever since the NRPS arrived. Missing fingers would not allow me to play guitar. Tried piano but couldn't handle it due to the arm. So, in July got myself a Stage One from Doug. Love it! Practice, practice, as Mickey Adams keeps saying, is something I now have time and determination for. Cheers, Hans
Oh, and the advice about having the A pedal 2 turns higher then B and C works well for me.
_________________
At long last, July 14, 2011 and I have a musical instrument I CAN play.
Stage One, Nashville 112, Hilton pedal, Black Box |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 20 Oct 2011 6:52 pm
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Hans, the point I wanted to make is that extended periods of playing with the wrist making a hill or valley will, after awhile, have your body, especially forearm, wrist and hand, sending hate mail to your brain. Pain/numbness are the body's way of saying you're doing it wrong.
If other bits of your body mandate a posture that binds your wrist tendons, just be alert for the warning signs and take a break. |
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Hans Penner
From:
Manitoba, Canada
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Posted 20 Oct 2011 7:15 pm
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Absolutely right, Lane. Fail to follow your advice and, come hell or high water, sooner or later, your body will painfully point out the error of your ways. And, yes, I do take breaks as required. With experimentation and time I am figuring out what worx best.
And in your first post here, you said, "a straight line between elbow and palm in the vertical plane." Should that perhaps have said, 'horizontal plane'?
_________________
At long last, July 14, 2011 and I have a musical instrument I CAN play.
Stage One, Nashville 112, Hilton pedal, Black Box |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 20 Oct 2011 7:26 pm
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| Correct, in the horizontal plane. It appears worse to have your elbow below the back of the guitar, pronating your wrist. I had a numbness issue, and a massage therapist/chiropractic student friend saw me at the gig, suggested dropping the rear legs an inch, problem solved. I don't know if supination also poses risks. |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 20 Oct 2011 7:38 pm
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| Correct, in the horizontal plane. It appears worse to have your elbow below the back of the guitar, pronating your wrist. I had a numbness issue, and a massage therapist/chiropractic student friend saw me at the gig, suggested dropping the rear legs an inch, problem solved. I don't know if supination also poses risks. |
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Hans Penner
From:
Manitoba, Canada
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Posted 20 Oct 2011 8:10 pm
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Supination is what I am prone to. My elbow is raised about 45 degrees up from being by my side. So, my forearm/wrist are at an angle of about 20 degrees to the guitar neck. There's a tendency for the hand to sag at the wrist if I play too long. But, with time, I will develop my wrist muscles and the duration of my playing time will lengthen.
 Can you even visualize what I just described? I don't think I could if I'd not seen it before. Hans
_________________
At long last, July 14, 2011 and I have a musical instrument I CAN play.
Stage One, Nashville 112, Hilton pedal, Black Box |
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Mickey Adams
From:
Bandera Texas
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Posted 21 Oct 2011 3:46 am
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My preference is sightly different...and simplistic..I want the AB and BC pedals to reach the full down position at the same time. The difference in the pedal travel determines this, and therefore the extent of the offset, and can vary widely depending on which Bellcrank, and Changer positions are used for each pedal. While seated in the playing position I setup all guitars with a comfortable height for pedal B.
Then adjust pedal A's height slightly higher...I then use 2 fingers to depress them simultaneously to fine tune them...Same for BC...(corrected..lol)
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Last edited by Mickey Adams on 21 Oct 2011 8:03 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 21 Oct 2011 5:47 am
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Mickey, ya don't often see sane and pedal steel in the same sentence.
PS: I don't see how you get your tutorials out without a single stutter or stammer.
Hat's off to you. |
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