configuring lever set-up to training materials?

David Urban · From: Florida, USA

I recently bought a Sho-Bud Pro 1 (my 1st PSG) which came set up with 3 pedals, and 3 knee levers (2 on my left & 1 on my right set up as LKL, LKR, & RKL). The pedal set up corresponds to both a Steel Guitars of Canada ("SGofC") illustration of an "E9th Sho-Bud Style set up" and my Mel Bay "First Lessons Pedal Steel" book/CD/DVD. My knee levers don't correspond to the lesson book's 3 lever set up of just 1 lever on the players left & 2 levers on players right, or SGofC's illustration of 4 knee levers. The lesson book prescribes the LKL as an "F" lever, and the RKL & RKR levers as "E" and "D" levers respectively. My LKL, LKR, & RKL levers are instead set up as "F", "E", & "G" levers respectively. i.e. my levers' orientation differs & I'm missing the "D" lever prescribed by the lesson book. Should I reconfigure my "G" to a "D" lever, or should I add the "D"? How important is the "G" lever for a beginner? And should I reconfigure my 2 on the left/1 on the right (which moves left if that matters) to a 1 on the left/2 on the right set up? Any advice is greatly appreciated by this beginning player. Thank you.

Bill Moore · From: Manchester, Michigan

The function of the levers is what matters, not their actual location. Learn what each lever does, what strings it raises or lowers. You then need to know the function of the levers that are described in your instruction material. Some lessons may refer to the lever that lowers 4 and 8 1/2 tone as the "D" lever. Some might call it the "E" lever. Whatever, find that lever on your guitar, now you will know what to do with it. You can adapt to any lever location, it just takes practice.

Jeff Mead · From: London, England

David Urban · From: Florida, USA

Thanks Bill & Jeff. And Jeff, thanks for probing re: what my levers currently do. My LKL raises my 4 & 8 strings from E to F. My LKR lowers my 4 & 8 strings from E to E flat. My RKL raises my 1 & 7 strings from F sharp to G. What my set up is currently missing is a way to lower my 2 string from D sharp to D as the lesson plan utilizes. I noticed that the SGofC illustration I referred to would also have that "missing" option to lower I referred to ALSO lower the 9 string (from a D natural to a C sharp). The lesson book seems to stay away from string 9, so the author may have ignored it to eliminate distracting info. I'm hoping that reconfiguring my changer to cause my RKL to lower my 2 string from D sharp to D won't be too complicated. The seller did provide me with the hardware to install a 4th lever. Any advice on which of those two options I should choose? Thanks a lot.

Jeff Garden · From: Center Sandwich, New Hampshire, USA

No problem, David - you probably don't need to change the setup...I'm sure the actual strings that are affected by the levers are fairly "standard" as Bill said. One of them probably lowers strings 4 and 8 by a 1/2 tone (E to a D#) and one raises strings 4 and 8 by a 1/2 tone (E to an F). The third lever probably lowers the second string by a 1/2 tone and full tone (depending on how far it's engaged...D# to a D and then C#) and possibly also lowers the 9th string a 1/2 tone (D to a C#). Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a standard terminology for tab (i.e. some guys' D levers are other guys E levers) but once you discover the FUNCTION of your knee levers you'll be able to "compensate" when following the tab - i.e. when a certain tab refers to "E lever" and you realize it means to lower strings 4 and 8 you'll know what to do on your particular setup.

David Urban · From: Florida, USA

Thanks Jeff, but I'm confused. If the lesson calls for raising or lowering strings 4 & 8 (and my LKL & LKR are currently set up to perform those raises & lowers), how can I lower string 2 from D sharp to D natural (as the lesson calls for) with my only remaining lever (aka my third lever or "RKL"), which is set up to RAISE strings 1 & 7, unless I make a mechanical change to something? Thanks again for your help.

Sincerely,

David

Jeff Garden · From: Center Sandwich, New Hampshire, USA

OK, I see our last posts must have crossed...I was writing mine while you were providing additional info. It looks to me like you have two options...you could either (1) reconfigure (i.e. make a setup change by switching pull rods around) the RKL to lower 2 and 9 (and give up the raise on 1 and 7) or (2)leave RKL as is, and add a fourth knee lever (RKR) to lower 2 and 9. I personally would opt for adding a fourth knee on RKR - this would result in a pretty standard setup. Ricky Davis (in TX) is the "doctor" of ShoBud's on the Forum...I would recommend contacting him for advice on adding a knee lever.

Jeff Mead · From: London, England

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

Mu opinion: The D# to D (D lever) is much more important than the F# to G (G lever). It makes the 2nd string useful in the V chord position. For example, if you're in the key of C at the 3rd fret, the lever gives you a scale note. Without it, the string is pretty useless there and there's a gap in your C scale.

The G lever is nice to have, but it's not a necessity and most courses don't even mention it. You can keep your 7th string F# to G on the lever if you want. It won't interfere with normal function of the D lever. It's not a standard change, though. Most people lower the 9th string D to C# on the D lever.
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b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

It's not hard to make the change mechanically, by the way. Flip the guitar over and analyze how the E lower works. Then remove the rod that's pulling your first string F# to G, move the bell crank from string 1 to string 2, and insert the rod in the lowering hole of the changer, just like the E lever's 4th string rod. If you really take your time, you'll be done in 15 or 20 minutes. Most of us "old timers" could do it in 10 or less.
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Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF NOT WRITTEN IN STONE!!!!

When Buddy Emmons and Jimmy day added another pedal and Buddy Emmons set his pedals Left to Right ABC. And Jimmy set his Left to Right CBA steels have been different. These setups are commonly known as Emmons/Nashville and Day setups.

It seems The people who set up steels, good local players and the area you live in is how steels get set up.

Buddy Emmons said a steel with an A-B-C pedal and a lever to Raise the 4&8 to F commonly called a F Lever, And a lever to lower 4&8 to D# commonly called the D Knee lever are the true basics of a steel guitar. All other pedals and levers are for adding special licks some players want.

If you want to add a 4th knee lever Check with Michael Yahl at PSG parts or some other suppliers on this forum for parts to do the installation.

Good Luck and Happy Steeli

David Urban · From: Florida, USA

Bill, Jeff, Jeff, bOb, & Bobby, thank you all for your help. I just joined the forum this morning, and am excited about working on my steel & learning to play.

Jeff Garden · From: Center Sandwich, New Hampshire, USA

Be patient learning the steel and don't get frustrated...it may seem overwhelming at first but there's lots of instructional info available and lots of helpful people on the Forum. You'll probably find learning to play and work on the instrument isn't a straight line process - you'll have "light bulb" moments when something you haven't understood suddenly makes sense, and other times when you feel like you're not progressing. Just stick with it. Not sure where in FL you are but there may be a club in the area you could join - it would be really helpful to meet some local players, get some questions answered, and maybe jam a bit. Have fun with it Smile

Bill C. Buntin · From: Cleburne TX

I agree with b0b, the string 2 and string 9 changes are much more useful than the G lever.

That's a nice sho bud. I would second the suggestion to find the parts and add the 4th knee lever.

They are right about knees not being written in stone.

But I think most would agree the lever that raises 4 and 8 is typically called F lever, the 4 and 8 lower is typically the E lever and the string 2 and 9 lowers are typically the D lever.

After that, it becomes very much the players choice.

Find what suits you, stick with it. I used to waste a lot of time changing this and that on the G lever and then adding a LKV, and a 4th floor pedal.

Fact is you can play a lot of really classic, tasty stuff with 3 pedals and 3 knees.

Main thing, get comfortable with whatever you decide on. Don't waste time fussing with the guitar. I learned that the hard way. But once you are comfortable then you can really concentrate, relax and enjoy playing.

We all sympathize. We have all suffered through these quirks. It's all good and you've got a bunch of good players on here to help you out. It's worth the effort. Hope this helps.

Richard Alderson · From: Illinois, USA

Dear David - I would just like to add my two cents here. Since you only have 3 knee levers, let me identify the two most basic and essential for you. One of them lowers your 4 string and your 8 string (E) to Eflat. No matter where its located, an awful lot of people just call it the E flat knee lever. There's nobody on the forum except Lloyd Green that doesn't have one of these, believe me, its essential. Then there is the F lever, which raises the same two strings (E strings, 4th and 8th string) up to F. This is mostly called the F lever, no matter where it is. Most of us have both of these on the left, but there are some of us who have one of these on the left and one on the right, the way yours is. So after those two, you only have one knee lever to worry about, life should be simpler. That one will be your choice. (I agree with Bob, that the 9th string lower down to C# (and maybe the second string lower D# to C#) is the best option for that one.) Anyhow congratulations, you got yourself a Show-Bud to sharpen your teeth on, nice going.
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Dan Robinson · From: Colorado, USA

Hi David,

Welcome to the madness. It's a "nice little hobby." Looks like you've got yourself a nice guitar. It contains a lifetime of music waiting to be discovered.

Most folks will recommend having at least 4 knee-levers. They are handy, but you can build a huge foundation of skill, and play most songs with your Pro 1's 3x3 setup.

richard burton · From: Britain

David,
As you are a newbie to the pedal steel, I think that you will be doing yourself a dis-service by reconfiguring your RKL to lower the 2nd and 9th strings, because it will be very difficult to break the habit of dropping those strings with a leftward movement of your right knee (due to imprinting that movement in your brain during the learning process) if you ever get to play other steels, which will almost invariably have the 2nd and 9th string drops on RKR.

My advice, for what it's worth:
Install the 4th lever (RKR) and set it so that it drops the 2nd string a full tone, and the 9th string a half tone.

Your other levers are fine, leave them alone (assuming that your pedals are set up ABC, with the pedal furthest away from your seating position raising strings 5 and 10)

Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Its not a question of getting fired for not having enough levers, the qty of levers has nothing to do with it. We can all probably play gigs with a Maverick, 3+1 and never get fired. THATS NOT THE POINT.

IF we play a 6 string guitar but only know 6 chords we can still play gigs and not get fired. Most of us probably did that for years, maybe we still do.

But if we know 12 Chords we may play the music differently, perhaps more creatively. We may start playing with some extended phrasing which compliments the music.

Pedal Steel Guitars, very much like 6 string guitars , rely on the player to be able to execute as much as possible in relative positions, as Doug J says, with minimal energy being exerted. Meaning, if we are able to pull off a phrase at the root fret, do it. Don't jump around the neck seeking relative positions.

This is why we add pulls and lowers to the Pedal Steel ,this is why we learn a few more chords out of root positions on the 6 string which allows us to play ACROSS the neck rather than up and down.

I'm in the same camp as a few above, the 2nd string lower, ( D Lever) be it a half tone or a full tone (I have both) to me is as important as the A and B pedals. 9 lower would be a natural add as it comes on the same lever. I would never add an isolated lever just for the 9th string drop. Both E's up and down, ( E and F Lever) to me are also mandatory.

So to me, there's the 3 levers. It doesn't matter where they are positioned, what matters is that they ARE THERE.

Raise 1, raise 2, raise 7 ,lower 6 or lower 5 are obviously excellent ADDS to a Pedal Steel, but in my mind come AFTER the E's up and down and the drop 2.

OF course if we only have 2 levers or perhaps only 1, it does not mean we cannot play gigs, we certainly can. What it means is that , like the 6 string guitar, we may be limited in options playing out of root positions across the neck or in root pockets.

Also think of it another way, as weekly gig players, we don't use 5 levers all the time, every song... just like the 6 string player who knows 12 chords, we use what we have in front of us to play music, maybe the guitar player who knows 12 chords only uses 4, maybe the Steel guy with 5 Levers only uses 2 levers in a certain song , but which of the 5 levers ? The guitar player has the option to use any of his 12 chords and the Steel player has the option to use all or NONE of the 5 levers. But, which chords and which levers will they use, who can say. The point is the guitar guy knows how to use his 12 chords and the Steel guy knows how to use his levers and can, because they are there and part of the big picture.

3+3 is a nice setup and can go a long way. 3+4 or 3+5 builds on that allowing the player to execute with more options.
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Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

What these other cats have said.
To answer the other question about feasibility of moving the changes, you have one of the easiest guitars to do that on, but without pics of the underside, none of us can give you a hint of guidance, as there are at least three possible arrangements of stuff on that guitar, but it's doable even if it's not advisable.
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Jack Hanson · From: San Luis Valley, USA

Dan Robinson · From: Colorado, USA

Jack Hanson · From: San Luis Valley, USA

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