A Couple Of Mechanical Questions About PSG

Al Carmichael · From: Sylvan Lake, Michigan, USA

I've been playing steel for about six years, but I don't know some of the terms I keep reading.

1. What is push-pull How is it different than all pull? I have a Sho-Bud 12 Universal. Do you know what this guitar employs?

2. What do triple raise and triple lower mean? Is that basically saying that one pedal or lever raises or lowers three strings at the same time? Or is it something different?

3. I've read about knee levers that that have a detent in them so they stop at one point, but if you keep going, it goes to another pitch a half step lower. Does anybody use this? If so, what strings would it raise or lower and how much?

Thanks. Somehow I gotta catch up with the knowledgeable folks around here!

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Your Sho~Bud is all Pull.

Triple/triple means the opposite of what you said---one string can be raised and lowered by three different pedals/levers. For instance, your 4th string is raised by your C pedal and your F lever, so it needs a minimum of a double raise. With a triple raise it means that you could still hook up another lever or pedal to raise it a whole step, independent of the C pedal (which is what I do).

A common use of the half stop would be lowering your 2nd string D# to D at the detent, then to C# at the full stop. I'm not a fan of this feeler stop but I've not given it a real chance and for sure, very many people do use it.

Al Carmichael · From: Sylvan Lake, Michigan, USA

Thanks Jon. That clears the mystery of the triple raise/lower up for me!

Now, for this push-pull thing, does that mean that the changer idles in a middle position and gets pushed to lower and pulled to raise? Or something like that?

Another question for you, if you don't mind. On my universal, I have three knees that apply to E9, but I had a friend with an Emmons E9 which had four knees, and I see steels with five. My LL raises the two upper E's to F, my RR lowers the upper two E's to D, and my RL raises my 4th string B to D as well as lowering my high D# to D. What would the fourth and fifth knees do normally. I realize that there are some variations, but what is sort of the standard?

Thanks if you can help!

Ray Minich · From: Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra

There's some nice schematic diagrams of push-pull vs all-pull in Winnie's book if you can find a copy. It's in the way the "pull-rods" work the fingers. The fulcrum arrangement is different in all-pull than in push-pull fingers.

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

The most common changes that are not on your guitar would be a lever raising your 1st string F#>G or F#>G#---that, I have found, is a difficult choice. The G is old school---pedals-down dom7, great for Mooney licks but the G# is great for more modern moving in & out of unison w/3rd string licks. After years of hanging on to the G I have gone over to the G#. This lever will also either lower the 6th string G#>F# which, when split w/ B pedal (with a tunable split--a whole nuther subject) gives you a G, also a pedals-down dom7 thing. An alternate choice is to raise the 7th string F#>G. And lever 5 might lower 5th and 10 string B's (9th string on your Uni) to Bb. Not having a tunable split there, I use that combined w/ A pedal and tune the combo to an in-tune C even thought the Bb alone ends up a bit out of tune.

[This message was edited by Jon Light on 12 March 2005 at 02:17 AM.]

Al Carmichael · From: Sylvan Lake, Michigan, USA

Jon and Ray--thanks for sharing your knowledge. You have helped to clear up several things in my mind. This is truly a great forum!

Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

You can also find alot of information on the mechanics by going to the Carter website. Just go to the top of this page, click on "links", click on the "Manufacturers" link and click on "Carter"

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