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Topic: What Happened To The 'Forward' Knee Lever? |
Chris Bauer
From:
Nashville, TN USA
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Posted 14 Jan 2006 11:47 am |
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A number of years ago, Emmons made some guitars with a 'forward' knee lever (activated by pushing your left knee forward rather than up or to the side). It seemed like a great idea and I can easly imagine a few changes that would be ideally suited to such a lever. I've seen/heard nothing of them since.
Anyone using or experimenting with making such a lever? |
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Gary Steele
From:
Columbus, Ohio, USA
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Posted 14 Jan 2006 11:58 am
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| Jerry Brightman was using one a while back. |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 14 Jan 2006 12:03 pm
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IMHO, one of the bigger oversights in the Steel manufactuing biz.
LKL, LKR, LKV, and LKF should be standard issue for a Left Knee cluster.
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 14 Jan 2006 1:50 pm
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I, too, remember reading about that. How do you move your left knee forward, by rotating on your right butt cheek?
------------------
Lee, from South Texas
Down On The Rio Grande
Mullen U-12, Evans FET-500, Fender Steel King
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Frank Parish
From:
Nashville,Tn. USA
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Posted 14 Jan 2006 3:03 pm
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| I seen that forward knee lever at one of the ISGC shows a while back. I seen a Sierra guitar back around 1980-81 that had two rows of pedals. I didn't play at the time but was becoming interested and I noticed. I wonder does anybody have a picture? I always thought that was a superb idea after I got into playing. |
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Skip Edwards
From:
LA,CA
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Posted 14 Jan 2006 3:26 pm
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Frank, the Sierra you're talking about might have belonged to Al Petty, who plays with a heel & toe pedal setup. You can see some pics of his GFI on the GFI website, on the custom steel page.
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Ken Williams
From:
Arkansas
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Posted 14 Jan 2006 4:29 pm
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At least in my case, when using the offset LKL lever on E9th, I have to move my left knee foward and then to the left. As Lee mentioned, I just swivel my hips and catch the lever with my kneecap. Seems to me if I had a foward lever just in front of my knee cap, it would be easier to use. But, it would need to have very short travel, so it may have to geared in some type of way. If it was somehow geared so that it only moved about 1 inch or so to achieve the change, I feel that it would definitely be easier than using the offset lever.
Ken [This message was edited by Ken Williams on 14 January 2006 at 04:33 PM.] |
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Bobby Lee
From:
Cloverdale, California, USA
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Posted 14 Jan 2006 5:47 pm
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| My knee doesn't move that way. |
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Chris Bauer
From:
Nashville, TN USA
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Posted 14 Jan 2006 6:42 pm
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As I recall, the forward levers were not only easy to play but were easily used together with the floor pedals and the other knee levers as well.
I've had guitars with staggered knee levers and could never get used to them. The forward levers, though, seemed both immediately easy to use and able to allow some great pedal/lever combinations. |
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richard burton
From:
Britain
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Posted 15 Jan 2006 1:20 am
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I saw some photos a while ago of a PSG with a forward knee lever.
I'm not sure, but I think it was a 'Mooney' steel.
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Chris Bauer
From:
Nashville, TN USA
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Posted 15 Jan 2006 8:54 am
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| It occurs to me that someone musta bought those Emmons guitars with the forward knee levers. Any forumites own 'em or know who does? I'd sure be interested in hearing how they've worked out. |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 15 Jan 2006 8:17 pm
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| Quote: |
| the Sierra you're talking about might have belonged to Al Petty, who plays with a heel & toe pedal setup. |
In addition to Al's D-12, they also made a prototype S-10 with toe and heel pedals and no knee levers. Blackie Taylor had it in his shop for a while. I tried it, but didn't like it. |
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Kenny Forbess
From:
peckerwood point, w. tn.
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Posted 16 Jan 2006 9:09 am
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You are right Richard, it was a "Mooney" you saw it on.(White D-10 ??)
Tom Mooney builds steel guitars ,and has done that lever on some of his .
He's located just East of Memphis Tenn.
He's on the Forum,maybe he'll post about it?
Kenny |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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David Wren
From:
Placerville, California, USA
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Posted 26 Jan 2006 4:48 pm
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Well, I built a forward knee lever and installed it on my '70 MSA... still got it. Using it seemed OK to me. Herbie Remington let me put a stack of how-to-do-it-yourself sheets on his table at the '95 West Coast show. Probaby still got the electronic copies if any one is interested. Mine was used to E->F.
Hi Chris, nice to see you on line.
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Dave Wren
'95Carter S12-E9/B6,7X7; Twin Session 500s; Hilton Pedal; Black Box
www.ameechapman.com
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Chris Bauer
From:
Nashville, TN USA
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Posted 26 Jan 2006 7:08 pm
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My Ivey - Just in case you read the forum more often than your email - I sent you a note. Good to see you lurking around here!
Chris (the other other) |
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steve takacs
From:
beijing, china via pittsburgh (deceased)
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Posted 26 Jan 2006 7:54 pm
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| Hi, Chris, I had the white Mooney steel that has been mentioned here and have a photo of the undercarriage I can send to any Forumite who might want to add it to this thread. I found both forward levers to be no problem to operate by themselves or in conjuction with other pedals and lever. Regret having sold the guitar. Here was Tom Mooney's email address a couple years ago: stlgtrbldr@aol.com steve t [This message was edited by steve takacs on 26 January 2006 at 07:55 PM.] [This message was edited by steve takacs on 26 January 2006 at 08:05 PM.] |
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