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Topic: Homemade 12 String Pedal Steel Advice |
Ben Waligoske
From:
Denver, CO
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Posted 18 Aug 2020 10:04 am |
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Hey gang,
Posting for a friend who lives in Spain and isn't a member here (yet)...
Seems like he stumbled into a permanent loan/babysitting type situation with this homemade steel yesterday, and I'm hoping to help get him going on a reasonable path to enjoy playing this guitar... here are 2 photos he sent me...
Now, of course, it's pretty rough and clearly a home brew, so no need to criticize.. it is what it is. Having said that, I believe I see a few parts I recognize from name brand guitars, and he's not looking to take this out to gigs or anything right away. Most likely just a home project, playing at home, and maybe some studio work...
I told him to start by cleaning off as much as he could of the gunk and to lube up any moving pieces he can find - easy... but my real questions are..
1. Anybody recognize anything specific, especially with the "keyless" setup, that would be key information in getting this thing running?
2. For a rookie, on 12 strings, with (hypothetically) 3 pedals and 1 knee working... any advice on a copedent? I'm not even sure the pedals can be assigned to more than one string, so creativity in copedent is probably going to be a big deal.
2.5 - String gauges on something like this? I may need to get the scale length from him for a more accurate discussion...
4. Does anyone know of any Spanish steelers that might be good for me to introduce my friend to? He speaks great English but I can only imagine the complexities and idioms of something like this may be better digested in his first language...
Again - it's no Franklin, that's for sure - just for fun and to try and help a buddy out, so any help is appreciated! |
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Tucker Jackson
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 18 Aug 2020 10:48 am
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With one knee lever and 12 strings, I'm going to suggested tuning as an Extended E9, which I'm sure is how it's currently set up.
Looking at the undercariage rodding (OK, cabling), it looks like it has the typical A-B-C pedals. The knee lever looks like it's wired to the 8th string plus one other -- either the 1st or 2nd string. It's probably lowering the 8th and the 2nd. I would just start with that. |
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 18 Aug 2020 11:28 am
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I'm having a hard time reading the setup there but it appears that the bellcranks are welded on to the cross shafts. That said, there's no reason you need to run the rods perfectly straight. So they can & should go where they need to go for a straight Emmons pedal setup.
And I agree that an Ext. E9 is the best move.
And I agree that you want to know scale before choosing strings. I find it very difficult to guess scale on a keyless guitar. Weird optics throw my eye off. |
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Bud Angelotti
From:
Larryville, NJ, USA
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Posted 18 Aug 2020 11:32 am
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Looks like a lot of fun getting that thing to fly.
Does he want to spend his time tinkering with that guitar or playing music?
String gauges? Gunk?
OK, he probably has time on his hands like so many of us do. 
_________________
Just 'cause I look stupid, don't mean I'm not. |
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Ben Waligoske
From:
Denver, CO
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Posted 20 Aug 2020 8:40 am
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Hey fellas! Sorry for the delay, got caught up in the studio and forgot to check back in...
Appreciate all the help so far. Yeah Bud, I totally know what you mean, but it was a total windfall instrument for him and he's a pretty handy guy without many gigs or sessions happening at present like the rest of us, so I guess you could say he got bitten by the bug unintentionally. He knows it's not a high class steel, but he's excited nonetheless...
Jon and Tucker, I'm going to get the scale length from him, and sounds like we're on the same page - provided the mechanics are reasonably working, I agree that the standard Emmons ABC/E lowers would be ideal for using learning material and playing popular licks. I just don't have much experience on 12 string guitars so wasn't sure if there were any pitfalls to watch for...
Another pal, Glenn Taylor, reached out and is hopefully going to connect with my Spanish friend as well. Glenn has played internationally a lot and builds really cool keyless steels himself, so with any luck and all of this advice/teamwork, we'll get him rolling! |
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 20 Aug 2020 8:51 am
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That's great that Glenn can help (I surely know him & Moyo).
One thing on my mind -- I regard 12, whether Uni or Ext, as something you go for because it provides something you've decided that you want.
An option to simplify life for a beginner with no particular ideas about what he wants would be to only string it as a standard 10 string E9. He can add the bottom strings any time he wants. And 12 string Ext. E9 is just 10 string E9 with two added bottom strings. It's nice to have string 11 on the B pedal but whatev....esecially with welded bellcranks forcing you to keep things simple. |
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Ben Waligoske
From:
Denver, CO
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Posted 22 Aug 2020 3:41 pm
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Makes sense Jon. I'll be curious to see how the whole thing ends up. Of course it's far from a perfect instrument, but it's always cool to see someone getting into the game for the first time...
I'll update this post when I learn more or get some cleaned up photos! |
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