Guitar height?

Terry Elms · From: Colorado Springs, CO

Thinking about ordering a guitar that actually fits me. I'm 5'5". Any suggestions on how much shorter than standard I should go?

Larry Dering · From: Missouri, USA

My pedal steels are 26 inches to the bottom of the apron. My seat is 21 inches. I'm 6 foot tall. So for me I would measure my seat height and add 5 inches. However your build, leg length to upper body may differ. That said, it's impossible to recommend a steel height.

Terry Elms · From: Colorado Springs, CO

Thanks Larry, I see what you mean. Even a standard height seat makes the angles not work so well. It's hard to keep my heel on the floor. So, I should be looking into having everything a little lower to the ground. Right now it's just uncomfortable with my standard height guitar.

Jimmie Hudson · From: North Carolina, USA

Measure from the floor to the top of your knee when seated in the seat you plan to play the guitar.
Add 3 inches to that figure and That is the measurement you want to the bottom of the guitar.
That is how I do on the steels I build. It has worked so far for the last 10 years .

James Sission · From: Sugar Land,Texas USA

Terry Elms · From: Colorado Springs, CO

Thanks Jimmie!

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

First, You want to select or adjust your seat till your Pedal foot heel sits comfortable on floor. Many players use their heel as a pivot point to move from pedals A-B to pedals B-C and back to A-B quickly and smooth. Then figure the height of the steel above your legs.

The height should not be to high above your leg, But high enough to have movement of the volume pedal. Especially if you have a vertical lever, To Lower 5th string from B to A#.

Comfortable sitting at the steel makes for long practice sessions.
Goood Luck and Happy Steelin.

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

Terry
I've been 5'5" for a long time Laughing

, and my personal ergonomic preference is to be looking down at the fretboard with my arms at a slight vertical angle to the guitar top, so my guitars are generally cut to 1.25" to 1.5" short, and the guitar sits about 24.5" from the floor to bottom of the endplate. I sit on a standard size pack-seat.

The length of your legs matter as well. I wear jeans/pants with 29" inseams. If your legs are longer than mine, your mileage may vary.
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

Terry Elms · From: Colorado Springs, CO

Thanks Bobby and Herb. I wear 29 inch inseam as well. My seat is standard, so when I measured last night while sitting at the guitar, it looks like 1 1/2 inches should do it (unless I hit a growth spurt?) I have a machine shop by my house that has done work for me before. I think I'll take my rods and legs over to them and have them take everything down 1 1/2 inches.

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

Glad I could help. Wink

_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

Jerry Horch · From: Alva, Florida, USA

My new jeans are 52 waist..24 length
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Franklin D10 /Walker Sterio Steel JBL's /DigiTech Quad4/ Korg Toneworks/ Dobro DM 1000 / Santa Cruz Guitar VA

Gene Tani · From: Pac NW

I'm about same, my NBA career was very short heh. Anyway, I have legs and pedal rods that are 2" shorter than standard but i've had to adjust the lengths for various steels (and also grind down the pedal rod hooks for a couple steels)

So getting the legs and pedal rods the right length is trial adn error but pretty straightforward, if yours are too short, you can extend rods w/spacer, long or coupling nuts Aka Hex Standoffs https://www.steelguitarshopper.com/show-pro-1-pedal-rod-extender-10-32/

You can lock legs with pieces of 1/2" inner diameter PVC pipe at the right length instead of relying on the clutches.

getting the pedals and knee levers to fit maybe more work.
_________________
- keyless Sonny Jenkins laps stay in tune forever!; Carter PSG
- The secret sauce: polyester sweatpants to buff your picks, cheapo Presonus channel strip for preamp/EQ/compress/limiter, Diet Mountain Dew

Karen Sarkisian · From: Boston, MA, USA

I am 5'5.5" and my guitars are cut down 1"..
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Emmons PP, Mullen G2 and Discovery

Ed Kornegay · From: Maryland, USA

I am pretty interested in this thread. I am 6'5" and almost all of that is in my lower legs. When I sat down at this GFI for the first time I couldn't get my legs under it. I ended up with 2" extension legs and rods, but I'm still not sure it's high enough. With my right foot on the volume pedal my thigh is less than 1" from the cabinet bottom. RKR takes a lot of force because I am pushing on the lever near its fulcrum. It pushes the guitar sideways significantly. Is that normal? Doesn't happen with the other levers.

I just raised it another 1 1/2 inches with wood blocks under the feet. Can't work the pedals in this state but the lever is much easier. Now my right thigh is 3" below the cabinet, as Jimmie Hudson recommends. But Jimmie, does that method mean 3" below while on the volume pedal? My left thigh is at about 4" now. Which is the better measurement?

Hardware from McMaster-Carr can raise the guitar 1 3/4". I can't get any smaller boost than that.

Any advice? (I will leave the issue of large clumsy feet for another thread.)

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

You need longer pedal rods that would allow you to raise the guitar what sounds like yet another 1.5 to 2 inches, or rod extenders to do that. Then use aluminum tubing cut to the correct length to keep the leg clutch assembly off the pedal rack. Easy fix.
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

Jimmie Hudson · From: North Carolina, USA

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