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Topic: Lever Lock for Uni 12 |
Markus Mayerhofer
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 12 Mar 2021 10:33 am |
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I stumbled upon a few youtube videos dealing with push-latch mechnanisms which basically can be found in ballpoint pens...
I'm wondering if some rocket engineers here experimented with that stunning mechanism in advance to get a lever lock, e.g. an E-Lower for switching to B6-mode on a Uni-12...
Watch here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_wPH904a_8&t=514s
or:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA7UGVCpcFk
I can imagine, some kind of halfstop should come before the push-latch to prevent it from locking every time, you engage the lever. But when pushed beyond, the locking will be activated... |
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Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 12 Mar 2021 3:57 pm
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So you would knee to lower to Eb then same knee again to reset to E?
Interesting.
I've been a E9/B6 uni player since 82 and I have a guitar with Eb lock lever.......but I rarely use it. I think I locked it once while trying to figure out some C6 tab.
I have solos on CD's whereby I switch between mode and pedal sets in the midst so I really am not a proponent of a locking Eb lever.
Nonetheless that's a cool idea! |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 12 Mar 2021 4:21 pm
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Here is the Lever Lock on my Excel S12U.
It is basically a Knee lever that comes through the top of the deck, and it is on a swivel so you can engage it, then lock it in place.
It is it's own lever/lock, and lowers strings 4 and 8 from E-to-Eb, and string-2 D#-to-C#.
It is not attached to the lever that lowers my E's-to-Eb in any way.
On my Steels that don't have a Lever Lock, I just use a bungee cord.
I like to be able to lock into 6th mode when I want to for whatever reason.
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Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 12 Mar 2021 4:27 pm
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| I see you got two on the floor Pete. |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 12 Mar 2021 4:27 pm
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I also have a lock like that on my Excel. I didn't want it but Mitsuo insisted. I've never used it.
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 12 Mar 2021 4:31 pm
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| Jim Pitman wrote: |
| I see you got two on the floor Pete. |
Two on the floor???
What do you mean, Jim? |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 12 Mar 2021 4:33 pm
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| Ian Rae wrote: |
| I also have a lock like that on my Excel. I didn't want it but Mitsuo insisted. I've never used it. |
I held the knee lever over on my Emmons S12U for 15+ years. I got tired of that so I get the Lever Lock now when one is available.
My Sierra has one, also. I have a Kline with a lever lock, too. |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 12 Mar 2021 6:57 pm
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| Pete Burak wrote: |
| Jim Pitman wrote: |
| I see you got two on the floor Pete. |
Two on the floor???
What do you mean, Jim? |
Think of it in an automotive context.
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Bobby D. Jones
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 12 Mar 2021 9:18 pm
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I am watching this thread, To see way locks are designed and installed. I want to put a lock on my GFI 12 U's.
To me a lock to B6 is like the Parking Brake on a vehicle. You don't need it every day, But handy when you need it. |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 13 Mar 2021 7:28 am
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| Lee Baucum wrote: |
| Pete Burak wrote: |
| Jim Pitman wrote: |
| I see you got two on the floor Pete. |
Two on the floor???
What do you mean, Jim? |
Think of it in an automotive context.
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Oh Yeah! Four on the floor!
I get alot of gear-shift comments on that thing |
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George Kimery
From:
Limestone, TN, USA
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Posted 14 Mar 2021 5:19 am Uni lock for uni 12
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| I played a U-12 for many years and never felt I needed a lever lock. Jeff Newman played a U-12. I was in his class when I was playing a D-10. I got interested in a U-12 at that class. I asked Jeff about a lever lock. He said it was a bad idea, just a marketing ploy. I bought a Kline U-12 shortly after that, no locking lever. |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 14 Mar 2021 5:33 am
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In my personal experience having gigged extensively playing Steels with and without a Lever Lock, the Lever Lock just makes a Universal, more "Universal".
You have E9th, B6th, One Big Tuning, etc... |
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John Sluszny
From:
Brussels, Belgium
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Posted 14 Mar 2021 11:02 am
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| Wanted it when I ordered my Carter U12, never used it !!! |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 14 Mar 2021 11:28 am
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| If you have it, you have the choice to use it or not use it. |
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George Kimery
From:
Limestone, TN, USA
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Posted 15 Mar 2021 4:26 am Lever lock for a uni 12
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| I think it's better to think of a U-12 as one big tuning. Seems to me if you lock in the E lowers, your mind is now thinking B6 tuning, then when you unlock, you would think E9 tuning. At least this is the way my mind would work. |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 15 Mar 2021 5:11 am Re: Lever lock for a uni 12
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| George Kimery wrote: |
| I think it's better to think of a U-12 as one big tuning. Seems to me if you lock in the E lowers, your mind is now thinking B6 tuning, then when you unlock, you would think E9 tuning. At least this is the way my mind would work. |
With the lock, you have all three options at your fingertips.
Having played in a Swing band with maybe one E9th song per set, I liked having the Lock.
It's more "Universal" to me.
I like Locking into 6th mode any time I work on learning the 6th side of the tuning from C6th Instructional Materials I have purchased at Conventions over the years.
Either way, with E9/B6 you basically have anything a D10 player would need on the Bandstand as Jeff would say, and, one big tuning, all in one S12U.
It's all good. |
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Slim Heilpern
From:
Aptos California, USA
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Posted 15 Mar 2021 6:50 am
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Nothing wrong with having all options. However, I find that even when playing in B6/jazz/swing mode, raising the Eb's back to E is a change I wouldn't want to lose as I use that a lot.
- Slim
_________________
Chromatic Harmonica, Guitar, and Pedal Steel (Williams U12 Series 700, Emmons lap)
http://slimandpenny.com |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 15 Mar 2021 7:13 am
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I think of that as a One Big Tuning change. I have used my F lever for that. Or just unLock. fwiw I don't see that change in common C6th D10 Tab.
I am a huge fan of the One Big Tuning method, and have Steels without Locks that I still play regularly. |
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Slim Heilpern
From:
Aptos California, USA
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Posted 15 Mar 2021 8:21 am
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Yeah, I just tend to use whatever I have that sounds musical. Since I prefer to lower my E's on RKL, a lock isn't practical for me. Also, I find I use the F lever a lot (without the lowered E's) along with the traditional P7 to get a major 7 chord on strings 7,6,5,4 (with the root on string 7 (my F# string).
But of course, if I had a lock I'd probably use it once in a while.
- Slim
_________________
Chromatic Harmonica, Guitar, and Pedal Steel (Williams U12 Series 700, Emmons lap)
http://slimandpenny.com |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 15 Mar 2021 8:58 am
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Slim, When I play Universal style B6th with E's lowered on a standard S10 E9, I release the E's and grab string 9-D for the P6 function, and also with E's released I use the F-lever diminished chord in place of the P5+P6 diminished chord. The A-pedal becomes the partial P7 with E's lowered, too. B-pedal with E's lowered changes B6 to B7. Lots of tranferable stuff in there.
I will try your P7+F! Thx! |
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Slim Heilpern
From:
Aptos California, USA
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Posted 15 Mar 2021 9:12 am
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| Pete Burak wrote: |
...
Lots of tranferable stuff in there.
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Indeed, it blows my mind on a regular basis. Just wish I could keep it all in my head at once .
- Slim
_________________
Chromatic Harmonica, Guitar, and Pedal Steel (Williams U12 Series 700, Emmons lap)
http://slimandpenny.com |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 15 Mar 2021 9:54 am
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Interesting idea Markus. I'm not aware of any such mechanism that would be practical for the application.
Seems having the action to operate in normal fashion and also to only lock and unlock with the knee when you want it to plus have a stable tuning would take a complicated unit, but you never know...perhaps you can come up with such an application. |
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