New Player here, Levers question.

Guy James · From: Hawaii, USA

Hi everyone, I’m new to the pedal steel, coming from guitar. I picked up a Mullen discovery 10 and I’m really happy with it. Along with that I purchased Paul Franklin’s modern music masters course which is how I’m approaching my learning for now. So far things have been good, but I’ve come to a bump in the road. When Paul goes through his knee levers explaining what they do I noticed mine aren’t assigned the same. So I began looking online and discovered that the knee levers are more of a personal preference for players adjust to their liking. Well, as a new y I don’t really have a preference at this point but since I’m learning from Paul I feel like I can’t go wrong just matching his set up. Problem is I have no idea how to adjust the levers functionality and I live in Hawaii where there isn’t a shop that can help.

Paul has his levers laid out as follows:

LKL + 4/8
LKR - 2/8 & whole step down using a stop (not all guitars will have the stop)
RKL - 4/8
RNR ++ 1 / + 2

My guitar is set up as follows:

LKL + 4/8
LKR - 4/8
RKL - whole step 5 / ++ 1
RKR -9 / - whole step 2

Can you guys chime in on my set up and let me know if this is a good way to be learning or if there’s a good reason I should get it switched. I will be moving back to the mainland in March of 2025 so I could get it switched around then but I just want to get a read on what my set up looks like to you seasoned players.

Lee Rider · From: Fort Bragg, California, USA

Your copedent looks pretty standard Emmons, same as mine. Having the E's on the left allow me to better do the raise with pedal A and lower with pedal B. When I first started they were on the right and I find having them on the left is much more ergonomically correct for me.
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D Schubert · From: Columbia, MO, USA

Older Sho-Bud guitars had the E/lower on the right knee left. If you learned that way, you might not want to switch after years of being used to it. My first guitar had E's on the left, and I'd find it equally awkward to play with E's on two different knees.
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Guy James · From: Hawaii, USA

Thanks Lee, so the E’s on the left feel good to me as well. How about the RKL, am I missing out not being able to raise the 2nd string D# to E on the right like Paul? He mentions this as being a very popular setup.

Doug Taylor · From: Shelbyville, Kentucky, USA

As long as you what each lever does I don’t think it makes a difference when you are starting out. My first steel had the raise and lowers split and when I got my Mullens it was all in the left. I just got used to it. There are advantages and compromises no matter where they are.

Tucker Jackson · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

Hi,Guy.

As others have said, although your guitar is not set up the same way as Paul's, that shouldn't really matter. The important thing is that when he does something on his guitar... you know where to do it on your guitar.

The setup you currently have is about as common a setup as you could possibly find. And if you wanted to add a 2nd string raise to your RKL at some point, you could get the parts from Mullen to make it so. It took me 20 years to get around to finally adding that one.

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

Knee levers seem to be a very personal thing.

Your guitar is setup a very common E9th Emmons set up with LKL raising 4-8 LKR lowering 4-8.
Roll foot left on A pedal, Move LKL Raise 4-8 slide up neck 3 frets same chord.
Roll foot on B pedal, Move LKR lower 4-8 is a 7th chord.

Mr. Franklin and some players, Like to have 4-8 Raise on 1 knee, 4-8 Lower on other knee.
With this setup, They can raise 4-8 to F and by moving both knees in unison, Go from F to E and with other knee to D# in 1 continues smooth move. Or from D# to F in one smooth move.

It seems there is nothing carved in stone where knee levers should be placed.
I switched to Jeff Newman's 12 String Universal tuning. Now 4-8 Lower is RKR. 4-8-11 Raise is RKL.

Lee Rider · From: Fort Bragg, California, USA

Guy James · From: Hawaii, USA

Thanks for all the input you guys! I’ll carry on as is and commit to learning what my levers are. The left knee levers +/- the E’s is actually nice. It’s the right knee levers that are the wild cards. I’m learning something new everyday.

Chris Bauer · From: Nashville, TN USA

PM sent.

Andrew Frost · From: Toronto, Ontario

Interesting that your 5th string lowers a whole tone on RKL... Perhaps that is a typo?

Jon Voth · From: Virginia, USA

So to be clear, I believe standard is:

RKL raises 1 a whole step, 2 a half step, and 6 down a whole step.

RKR lowers 2 a whole step with a half stop feel in-between, and lowers 9 a half step. And of course Es all on the left knee.

Learning the guitar I felt it was an advantage to having it standard. But having Mr. Franklin's course in the past, I think he's pretty good at telling us what string to lower/raise, rather than what lever to use. Just my opinion I would learn how to switch the rods around-it is a big deal for us beginners but so simple for most of the members who know the mechanics.

And I just got back a couple weeks ago from a family trip to the big island, beautiful weather there when it was upper 90s in the mid-atlantic. But after spending $8 on a half gallon of milk I was ready to come back.

Daniel Flanigan · From: Oregon, USA

As others have said, your setup is pretty standard, except for the RKL. I've never played a guitar that lowered 5 a whole step on this lever. It seems that RKL is the lever that you see the most variation from player to player. There are probably hundreds of threads on this forum of guys asking about and/or discussing preferred setups for RKL.

For me, I like to lower 6 a whole step, and usually raise 2 a half on RKL. Lowering 6 a whole step is a change that I can't live without, probably in large part because one of the records I learned a lot from when I first bought a copy was Buddy Emmons' Black Album, so the 'Danny Boy' RKL/B pedal lick became incorporated into my playing fairly early on.

When first learning, as long as you have the E half step raises and lowers, and a lever to lower 2 and 9, then you'll have a very typical and versatile setup. Nearly every player has these changes on their guitar (save for Lloyd Green), so just about any lesson or course will be applicable to you and your setup.

Also, in my opinion, you don't need to have any changes on the 1st string. I know it's popular with a lot of players these days, but I don't think it's strictly necessary. The first time I ever heard of someone raising the 1st string was when I bought Tom Brumley's Tomcattin' record, which has Tom's copedent on the sleeve. Tom raised strings 1 and 7 a half step on his second RKR, and on the occasion he'd use that change, I was always able to replicate the 1st string raise just fine with a string bend.

As far as Mr. Franklin having the E's split to different knees, and both of yours being on the left, yours is the better setup. I can, of course, get along fine with the Sho-Bud knee lever setup, however I strongly prefer to have both the E raise and lower on the same side, so I don't lose any knee lever combinations.
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Guy James · From: Hawaii, USA

Guy James · From: Hawaii, USA

Guy James · From: Hawaii, USA

Bob Sigafoos · From: San Clemente, Calif. , U.S.

Play your new guitar for 5 years then you can start to change things. Just learning the basics of music theory and gaining muscle memory in one’s mind and hands is the challenge. Sure you can change tuning now but I suggest learning and practicing your butt off for 5 years then analyzing things. There’s no substitute for seat time with this instrument. Gotta get pissed off and frustrated and progress thru the steep learning curve. Try not to make it harder. Good luck!

Guy James · From: Hawaii, USA

Jon Voth · From: Virginia, USA

Yes I did enjoy HI! Took our kids to same vacation we did on our honeymoon 20 years ago big island only. Yes it is a special place.

Totally agree with Bob Sig when he says play for years then change if that suits you-but again I had started with a standard all Es on the left knee. May be hard to change if you want to before you get to the states. But maybe not.

Yes I have done some rod work when my new Mullen wasn't quite what I wanted-my fault mostly. You will get it the more you look and learn at it.

Yes I do recommend Paul Franklin course. Save for when you have time to dedicate to it. I did a couple of years and will again soon. There is so much there-happy steeling.

Fred Treece · From: California, USA

The G raise on 1 and 7 is the only change that is not necessarily standard. Usually something is done with string 1, often along with 7.

It is fairly common to raise both E’s to F# with the C pedal.

Larry Allen · From: Kapaa, Kauai,Hawaii

Aloha Guy. I just read your thread from 7/5. If you get to Kauai I work on and modify / upgrade steels. Larry Shocked

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