Introduction of the greenest of n00bs...

Robert Pastore · From: Florida, USA

Hi everyone,
I have been lurking around your great forum for a few weeks and just joined up so I can be a part of it. I have only been wrestling with the PSG for about 6 months and I am loving every confusing moment of it. I am a gigging musician on guitar and bass (including upright)

I have a million questions, but will limit my introduction to just a few. For starters I don't even own a PSG yet, but someone lent me a Carter Starter and I can use it as long as i need. Hopefully in a few months (or maybe a year) I will be ready for my own.

I have already done a few gigs with the Carter, not traditional country, more or less playing "rhythm" while backing up a guitar player. (Americana, singer/songwriter stuff)

So here are my initial questions, I know this is a student model so are there specific issues I should look out for if i am traveling with it? I have already discovered that I am not a fan of the volume pedal that it came with and replaced it with one that i already had.

My other question is about configuration, I am assuming the pedals are assigned to what is referred to as "Emmons setup"

(tuned to E9)
A pedal raises 5 and 10
B pedal raises 3 and 6
C pedal raises 4 and 5

My question is about my RKL lever, right now it lowers the 5th string "B" (but not the 10th)

well, i did something weird with it, I tune the RKL with the A pedal down to a "C". This allows me another way to grab a minor, with the AB pedals down.
This is very useful for songs that play the IV both major and minor (Any Beatles fans out there?)

it also give me that pretty walk when playing the vi chord (A pedal down) to walk it back to the I (pedals up).

So the question in all of that is am I doing myself a disservice tuning the RKL that way? am I missing some very useful things that that bar could be doing if it was tuned properly? (Currently if you use the RKL WITHOUT pedal A down it will not be a 1/4 tone out of tune)
Should I learn how to use the A pedal "half way"?

Sorry for the long post, I will wrap it up, heck that was so long I'll even summarize (and make it longer Wink

)

1) What should I look out for when gigging with a student model
2) is the above pedal description the standard Emmons
3) Will the RKL set up the way i described hurt my development as a steel player.

Thanks for reading all the way to the end!
Rob

Jim Robbins · From: Ontario, Canada

There's lots of people out there with way more experience than me who might have different views, but here's my take:

Question 3:
You get the same voicing of the minor with no pedals, knee lever the E's to Eb's and go 1 fret up from AB position major (eg D maj A&B down at fret 5, D min no pedals & E-Eb lever at fret 6) or as you mention by half pedaling so it's no huge gain it seems to me. Half pedaling is a useful skill.

You say that the lever lowers 5th string to "B" -- did you mean Bb? or did you mean with A pedal down it lowers it a whole step to B? Anyway, I like the change of lowering 5 to Bb - it gives you a nice V7 voicing two frets below no-pedals (eg A7 at third fret with 5th string lowered 1/2 step). It is also nice to have that change for some pentatonic licks you can do with E's to Eb and B to Bb levers engaged at the same time, two frets below no-pedals, on strings 8,7,6,5,4. So if it's a choice between having that change in tune or having A pedal raising the B string a step and knee lowering a half step in tune, I'd go for door number one.

Question 2: sounds standard to me

Question 1: I gigged for a while using a student guitar with 3 pedals one lever. It was hard to keep the pedals in tune, in fact, pretty much impossible so eventually I switched to a lap steel. But it was a good foundation for learning how to get around. Also I think Carter's are easier to tune and hold tuning better than the steel I had. You will find you don't get the upper body development that you would from lugging around a D-10, though.

Twayn Williams · From: Portland, OR

The B-Bb lever is common on LKV. It's going on my guitar when I can get around to it.

If your A pedal raises the 5th string B to C# and then while holding the pedal hitting the lever lowers it down to C this is called a split and is a very handy thing to have if you can get both notes in tune! I don't know if Carter Starters with do tunable splits, but most pro level guitars will.
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Robert Pastore · From: Florida, USA

ahh, that explains a lot. I will keep it as a strict B-Bb lever. If the Carter allows tunable splits, I haven't figured it out yet. I guess what i was doing was tuning it to the split, but that negated the use of the lever it's own. Something to look for on my next guitar Very Happy

This will keep me from getting lazy and help me to practice half steps as well as moving the bar and finding those other voiceings.

Thanks!

Brick Spieth · From: San Jose, California, USA

Greenest noob? I think not. I first touched a PSG less than a month ago.

Robert Pastore · From: Florida, USA

Brick, in that case let me rephrase.

How about the greenest n00b with the gall to play one of these beasts on stage?

You know the expression "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing", for me it's down right deadly Devil

Brian Kurlychek · From: Maine, USA

I just got my steel today> never touched one before. I think that makes me greenest Very Happy

Stan Paxton · Posted 18 Jul 2008 7:30 pm

Well Robert, welcome anyway, even if you can't win the green contest. Smile

And listen to what Jim Robbins said, sounds right to me Cool

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Mullen Lacquer SD 10, 3 & 5; Mullen Mica S 10 1/2 pad, 3 & 5; BJS Bars; LTD400, Nashville 112, DD-3, RV-3, Hilton VP . -- Gold Tone PBS sq neck; Wechter Scheerhorn sq neck. -- "Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone." -anon.-

Charles Davidson · From: Phenix City Alabama, USA

Welcome Robert,from Alabama,happy picking.DYKBC.
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Hard headed, opinionated old geezer. BAMA CHARLIE. GOD BLESS AMERICA. ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST. SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC !

Chuck Thompson · From: Illinois, USA

hiya Robert! - this place is great for learning - there is alot of talent and experience on this forum for us newer types to take advantage of - check out dick sexton's posts (in the tab section) - and here is a thread you might find helpful >>> http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=133800

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