Sitting higher at my steel...

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

My legs are a bit on the short side and, despite having already once had Ken Rollans fit slightly longer legs to my two 'Steelers' Choice' seats, I'm now woodshedding with the seat placed on a large board (maybe 5/8" thick). It's lifting me up by at least an inch, I'd say, because the seat doesn't now sink into the carpet.

It's helped me a lot - my arms now feel parallel to my guitar and I feel as though I'm making some real progress. While I did have the legs lengthened once before I didn't go far enough.

Here's the question:

I know I could ship both seats to Mr.Rollans for yet another set of legs, but I'm wondering if there's something I could buy that would simply slip over the ends of the existing ones and extend them that way. Something in the furniture world, maybe? I don't fance hauling a huge board around with me when I go out on tour in a couple of months!
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

maybe you could find some extra fat rubber tips..or at least some that have a long enough casing that you could place a few washers/spacers inside to gain a little height. i know it does help to sit slightly higher. lots of times i find myself slumping, but things get better when i sit up straight.

Paul Sutherland · From: Placerville, California

I placed washers (you could use pennies or ?) inside the plastic tips/feet that cover over the ends of the legs. I adjusted the height in very small increments until it felt just right. Works great.

Roger Francis · From: kokomo,Indiana, USA

For a long time i put up with my seat being to low, so when i built my new seat i raised it probably 1 to 1 1/2" higher, and it feels so much better being higher.
I think if i were to build another seat i would try to fit some smaller diameter legs into the main legs with those spring loaded buttons so you could ajust it to atleast three different hights

Don Drummer · From: West Virginia, USA

Roger, try using a simple chair cushion. Don D.

Roger Francis · From: kokomo,Indiana, USA

just another thing to carry around, besides, what if someone wants to sit in on my gee-a-tar, ajust the seat to them on break, It's just a thought anyway!!!

John Roche · From: England

Roger, what do the legs look like ,round ,square ,hollow,,,,John

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

also, on the old sho-bud seat i've always used, i put a new piece of fat foam rubber under the covering on the seat top and made a huge difference from the old flattened out one.

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

roger..i also have a steelers choice seat and looking at it now it appears that you could gain over 1/4 inch by simply putting a solid fat piece of aluminum (drill two holes for the bolts) between the bottom of the seat and the 'u' brackets that hold the legs.

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

Thanks for the suggestions, guys...

John:

They're hollow aluminium tube, by the look of it. They're capped off with a countersunk (sort-of) plastic insert - if it had rubber feet (like most steels) then I'd think I could put coins or washers in to raise it, but that's not an option.

Maybe Chris' idea of putting some sort of a spacer where the legs are affixed to the underside of the seat would work - then raising a full inch would surely be easy?

Only thing is - me and hammers, screwdrivers and nails, etc, usually spells disaster....
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Roger Francis · From: kokomo,Indiana, USA

Brian McGaughey · From: Orcas Island, WA USA

Roger,

I recently added 1.5 inches to the height of my pac-a-seat. I added it to the bottom of the round aluminum legs by ordering a short piece of aluminum tubing the same O.D. as my legs and with an I.D. the same size as a common wood dowel.

I cut the dowel to 3 or 4 inches in length, hammered it inside the existing legs and fastened two short sheet metal screws across from each other through the legs and into the dowels.

Then I hammered on the 4 1.5 inch new aluminum pieces onto the dowel (which I left protruding about 1.25 inches) and fastened it the same way with 2 sheet metal screw opposite each other into the dowel.

Strong as heck and fairly cheap. I suppose if you were really anal about your gear you might not like the look of it, but unless your looking for it, it's not noticable.

Tubing shorts here http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?step=2&id=71

I'll post a pic later when the wifes home with camera.

Andy Sandoval · From: Bakersfield, California, USA

Reading all the posts of guys trying to adjust their "pack a seat" or whatever is what persuaded me to just use an adjustable keyboard bench. I wish they made a "pack a seat" that was adjustable.

Micky Byrne · From: United Kingdom (deceased)

Hi Roger, just a thought. Some players use a drum stool which is so adjustable for height, and the swivel top is good if you have inner knee levers to get to. You will still have your Steelers choice for your bits and pieces, but a better alternative to a "board" or slipping things onto the legs of your current seat.

Micky Byrne U.K.

www.micky-byrne.co.uk

John Roche · From: England

Roger, you could try a plummer, they use non welding fittings . for example...
http://www.pipetubefittings.com/pipe-fittings/coupling-rigid.html

Larry Behm · From: Mt Angel, Or 97362

Roger you hit on the #1 issue I address with new players, their seat has to be high enough that their arms are parallel with the floor.

Too high and your wrists are bent up, too low and you look like a praying mantis. Your wrists should be as straight as possible with your elbows bent at about 90º.

Larry Behm

Brian McGaughey · From: Orcas Island, WA USA

Picture worth a thousand words.

You can have onlinemetals.com cut the tubing to length for a minimal charge.

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

Brian - thanks! That's a great job, but how did the dog do it with no opposing thumbs???

Seriously, a very neat job.

Micky: I'm addicted to having a seat-back when I play, so a drum-throne won't do it. I also depend on all that storage space (being a hoarder in all areas of my life, including steel-playing...)

Larry:

I've long been aware that my address-position needed attention. Having my seats altered a couple of years back helped, yet still I found my forearms in too much contact with the back neck and impeding the free movement of my right hand. That resulted in my hand pivoting to reach the higher strings - now I've elevated my seat (albeit in a makeshift way!) I can much more easily maintain a good picking angle across all ten strings.

I have an uncomfortable feeling that I'd have done better not waiting thirty-five years to make the correction!!! Whoa!

(PS: I'm reminded of that old publicity shot from the Emmons Co., in which Buddy is sitting on a folding-chair at a very early push/pull. The seat is so low that his elbows are level with his knee-levers!)
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

How big do they make those thick rubber ferrules that are at the end of a walking-cane? If there was one with enough diameter, I bet they'd give me maybe 1/2" or even more, and it'd be a job I could actually do.... Embarassed

What sort of store would sell those things - any ideas?
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Brian McGaughey · From: Orcas Island, WA USA

Roger,

If you pay air fare for me and my family and put us up in Naples, I'll modify your seat, FOR FREE!

It'll take about a week... Laughing

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

I've always known that the best deals are to be found on the Steel Forum!!!

Very Happy

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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Chris Bauer · From: Nashville, TN USA

Just to amplify Larry's comment... My current main guitar is an inch shorter than standard. When I bought it, I assumed that I'd be springing for the cash to bring it to regular height. Instead, I finally figured out a major problem I've had forever with the height of my guitars and didn't even know it. What a revelation! I still can't believe how much more easily I can play with a lower guitar. (Of course lowering a guitar is a whole lot more expensive than raising a seat but the importance of a good 'height match' between the guitar and the player is my point here.)

Frankly, if I could afford to lower my other guitars I'd do it in a heartbeat. Having now tried both, with my unfortunate body build, a lower guitar works better for me than a higher seat - my legs are much more comfortable.

Gary Cosden · From: Florida, USA

Roger - I attempted to use cane tips on my ancient ShoBud pac seat with no luck. They would no longer fold up into the bottom of the seat as the tips are too wide. If your seat would not have this issue I really think you would only gain about 3/8" in height tops.

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

Hi, Chris...

I'm so much more comfortable as I am now (on the board!), so I think raising the height of the seat is preferable to lowering the guitar. In any case, I have three 'active' steels, so it would be prohibitively expensive, not to mention the effect it might have on their resale should that arise.

This has also allowed me to sit more 'forward' when playing the E9 neck, and it's under my hands with my elbows at my sides; I'm feeling a lot more 'in control', if that makes any sense.

"So much to learn and so little time..." (Peter Sellers: 1959)
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Chris Bauer · From: Nashville, TN USA

I'm certainly with you on the expense and re-sale issues, Roger. (Hence, no changes for me besides a higher seat for use with my other guitars.) It's amazing to me, though, how much different the lower guitar feels as opposed to the higher seat. Mind you, if I were built more like a normal human and less like a mutant smurf, the higher seat might work just as well or better for me.

As for feeling more 'in control', I would say exactly the same thing. Better for us both to have figured it out late than never, I guess... Oh Well

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