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Topic: Height of pedals |
Matteo Strazzolini
From:
Udine, Italy
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Posted 18 Nov 2010 1:45 am |
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Hi. A question from a newbie. I noticed on photos that many steelers has the A pedal higher than the other 2. Is this a correct setup also for a newbie? I have some problems on rockin-on the left feet, sometimes while B is pressed I tend to push a little also the A pedal .. Also, what should be the correct height of the pedals (when pushed) from the floor? I also notice that my B pedal has a bigger travel than the others. Now, when pushed, it's about 1 cm from the floor.
Sorry for my poor English!
Ciao
Matteo
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Carter D10 8+5, Carter SD10 4+5, Hilton ME202, Goodrich L120, Peterson StroboPlus HD, Digitech DigiDelay, Peavey Nashville 112 Ken Fox Modded, Peavey Special 130 Ken Fox Modded, Zookies and Dunlop Picks, Ernie Ball Bar, George L'S Cables, Jagwire Strings... and my crappy hands, foot and knees  |
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richard burton
From:
Britain
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Posted 18 Nov 2010 2:32 am
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How high off the floor is the A pedal when it is pressed?
If you can lower it any, then it might solve your problem of hitting it when you press the B pedal. |
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Georg Sørtun
From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
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Posted 18 Nov 2010 2:47 am
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You English is fine (says a Norwegian)  ).
1 cm above the floor when activated sounds slightly too low, but not by much. Around 1.5 to 2 cm for the B pedal works well for me.
The A pedal stops a little higher, around 2.5 to 3 cm above the floor. So, yes, I too am comfortable with a slightly higher A pedal because of the natural angle my leg has for covering these most used pedals while also being able to push the left-knee levers from a good and relaxed seating-position behind the steel.
Rocking cleanly on and off between the A and B pedal takes a bit of practice, but you should try to adjust the height of the pedals so it works the best for you. We don't all have the same dexterity when it comes to twisting the foot on and off between adjacent pedals, and there's no need to make it harder than it has to be.
There's usually more than one point on the pedal-arm to hook up the vertical rod, so a little experimentation with what travel-distance each pedal has in relation to others should be possible. On some steels there's also more than one hook-up point behind the front apron, that also can be used to find the right pedal-travel.
So, adjust what can be adjusted to where you are most comfortable with height and travel of pedals. You're the player, and your steel should fit you as well as it possibly can. |
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Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 25 Mar 2011 11:46 am a similar question....C6th pedals
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Beyond the A and B pedals, I've also noticed that on D-10 PSG guitars, the 4 and 8th pedals often seem to be higher than the other C6th pedals.
Is this for ergonmic reasons, or is it just so you can find P4 and/or P8 quickly by feel?
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To write with a broken pencil is pointless. |
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Brint Hannay
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 25 Mar 2011 11:35 pm
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| Georg Sørtun wrote: |
| There's usually more than one point on the pedal-arm to hook up the vertical rod, so a little experimentation with what travel-distance each pedal has in relation to others should be possible. On some steels there's also more than one hook-up point behind the front apron, that also can be used to find the right pedal-travel. |
Among my steels, on the more recent ones (1994 Mullen, 2000's Williams and GFI), there is only one place on the pedal to connect the vertical rod, and only one place behind the apron to connect the other end. My Sho-Buds have 2 connection points at each end of the vertical rod. It seems unfortunate that this practice has apparently not been seen by otherwise quality builders as worth continuing. You'd think it would be the older guitars that didn't have it, and the newer ones that did.  |
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Georg Sørtun
From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
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Posted 26 Mar 2011 12:46 am
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Such regressions are not unusual.
Many useful details/options have been tested out on PSGs over the years. Often the feedback to builders indicates that too few make use of them - maybe because players are unaware of or can't use/modify them, so if there's a saving "unused" details/options are simplified or removed after a while. Logical from a business POV, but in the case of missing optional pedal hook-ups it means we have to adjust our bodies instead of the instrument. Not ideal, IMO. |
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Gary Watson
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 26 Mar 2011 9:09 pm Pedal Adjustment
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My biggest problem with pedal height is on the A pedal. Sometimes, when I engage the D lever to lower the E's, my foot will not rock off the A pedal enough and so I adjust the A pedal accordingly. It amazes me just how much one turn of the thread, will affect the "feel" of the Pedal!
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Brett Lanier
From:
Madison, TN
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Posted 26 Mar 2011 11:24 pm
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I think it's important for the A & B pedals, also B & C pedals to feel fairly even under your foot when you press them down together. If they aren't, you will be constantly adjusting your leg or ankle to get both pedals down. Or worse, you won't push a pedal all the way down.
Also make sure the rods are timed out together and have a liitle play in them. That could be why your B pedal has so much travel. Hope you figure it out, keep tinkering. |
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Gary Richardi
From:
SoCal, USA
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Posted 27 Mar 2011 12:03 pm
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| If I've learned anything about psg setup in my short time with the instrument, it's that there is no one "correct" setup. Everybody's different, that's why builders include adjustments. I tend to like the A pedal just a slight bit higher then B pedal and C at the same height as B. YMMV. |
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mike nolan
From:
Forest Hills, NY USA
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Posted 27 Mar 2011 5:44 pm
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Bill Rudolph from Williams Guitars just changed the pedal rod attachment on the 700 series guitars to an adjustable mechanism.
[img]
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 27 Mar 2011 6:24 pm
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| Mike, is that the only way to adjust the rod length or can you still do it from the pedal end of the rod? |
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mike nolan
From:
Forest Hills, NY USA
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Posted 27 Mar 2011 7:26 pm
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| It has the regular socket end threaded onto the pedal rod at the pedal end for length adjustment... the mechanism pictured allows you to change the pull point... closer or farther from the cross shaft thus allowing you to adjust the stiffness/length of the pull.... but it could function as a "pedals up" pedal rod length adjustment as well. |
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 27 Mar 2011 9:25 pm
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| on closer inspection I can see what your sayin now. very ingenious. |
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Ken Metcalf
From:
San Antonio Texas USA
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Posted 28 Mar 2011 4:17 am
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Don't forget to check it on some thick shag carpet or you will get a surprise.
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MSA 12 String E9th/B6th Universal.
Little Walter PF-89.
Bunch of stomp boxes |
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Michael Dulin
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 28 Mar 2011 5:43 am pedal height
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| You need to first adjust the pedals so they are a comfortable height for the shoes you wear. Then the A&C pedal needs to be higher than B as they have farther to travel to stop. After this they need to bottom out nearly level as stated before. Final adjustment should allow you to rock on A without touching B, B without touching A, C without touching B. Then you won't be detuning your changes while rocking in and out for phrasing. MD |
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Benjamin Jayne
From:
Orange County California, USA
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Posted 28 Mar 2011 11:55 am
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I've noticed my C pedal is quite a bit "tighter" AND has longer travel distane than the A or B pedals. I currently have it set up so it is parrellel w the B pedal when depressed, since they are typically used together. However, I find it takes a lot more force to press the C pedal than the others. Is this normal? If not, where should I look to adjust?
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Lamar S-10, Goodrich L10K VP, Carvin Vintage 16 all-tube amp, John Pearse Cryogenic steel tone bar, John Pearse strings. |
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Georg Sørtun
From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
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Posted 28 Mar 2011 12:34 pm
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The C pedal is raising both 4th and 5th string a full tone, so it is usually a bit harder to press and with longer throw than the B pedal.
Should not be a problem, but if it is you must first check if there's optional hook-up points for longer/shorter throw up under the front apron and maybe also on the pedal itself. On some (older ??) pedals there are alternative holes for the hook-up bolt to be screwed into.
I think most players will align their A-B-C pedals so they don't strain their ankle too hard in the various positions with pedals down and rocking on and off, as that's when some force is used. Too long pedal-travel from fully down to fully released results in too much ankle-twisting when controlling two pedals - one down and one up and then the other way round, so to most players it is better for the ankle to have short throw and heavier pedals than to have long throw and light pedals.
I personally don't care much how hard it is to press down A-B-C pedals as long as they are reasonably well balanced in height and throw-length for pressing pedals in any order along with any knee lever without straining my ankle. Thus, I prefer relative short pedal throw.
Sidenote: I have broken a couple of hook-up bolts on pedals on my old Dekley over the years, but that's mainly because they have loosened slightly without me noticing |
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