getting the steel higher in height for comfort.

Bryan Staddon · From: Buffalo,New York,

Hi everyone , I am 6'1'' tall and would like to get my steel up a little higher, regarding this topic I have a few questions. It would seem that sitting at a height where my legs were straight (like sitting at a table) when resting on the pedals (volume pedal also) would be the most comfortable but currently my legs rub on the knee levers because i am not using them yet. My sho-bud has 5 knee levers. so i raised up the back a little and this helps but i would like to raise the front up a bit too and there comes the problems. 1. No matter what you do it seems that the pedal bar must rest against the leg tighteners for the proper leverage and the bottom of the pedal bar sits on the rubber feet so it is always at the same height.2.if I do get longer legs if they are even available do all the rods need to be replaced with longer ones. I tried sitting lower but that is wildly uncomfortable on my back and legs. so any ideas, helpful hints anything would be appreciated, thanks and long live the Steel Guitar Forum,oh yeah are those benches everybody sits on in Nashville the way to go? Im using a drum seat and it gets to be a drag on a long gig.

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

Sounds like you need a liftkit. Pretty common for taller players. Look at the side bar under Parts, liftkits at Bobbe Seymour's place. Several other vendors probably have them too. http://www.steelguitar.net/

Lots of guys use so called Pac-a-seats for sitting and carrying "possibles". You can see some of them there too probably.

Skip Edwards · From: LA,CA

I have liftkits on all my steels.
What model is your Sho-Bud? The collars that come with Bobbe's liftkits (that attach to the front legs) are too slim to catch the pedal bar on older Buds. I'm referring to the older ones that had the screw & wingnut attached to the pedal bar that went thru the hole on the leg...there's too large a gap between the pedal bar and the leg for the collar to catch. If so, a trip to a local metal shop to make thicker collars is an easy remedy.

David Nugent · From: Gum Spring, Va.

Bryan...A trip to Lowe's should solve the leg problem. Simply purchase a length of aluminum conduit the same internal diameter as the lower portion of the legs and cut to desired length. However, keep in mind that the pedal rods will need to be extended that same amount.

Bryan Staddon · From: Buffalo,New York,

Hi Skip, My bud is a 1976 The pro II custom it does have wing nuts but no holes in the legs for the bolts to go through Ive often thought that holes in the legs would be a good idea maybe someone replaced the legs with incorrect parts. Now the Bolts just Clamp around the legs, what do you guys think when I change my legs should i drill them so the bolts go through

Sonny Priddy · From: Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA, R.I.P.

I Would Not Drill Holes In Them No No. Sonny.

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

bryan..before spending money i'd try extending your front legs a half inch or so....and the back an inch. if this feels high enough find something to act as a collar between the pedal rack and the feet and then adjust your pedals down slightly......might save you some money and hassle temporarily at least.

'chris' cheap fixes'

Jerome Hawkes · From: Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA

If you are a beginner - I would get with a teacher first to make sure you are sitting at the steel properly - it's almost a sure bet beginners sit wrong and thus create various problems. I am 6' and when I got my first steel had similar problems that were fixed in 15 mins by a good teacher. That said...I still can't use a reg vol pedal and have tofight with that constantly and the diff between 6 & 6'1 might be the tipping point to go with a lift. IMO, the lift I tried (from Seymour) created it's own problems too and I took it off.

You definately don't want to sit lower and you may be surprised to find sitting HIGHER may work better as putting the legs at a downward angle is VERY important - ie your knees* should not be higher than your hips. I put a small couch pillow on my seat and I can move a lot freer.
*left knee - the rt knee is obviously higher cause it's sitting on the vp
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'65 Sho-Bud D-10 Permanent • '54 Fender Dual-8 • Clinesmith T-8 • '38 Ric Bakelite • '92 Emmons D-10 Legrande II

Quentin Hickey · From: Nova Scotia, Canada

Hey Jerome. I am 6'2" and I set my legs/pedal rods out to the max and it still wasnt quite enough so I had to order a 1" overheight kit for my steel. If you experiment, you might be able to max out youre height adjustment( pedal rods should have lots of thread to make them longer) and get enough but try that before ordering an overheight kit, you wouldnt want to add extra parts/weight to youre rig if you don't have to.

Skip Edwards · From: LA,CA

If your steel doesn't have the screw that goes thru the bottom of the leg - where it attaches to the pedal bar - then you should be fine with one of Bobbe's lift kits.
On the older style there was a nut on the inside of the pedal bar, which meant the leg wouldn't actually be flush up against the pedal bar, but against the nut instead. The front legs have to be flush & tight up against the pedal bar for the lift kit collars (or shims, whatever you want to call them) to catch.
If yours has those metal plates that slide to the side where the pedal bar attaches to the front legs, then you shouldn't have any problem.
Don't go drilling holes in the legs on a perfectly good steel...
Do get some rod extenders, though.
Do whatever's comfortable for you... 1" or 2" lift. Just make sure you're not sitting too low to play correctly.

My Emmons has a lift kit from Bobbe, and it works just fine. My Sho-Bud has longer front legs, and both gtrs have rod extenders.

Ransom Beers · Posted 11 Feb 2012 3:42 pm

I put 3 ea. pcs. of some brass rollers I made yrs. ago inside the back legs,this lifts them about an 1 1/8.I suppose you could do that with the front too but you would have to put some rings or something like that between the pedal bar & the rubber feet.This so you wouldn't have to have longer pedal rods.

mike nolan · From: Forest Hills, NY USA

Bryan,

I'm 6'1" as well and I have my steels raised 1" over standard. I do have an Emmons that is 2" over as well. You will probably need to add a 1" lift kit to your guitar. If you are in or near NYC and want to check out one of my steels to see if they have a better feel.... let me know.

John Swain · From: Winchester, Va

This may not be enough change but I raise the front of my Carters with 5/8" hose clamps to give Emmons volume pedals enough travel!..JS

Ransom Beers · Posted 12 Feb 2012 9:24 am

That's a good idea but what if it isn't enough?I guess you use 2 more clamps.I don't need mine raised because I'm tall,it just feels more comfy to play with the back kicked up like that.

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

instead of hose clamps, you could use a little piece of pipe
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Quentin Hickey · From: Nova Scotia, Canada

I use PVC tubing to rasie mine too.

Doyle Mitchell · From: Loraine, Texas

you can experment very inexpensively with pvc pipe to find exactly what height raise you need before making any major adjustment just to find out you went to high or not high enough. Someitmes one inch is not enough and two inches is too much, this is a problem us tall long legged guys have fought for years, for me it is a 1 inch raise on the front and then a slight raise more on the rear legs. Of course the height of your volume pedal comes into play there also, I use the Goodrich lowboy that works for me, but if I try to use a standard height pedal I have problems again. Good luck in your search for the perfect height.

Fred Glave · From: McHenry, Illinois, USA

If you used pipe, wouldn't the pipe tend to slide downward and put pressure on the rubber feet and cut into it? The clamps wouldn't slide.
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Zum Encore, Zum Stage One, Fender 2000, Harlan Bros., Multi-Kord,

Doyle Mitchell · From: Loraine, Texas

well on mine I put the pvc at the top of the pedal bar. between the part that tightens and the bar itself, it doesnt touch the rubber feet at all. Actually I didnt do it myself, Jeff Newman did it for me as I watched while he helped me find the right height I needed for free leg movement, and then I had the extensions put in that height for the pedal rods, actually I played that Emmons for some time with a piece of 1 inch cpvc pipe painted chrome as a spacer and it was not that noticeable unless you were down there looking around, but for the more vain player you would probably want to spend the money for a lift kit. Being tall is great for changing light bulbs but can cause problems in the srangest places otherwise. When I had the Rains built I had it made with 2 inch over size legs, should have went with 1 inch because it was too tall and now I use a pad on my pak a seat.... worries worries worries good luck

Quentin Hickey · From: Nova Scotia, Canada

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