Pedal pressure?

Dave Welch · From: Latrobe PA USA

I am relatively new to pedal steel, I'v always played electric guitar and kind of switched back and forth on stage to an 8 string lap steel tuned to C6th. Always wanted to own a pedal steel one day. Earlier this year I got a real nice double neck, around a 1980 (?) Dekley Slimline I purchased from another forum member at a very good price. I'm working at it every day, and I'm loving it! Has 8 pedals and 4 knee levers, and is capable of way more than I'll ever try with it. It appears to be built like a Cadillac, and weighs close to a ton. I love the tone of this instrument, possibly the weight is part of the reason it sounds this good.
Anyway, I am wondering about the pedals, and just how much foot pressure can or should be used when playing. I can't imagine all steel players play lightly. Is it possible to press down too hard on them, is it possible to damage the mechanism at all? I'm not talking about using ridiculous force, but just pressing firmly to the stop. I just want to be sure I know how much is too much. Any help on this I would really appreciate.

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

A quality pro-level PSG (such as you have) will withstand the rigors of human forces on it. Pedals are intended to hit their stops. They are not meant to be babied.
Nothing can be built to endure abuse (without weighing 150 lbs). The problem here is in defining 'too much force'.

I think that if you fear that you are being a gorilla, then hold back until you can get a physical feel for the machine.
But again, you should not fear stepping on the pedals any more than you should fear squeezing the neck of your 6 string too tight. With both examples, one might discover that the lighter touch is better for playing but there is no harm done.

Dave Welch · From: Latrobe PA USA

Thanks for the reply. No gorilla force here, I just wasn't sure how delicate these instruments might be, if I needed to be overly careful.

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

If you mash with too much force, I can think of three negative effects, but none really harmful.
1} it'll increase "cabinet drop", the stressing of the cabinet detuning the other strings. This isn't horrible, and your ears can tell you that you've gone too far.
2)I found it kinda if tiring. I eventually learned to just let my ears control my feet, if that makes sense.
3)Robert Randolph's tech reports that he regularly snaps the connectors where the pedal meets rod by mashing them. If you're handy with Easy-outs (I'm not, I've tried them about ten times, and only succeeded twice), this costs a couple bucks and a few minutes of labor.

I don't regard it as bad, just one of those wastes of energy that a finessed technique minimizes.
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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

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

What Lane says is good info, but I'd add that some steels will take "heavy-footing" far better than others. Components are made to do what they have to do, and have some safety factor (normally) but things can be broken and bent on any steel by going overboard. These pedals aren't like the bass pedals on a B3, which you can stand on without damaging them. Use only enough pressure to take the pedal to the stop. The guitar will thank you...by not breaking, and your playing will be easier, too! Cool

Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

I was always concerned about this when I played ZB and Kline guitars, as they use the tuning screw hitting the end plate as the pedal stop. I actually did break one of the hooks on the changer finger (the 3rd string) that the pull rod hooks to.
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting.

Georg Sørtun · From: Mandal, Agder, Norway

I managed to break one pedal/rod connector on a Dekley Slimline after having played it hard for 25+ years, mainly because I hadn't checked that it was tightened properly.

Other than that I think if any PSG can take pedal mashing well over time, it must be a Dekley. I have two of those monsters, an S10 and a D10.

Dekley knee-levers are not all that strong though. I have bent 6 of those over the years, and had to strengthen them by welding.

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