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Author Topic:  A/B pedal
Clark Doughty


From:
KANSAS
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 1:43 pm    
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Why is my B pedal stiffer to engage than my A pedal?
Why is the travel from top to bottom on my A pedal twice what it is on my B pedal?
Standard Emmons setup.......
thanks for your help.......clark
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Roger Rettig


From:
Naples, FL
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 2:41 pm    
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This is a guess, but could it simply be that the A pedal is pulling two strings a whole step? The B pedal is raising two strings only a half-step and they're both of a lighter gauge, too.

Ooops - never mind; I just read your post more carefully.
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Georg Sørtun


From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 3:01 pm     Re: A/B pedal
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Clark Doughty wrote:
Why is my B pedal stiffer to engage than my A pedal?
Why is the travel from top to bottom on my A pedal twice what it is on my B pedal?
In part; the B pedal is stiffer because it is give shorter travel than the A pedal, so your two points hang together. Travel, and thereby stiffness, can be adjusted by moving rods, but that may cause problems for balanced pedal-pushing as you rock your foot between the A and B pedal.

That the 3d string has highest tension, and also need most changer movement of all strings in order to raise from G# to A, is the other part of why the B pedal is stiffer than the A pedal. Nothing you can do about that string-tension factor other than to try another gauge.
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Roger Rettig


From:
Naples, FL
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 4:05 pm    
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See what happens when someone who knows what they're talking about responds?

Embarassed
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Clark Doughty


From:
KANSAS
Post  Posted 31 Dec 2017 6:22 pm     A/B pedal
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Thanks Georog and Roger........
That makes perfect sense so knowing that makes it easier to accept and deal with.
Love this forum and the knowledge and expertise it brings......thanks again and
wishing you a Happy New Year.........clark
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Lane Gray


From:
Topeka, KS
Post  Posted 1 Jan 2018 9:49 am    
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It would be possible to stiffen and shorten the throw of the A pedal, and some have done it.
It's not popular, because the A pedal is often slowly squeezed, often taking two beats or more to make the move, while the B pedal is more likely to get moved more quickly.
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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
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Lee Baucum


From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
Post  Posted 1 Jan 2018 12:17 pm    
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Lane Gray wrote:
It would be possible to stiffen and shorten the throw of the A pedal, and some have done it.
It's not popular, because the A pedal is often slowly squeezed, often taking two beats or more to make the move, while the B pedal is more likely to get moved more quickly.


Agreed...also, a longer, softer throw makes half-pedaling easier.
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Tim Heidner

 

From:
Groves, TX
Post  Posted 1 Jan 2018 2:16 pm    
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Check that all your pull rods are in the correct holes in the bell cranks and the changer.
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John Roche


From:
England
Post  Posted 2 Jan 2018 2:33 am    
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just post a photo of the bellcranks...
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Donny Hinson

 

From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
Post  Posted 2 Jan 2018 3:28 am    
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Lane Gray wrote:
It would be possible to stiffen and shorten the throw of the A pedal, and some have done it.
It's not popular, because the A pedal is often slowly squeezed, often taking two beats or more to make the move, while the B pedal is more likely to get moved more quickly.


That's very true. In addition, there's an "in-between" note on the "A" pedal where we sometimes hesitate, and that's easier with a longer, softer stroke (especially if you don't have half-stops on your guitar).

As to the different travels, different heights, and different amounts of effort required on the pedals being bothersome to some players, I always remind them that it's the same in an automobile or truck, where the clutch, brake, and accelerator can all have a different height, travel, and effort required. And yet, we quickly adapt to overcome these quirks.
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