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Topic: RKL Setup for GFI SM-10 |
Edward Day
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 8 Nov 2023 5:14 am |
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Hey y’all. New to pedal steel and loving it so far. I have a GFI SM-10 with 4 knee levers. My RKL raises the first string from an F# to a G. However, a lot of music I’ve listened to do a really neat unison bend by raising the F# to a G#. Is it possible to set the RKL to raise the first to a G#? I assume it’s not as simple as cranking the nylon tuner?
Last edited by Edward Day on 8 Nov 2023 2:50 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 8 Nov 2023 6:14 am
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You're right that it's not quite that simple.
There are two things that will increase the raise in pitch.
1. Increase the travel in the lever by adjusting the stops (you might not want to increase it much)
2. Move the pull rod connection at the bell crank to hole further from the axle
Luckily, the GFI is easy to tinker with so you should find a good combination of the two
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Stew Crookes
From:
Paris, France
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Posted 8 Nov 2023 6:48 am
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Something I've found on both of my steels is that with the pull set up for G, I'm not able to tune it to get to G#, but if I set it up for G#, I am able to get it tuned to only raise as far as G.
I generally prefer the unison change but do occasionally want the F# > G change and can just retune the pull temporarily for a song or two...
Not to say I'm confident this would work on any guitar, just that it does on my two steels and the only trade off is the lever action is not quite ideal in the G raise but I don't mind since I don't use it like that very often and it's kind of a bonus that it works at all 
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Music mixer, producer and pedal steel guitarist
stewcrookes.com |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 8 Nov 2023 9:26 am
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Stew is right. Once you've achieved a G#, it's easy to detune it to G
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Edward Day
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 8 Nov 2023 8:48 pm
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| Awesome. Thanks for the help guys. Much appreciated. |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 9 Nov 2023 5:49 am
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If you raise it to G#, with a little practice, you can feel enough to get the raise to G without retuning. It's also possible to use your fingers behind the bar to pull the first string to G (works and looks cool 😎). Someone mentioned to me that they pull the first string behind the bar to G#. I tried it, and after a few times watching my bloody fingertips flying across the room, I decided to use a knee lever to get the G#. I also have my vertical lever reaising both F# strings to G. I used them both often.
Granted, both those techniques may not yield a perfectly in tune G for chord use, but for using in licks, it is fine. You usually are done with the note before you notice it is not a perfect G note.
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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. |
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