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Topic: ergonomics - comfortable body positioning for playing |
Willis Graves
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 15 Apr 2020 2:16 pm |
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hi folks , new member to S.G.forum ,but not new to guitars.
i've had a G.F.I. E9 single neck under the bed [ bought new 10 years ago ] and decided to get it out and start in on pedal steel . basically i'm having a problem finding a workable body position for playing pedal steel , and am hoping veteran players have some solutions for my dilemma . i'm 6'3" with long arms and legs ,
and try as i might , i have not found any combination of
seat / bench height , and arm / hand placement that gives me any workable physical ability to play with any degree of
satisfactory comfort and string and pedal access .
ive read posts on this topic ,[ none in the past 10 years for some reason ] but i'm sure there has to be many pedal steel players that are my size and shape . from what i read , the standard steel guitar bench / seat in production height is approx. 21" . none made taller , or with adjustable legs ?
i've tried a chair at 21" , but that was way too low for me. i have a chair that's 24" seat height , so i can live with that for now , so my remaining problem is
how to position my body close enough to afford access to pedals and levers , but far enough away so that my hands rest on the neck to pick properly ,and are not well beyond the neck . sorry for the long post , but i would much appreciate any solutions from folks that have had a similar
problem . or if anyone knows of pros who are tall w/ long limbs who have videos out ,youtube or websites , then i can see how they approach the situation ,and go from there. thanks for having me aboard ! |
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Tucker Jackson
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 15 Apr 2020 3:10 pm
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Willis, do you know if your GFI is outfitted with a lift kit or was purchased as a non-standard height? Standard height on a GFI is 26 1/4†from the floor to the bottom of the back rail that the knee must fit under.
If it's standard height, I'm guessing you would need a 2-inch lift on the legs and pedal rods. You can order a lift kit from various places, or new legs/pedal rods from GFI (which looks to be around $200). I would order a lift kit because it's cheaper and it's just extension pieces that screw into your existing gear. B0b's Forum store sells pedal rod extenders, but the store is temporarily closed as are most businesses. I don't know if he sells spacers you would need for the 2 front legs (where the nut rests on the pedal rack). If not, you can make some out of conduit. In the mean time, you can extend the back legs an inch or two just so you can get under the thing.
Also, I don't know if this will help the problems due to your height... but you should be seated centered around the 15th fret or thereabouts, since that's where the steel manufacturers assume you'll be and they tend to mount the knee levers accordingly. Sitting in that position can also make pedal work easier.
You may have tiny adjustment screws on the knee levers that change the angle that they hang. You can mess with those and that can help tailor the instrument to your frame.
Feel free to sit as far back as possible from the guitar as you can, but where you can still engage the knee levers, even if its way out at the end of your knees. If it's a single-neck body, you may want to install 'flags' on the knee levers, which are a piece of flat metal that sticks out towards you so you can sit further back and still reach the levers. You would probably have to fashion something yourself, but you can get help on the Forum. |
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Bobby D. Jones
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 15 Apr 2020 4:59 pm
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Is your GFI E9th on an single neck body about 7 3/4" wide? Or on a double body with a pad near as wide as the neck behind the playing neck.
I have seen tall players use double bodies just to have more leg room under the steel and get the front neck farther from their body. And have more room under the steel where the knee levers set back farther on their legs.
I Play a GFI Ultra S12 U on a single body. I am only about 5'10" in my cowboy boots. I have my back leg adjustments set till I have 26 3/4" under the back apron. My seat is only 19 1/2" tall. I set at my steel and tried to figure out how to get another 5+" total height under my steel. It would take some changing something to be comfortable.
You will need to check on a raise kit or longer legs and pedal rods to raise the guitar high enough till you can get your legs under the steel and comfortable to spend practice time to learn to play your steel.
Good Luck and Happy Steelin. |
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Willis Graves
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 15 Apr 2020 5:02 pm
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tucker , thanks so much for all the information and suggestions . i just measured the steel at 26 1/4 inches to the bottom of the back rail ,& 29 inches to the top of the fingerboard . i like your idea about using conduit for extensions .ive been in the construction industry
for 45 + years , and have some conduit
of different diameters . probably would be a cost effective retrofit , and certainly worth a try . could get them threaded , or attached by several other methods .
one other thing , re: the pedals , it is awkward for me to
use the pedal at a flat angle , [ old heel injury ] , but i do better with a small support under the heel , raising it up up a bit . don't know if anyone else has done this , but for me ,it helps .
thanks again , willis
muchas gracias senor ! |
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Gene Tani
From:
Pac NW
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Posted 16 Apr 2020 2:23 pm
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It would be helpful to have a teacher/experienced player try your steel and look at how you sit, there's so many variables. Maybe you could ask Fred Justice, he's incredibly helpful when i called him even if I wasn't shopping for a steel.
It could be the pedals, changer etc need a little Teflon lube and it sounds like the legs are all fixed length.
_________________
- keyless Sonny Jenkins laps stay in tune forever!; Carter PSG
- The secret sauce: polyester sweatpants to buff your picks, cheapo Presonus channel strip for preamp/EQ/compress/limiter, Diet Mountain Dew |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 16 Apr 2020 2:40 pm
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| Willis, if you have a single-bodied guitar, sell it and get a double-body one. You can always buy spacers for the pedal rods, or get longer legs. Make the guitar fit you! |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Willis Graves
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 18 Apr 2020 6:00 pm
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good info / links dave , thanks ,
so what steel did you end up purchasing
to fit your body size ?
i will probably make / create leg extensions 2 " or so for this GFI S10 , to give a greater distance to the back rail for me .
i added a custom arm rest a while back
and that does offer arm support .
i have a '53 national grand console 2x8 that i play fairly often , that is more comfortable to play , 1 1/2" " more leg room as there is no back rail , just the "slab" board .
donnie mentioned i should trade for a doubleneck pedal steel,
but i play for my own enjoyment , and small gigs ,and the cost would not be justified for me at the moment .
i have had G.A.S. for a while , so perhaps i should start to consider selling a few instruments ,[notice i said "start to consider" selling ], not actually sell ...
thanks guys ! |
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