Lift kit anyone?

Ronnie Green · From: Des Moines, New Mexico, USA

I am 6'4" and need a 2" lift kit. How many of you guy's are tall? And don't you hate not being able to fit under a guitar without a kit? One of you builders should come up with a quick adjustable pedalbar and rods. And maybe some cheaper Levi's. We have to pay extra for those too. WARNING: Smart remarks from you short people can be dangerous to your guitars tuning!!!!

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

Yup, I'm 6'4" also. I can't play some S-10s, even with a lift kit - they're just not deep enough, front-to-back, no matter what I do - my legs just run into the front. But the 2" lift kit does the trick if the guitar is deep enough. Up until about a year and a half ago, I couldn't really get to the levers comfortably. I just twisted myself into a crouch.

Right now, I'm playing a BMI S-12 on a body-and-a-half, with a thin pad. That's a great setup for me - it gives a bit of extra width, but isn't insanely heavy.

John Parker · From: Golden Valley, Az. USA

I'm 6'3" and I use a 1" lift kit and have the rear legs slightly taller than the front. It works good for me.

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John Parker
Zumsteel SD10 3x5
Peavey Session 400

Billy Wilson · From: El Cerrito, California, USA

I'm 2 meters tall. I go through Tom Bradshaw and he makes my guitars good to go. Tom is a great guy to work with. He does it all.

Ted Solesky · From: Mineral Wells, Texas, USA

I'll need to look into one of those.

James Sission · From: Sugar Land,Texas USA

I am 6 foot 5 and Bobby Seymour had my guitar built 2" over for me when he ordered it. I like it being all one-piece legs and rods instead of the kits. I suppose if I had bought the guitar used, the kit would be the way to go. It’s kind of a bummer because I have visited with people who also play, one plays a Zum, one plays a Carter and one plays a Mullen. All of them offered to let me compare my GFI to theirs, but it was not possible for me to get my legs under them to work the pulls.... Oh well, I wonder, do the vendors at the steel shows bring tall guitars ???.....James

Stephen Gambrell · From: Over there

I'm 6'5", and I can get under my Mullen, since I cut an inch off the legs of my seat, and raised thr back legs up a skosh. Playing with boots on won't work, So I'm putting a lift kit on. With my push/pull, my right pants leg got dirty..

Chuck Cusimano · From: Weatherford, Texas, USA

I don't play steel, but I know a lot of guys that do. Why can't LONGER pedal rods solve the problem? Is there more to it than that/ and if so what is it?/ ya got me keer-ee-us.

Looks to me like some manufacture/steel builder could make a killin' if he figgered it out. Longer rods for Ronnie Green, and shorter ones for Ted Soleski....?

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

I have to raise all my steels, or if I buy a new one, I have it set up to my height specs. I am 6'-2" and usually set up my steels at 27 1/2" from the floor to the bottom of the endplates. I like the guitar level from front to rear.

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Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording

Grant Johnson · From: Nashville TN

I am 6'2" as well. I use a 1 inch lift kit on my Sho- Bud. I need a two inch lift on a single body guitar.
If I ever have a steel built for me, I am going to custom order longer legs and rods.I used to not be able able to wear shoes to fit under it , but I got a low profile volume pedal recently. Even so I can't wear my cowboy boots. I wear my Blundstone's Australian miner boots and they work great: low-heel, slip on, durable and comfortable, amd they look sort-of like roper cowboy boots.

[This message was edited by Grant Johnson on 03 December 2005 at 06:42 PM.]

Gerald Menke · From: Stormville NY, USA

My 2004 F-250 came stock with a 3" suspension lift and a 2" body lift, didn't need no aftermarket lift kit or nothin'.

Makes it just the right height to load a bunch of heavy steel guitar into, none of that hideous leaning over with heavy objects.

Gets great gas mileage too...

Billy Wilson · From: El Cerrito, California, USA

At 6'7" I am the worlds tallest steel guitarist. (Hey, if I could play good I wouldn't have to make such claims) I'm playing a D12 MSA which Tom Bradshaw lifed way up for me. When I see other guitars, they just look like toys to me.

John Fabian · From: Mesquite, Texas USA * R.I.P.

Larry Strawn · From: Golden Valley, Arizona, R.I.P.

John,
You sound like a guy interested in selling a quality product to some one!! LOL..
Larry

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Emmons S/D-10, 3/5, Sessions 400 Ltd. Home Grown E/F Rack
"ROCKIN COUNTRY"

Chuck Cusimano · From: Weatherford, Texas, USA

Thank you John.
It seemes to me that the legs of a steel guitar could be made very much like a "mike stand", or even a "speaker stand" (with holes through, where you put the pin) and could be adjusted as easily. Guess I was wrong. Maybe an invention is in order.
Here's another dumb question, if someone orders a "CUSTOM MADE" steel, will it leave the factory, (work shop) made to fit according to the players dimentions (higth)? I never thought that much about it. I'll bet someday, someone will come up with an easy solution. "When there's a WILLy, there's a WAYlon" Thanks again for responding.

John Fabian · From: Mesquite, Texas USA * R.I.P.

You may want to think of the legs and rods as a matching set. Whatever you do to one, you need to do to the other. The simplest adjustment for front legs is to use a wooden dowel inside the outer tube above the inner tube. This will work on guitars that mount the pedal bar with a screw rather than a sliding clip (original MSA, etc.). You would still need to somehow extend the rods an equal amount.

John Bechtel · From: Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.

I've ordered new guitars always 1” over in height in most recent years. Always, the front-legs were made 1” longer and sometimes the pedal-rods were made 1” longer, but; sometimes I just added the 1” extentions. Personally, I couldn't care less which way it was done, just so it fit me! Even the lift~kit on the front-legs would have been fine with me! Whatever boats your float¡

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“Big John” Bechtel
Burgundy D–10 Derby
’65 Re-Issue Fender Twin–Reverb Custom™ 15”
Current Equipment
Newest Steel

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