The British Steelies Society

I personally think you are not wrong JD. Both of my guitars just sport 4 levers each and that just about all I Am capable of using. I do understand why there are more available but as you say most things I can play are there on the four and certainly the most used are the the E levers. Anymore for me would be just for show
Right where's my porridge?

For E9, E raise & lower & 2nd single lower staple... other changes icing IMO, reckon I could gig happily on a 3+3.

I agree with Alan, although I do have 7 levers (the "usual" 4 on E9 plus a vertical; and two that operate only on C6th). I regard my copedent as pretty standard these days judging by the tutorial stuff around.
I have a theory that, once you start adding additional knee-levers, you can get stuck in a rut of repeating certain phrases that those changes give you, instead of actually playing music. We do like to hear what people have on their guitars, but should avoid being evangelistic about "our" setup, it won't suit everybody.

Great thread John....

And before I start.. Don't forget I am popping in to see you tomorrow to pick up the 'youknowwhat'....

I started with 3 plus 1..

Then soon added an E's raise..

Learnt everything from that....

But, 3 plus 4 is just about what you need to get everything you need, but there's always that time when you wished for another, and another, and maybe, yet another..

So, me, now is 5 plus 5.

The instrument gets heavier with each add on too.. Of course....

Good thread John. Like Uncle Roy, both my guitars have 4 levers, and while I have picked up some theory over the years and understand why I might need them, I have not yet arrived at the point
where more levers are essential for me to progress further. For those of you who have them and know how and when to use them, good luck and well done! Maybe I'll get there someday.

All the best, John H.

I reckon I do about 90% with just the E's raise and lower. Funny enough, I seem to have hardly ever bothered to use the 2nd string lower. I have to have the 9th string raise on my U12 to simulate the 9th string D on an E9, and the 4th lever is 1&2 raise, 6 lower, which is useful once in a blue moon. I really rate Tony's comment about the danger of getting into the rut of playing musical cliches because that's what the setup allows. But yes, having just the two knee levers would make us think a lot more about what we're playing.

Will C

Interesting!
Despite queries about installing 'split' tunings on my guitar (see Technical section) like others here I'm pretty much finding that 2 pedals and 2 levers is pretty much all you need for a lifetimes playing and learning.
I but quite a lot of tabs from Erv Niehaus via the US Forum and I think I am yet to come across him using more than 2+2 - everything from Cole Porter to Coal Miner's Daughter!

It's true you can play just about about anything with 2 + 2. That said, sometimes the Nashville cats are trying to get out of the rut of the same old stuff sounding the same old way. If they can do it with another pedal/lever combination it's going to sound different enough to liven up the old, tired, cliches. Players like PF and Mike Johnson are masters at this. Listen to what Weldon Myrick and Hal Rugg used to do with the second string lever - that ought to keep y'all busy for a while! Even Lloyd Green with his super simple setup supplements his style with slants galore.