Setup (or Copedent) as some like to call it.

[SHAKEY]

I'm interested to know how many players (E9th that is) set their pedals any way other than Emmons or Day setup. I assume everyone sets the floor pedals A,B,C or C,B,A so it is the knee levers I am more interested in. I personally use the Day setup and set my knee levers, from left to right, LLK-B to Bb (5th string), LRK-E's to F. RLK-E's to Eb and RRK-Eb to D. I know most people have their E's to Eb on the LLK (on an Emmons setup.) I know that some people raise their 1st & 7th strings F# to G, again which I believe is classed as standard Emmons. I would also like to know how many players have changed their setup to something different from what they started with and stuck with it. I am of course talking about 3 pedals and 4 knee levers.
Dave.

[Tony Russell Davis]

Pretty standard Emmons setup here, raise and lower the "E"s both on the left knee, raise 1 & 7 on RKR, lower 2 & 9 on RKL. Many guys have the right levers t'other way round but I like this way and the changes are not at all rare. Vertical B - Bb, again fairly common.
Now - what I do find strange is a pal who has pedals set up ABC (Emmons, if you will) but raises Es on LKR and lowers them on LKL. Think about it! Most of us raise the Es with pedal A so you would expect the knee to move in the same direction as the foot rocks, yes? This is the opposite - I know two who do this, and they're pretty good too!

Have 4 pedals, a Zero position pedal that lowers 3 and 6 a semitone (Gives you a minor on open position), then A-B-C.
Levers:
LKL raises 4 and 8
LKR raises 7 and 1 a semitone. Use that quite a lot
LK Vertical lowers 6 a tone.
RKL lowers 4 and 8 a semitone
RKR lowers 2 a semitone, then a tone along with 9.
It's changed a little since I bought it, but I've left the 4 and 8 lowers and raises seperate on David Hartley's advice, and actually prefer it now!
I'm considering gettng rid of the zero pedal, moving everything over and putting a frankling pedal in. Not decided yet!

Last edited by Jason Lynch on Sun Dec 01, 2013 3:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Will C]

I too have separated the E's raise and lower. It allows me to get that fluid movement from the 2nd note of the scale to the third (as you all can do with B and then roll in the A pedal) in other positions where you would normally raise E's with A pedal. This can also allow a lovely resolution from e.g Dm6 to G at 6.

I have a Uni 12 so I have LKL = lower 2, raise 9 (because I don't have a D on 9th string, so must raise the B to D to get that note for 7ths and maj 7ths)
LKR = raise E's (I have a Day setup) and LKV = flatten 5 & 10.

RKL = raise 1 to G# (unison with 3) and raise 2 to E (unison with 4) - good for John Hughey style moves. Also flattens 6 for a minor, or a 7th - depends what shape you are holding. RKR = lower E's, as per Jeff Newman's advice for U12.

Took me a couple of weeks to get used to these different moves, but I did them for a reason and I like them. I think that's the idea here: players depart from the 'norm' because they want to do something the standard setup doesn't allow you to do.

Will

Out of pure curiosity, I wonder how much fellow players' copedent mirrors or resembles that of the player they most learnt from?

[SHAKEY]

I find it good to know I am not the only one that raises and lowers the E's on different legs, I hear so many people saying it is common sense to have them both on the left. I have tried a couple of times with them on the left but it doesn't work for me. There are things you can do with the B & C pedals going to the B and Eb lever which is difficult to do if you have the E lowers on the left. I have used my setup since I first started, I tried the Emmons way once but I didn't like it. When I get my old guitar rebuilt I shall have a 5th vertical to lower the 6th a full tone and I am toying with the idea of lowering the 8th string to D along with the 2nd string lower and making the 9th string B and the 10th string an E. What d'you reckon???

[Tony Russell Davis]

Ooooh! Not sure about the new ideas, but totally get the Es raise and lower on different knees . I do them both on one knee for my own reasons, but anyone (and there's lots) who split them is fine too - so long as there's a reason, and you have one.
Lower 6th a whole tone? We have that note on 7 so I don't see the reason. OK, so a lever means you can gliss to it, but still; why? Again, if there's a reason it's fine, so long as using it doesn't lock you into a repetitive lick (even a "new" one) at the expense of versatility.
I've got a vertical B - Bb that is pretty redundant 'cos I have enough with the other four levers anyway.
Couldn't cope without the D on 9 . I can see the desire to extend the range at the bottom, but not sure that the "cost" is worth it on a 10 string . The Universal boys do a thing like that, but they have 12(+) strings and a different mind-set.
So, you asked nd there you have it