Questions about how a steel guitar works

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Questions about how a steel guitar works

Postby telperionflower » Sat Dec 18, 2021 10:47 pm

Hello, first forum post here. I've been trying to find out the answers to some questions I have about how a pedal steel guitar works. If there's anything you can refer me to for answers, or if you have the answers yourself, I'd love to hear from you:

Is it possible to change which strings the pedals and knee levers change, or is that fixed by the design of the guitar itself? For example, if the first pedal raises the pitch of the 5th and 10th strings, can that be changed to the 4th and 9th strings, etc.

If yes:

Is this change something that can be done without permanent modification to the instrument?

Is there a limit to how many strings one pedal can change? For example, would it be possible to set up the first pedal so that it raises the 2nd, 4th, and 8th strings.

Can a single string be changed by multiple pedals? For example, could you have one pedal that raises the 10th string by 1/2 step, and a second pedal that raises the 10th string by a whole step? And, is there a limit to the number of pedals that impact a string?
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Re: Questions about how a steel guitar works

Postby JohnDavisStringsHere » Sun Dec 19, 2021 1:31 pm

To give proper answers to all those questions would involve about 6 sheets of A4 that I am not prepared to do but, Pm your phone number and I will do my best to help you......
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Re: Questions about how a steel guitar works

Postby Zebedee » Sun Dec 19, 2021 6:40 pm

Yes
Yes
No
Yes
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Re: Questions about how a steel guitar works

Postby David Hartley » Mon Dec 20, 2021 10:26 pm

I would say….

Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
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Re: Questions about how a steel guitar works

Postby JohnDavisStringsHere » Tue Dec 21, 2021 11:58 am

LoL I would say gimme a call and I will try to give a proper explanation :)
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Re: Questions about how a steel guitar works

Postby Tony Russell Davis » Mon Dec 27, 2021 12:42 pm

Hi Nick - the absolute answer could depend on the guitar you're on about. Most modern-ish guitars will do everything you want to change. Older and simpler mechanisms can get increasingly difficult depending on how they work.
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