Steel Guitar Builder

You'll get different opinions on this. So, this is just my opinion: I really like parallel spacing. I see no advantage in non-parallel spacing. Bar slants are not esoteric. I do them all the time. Lots of steel players do them. I've converted three of my pedal steels to parallel spacing because I do...

It's going to depend a lot on what you like. Personally, for blues stuff and a wide variety of music I love the sound of a P90. Because I sometimes play in really hummy environments I've put Dimarzio "PAF" humbuckers on several steels that I play all the time. I installed a single-coil/humbucker swi...

By the way, I've just recently heard that Kluson has reissued both the "ash tray" and the tuners. The pickups should be no problem, though make sure you get them "out of phase" because, when both on, they act as a humbucker.

I think it's a great project. Sorry I can't add any real info. If you have Lee Jeffriess' contact info from Steel Guitar Forum, try him. As I recall there are at least two scale lengths, 22.5" and 26". (Though I know you want to be original, which is laudable, I personally would split the difference...

About three years ago I built this double eight lap steel with benders on the front neck. I'd built a couple of the same bender mechanism before and found it works for me, allows me to palm block in the usual way. The scale length is 23.5", parallel string spacing (guitar), Dimarzio 8-string pickups...

Does anyone have ideas about whether having both a lower and a raise on one finger has any effect on tone? Currently all my fingers rest against something very solid, because I only have an A and a B pedal and one E knee lever. The tone is great. Very good sustain, not unlike my console non-pedal st...

Burt, after futzing with two rods and the impossible task of adjusting two nuts on a very early ShoBud that doesn't have its rod ends exposed I've become a convert to your one rod approach. I only need it on the E string, in order to do a E-Eb knee lever and a C pedal (and maybe an F lever, if I'm n...

Ah, sorry it took so long. Yes, after futzing with it last night I definitely see your point. However it might have to be that way for perm geometry reasons. I'll have to make some kind of fussy lever with a hole in it for the other rod. Thanks. My more immediate task is to get nylon adjusting nuts ...

I'm going to do the two rod setup as is shown in Allan's first animation, E to Eb and E to F# (and to F on a knee lever). Is there any reason the lowers couldn't go to the bottom hole of the finger, as long as the mechanical advantage is compensated for at the knee lever bell crank?

Barr, check out the next topic down in the index, "Pull-Release". There are a couple of wonderful animated diagrams. Pretty elegant.