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Author
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Topic: Adding extensions/paddles to knee levers
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Nicholas Dedring
Member From: Brooklyn, New York, USA
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posted 18 June 2004 08:53 AM
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I am not any kind of metalsmith... with that said, anybody know of a way to add knee lever extensions onto a guitar? I like sitting a little further back, and it would be nice to have some more room to shift around... the lever currently hits me on a weird part of the right knee right change.Anybody make parts for this?? Any suggestions? All help and advice much appreciated. |
Roger Kelly
Member From: Mount Carmel, TN. 37645
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posted 18 June 2004 09:13 AM
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Nicholas, I can tell you how I added a "Emmons Type" RKR extension to my D-10 Carter. Go to Home Depot or any other type of Home Builder's Store close to you, and ask for 3/4"x 1/8" Aluminum Angle. I had to buy a piece 36" long in order to get about 4" for my extension, but it is not very expensive, $3.00 or so? Decide how long you need it and make your cut. Round off the edges with a file or grinder. Locate your hole in both pieces and use a short 10-32 screw with a locking nut, and there you have it. Mine works. Also keep in mind, that you will be closing your Guitar Case.....don't place the extension on the RKR that would keep that from happening.  Good Luck! |
Pete Burak
Member From: Portland, OR USA
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posted 18 June 2004 09:17 AM
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I've combined ideas I got from two local players (one who uses silverware for knee levers, and one who had custom knee lever wideners made), and have replaced all my knee levers with spatulas!
The first thing I tried was attaching the plastic plate that covers a light switch, using a zip-strap to attach it to the knee lever.
The extended knee lever surface area cuts the effort requiered to enguage the lever in half. |
John Daugherty
Member From: Rolla, Missouri, USA
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posted 18 June 2004 09:22 AM
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I have never changed the length on a pedal. My guitar,more or less,tells me where to sit. I have changed my seat height.
I also made an adaptor to move a lever closer to my leg when working the A and B pedals(because I use the "Day" setup). That was done by bending a piece of 1/4"x3/4" aluminum to a stairstep shape and screwing it to the lever. You could attach a straight piece to make the lever longer.
Would it help if you raised your seat with some extensions made from metal pipe? |
Mark Herrick
Member From: Los Angeles, CA
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posted 18 June 2004 11:04 AM
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My Mullen and Emmons both have similar knee levers; solid, straight aluminum bars. The Mullen has "paddles" (for lack of a better term) attached to the LKR and RKR levers. Here is what the RKR lever looks like "front" and "side" view:
The paddle is 4" x 1 13/16" x 1/16"
The dotted line indicates where the LKR paddle is bent slightly so it angles towards the center of the guitar. The RKR paddle is flat.I like the paddles better than the "fold down" extension that the Emmons has on the RKR. Seems like it would be simple to add a "paddle" to a knee lever and I would imagine that most manufacturers could supply something like this. (Or get them from Mullen...) ------------------
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Pete Burak
Member From: Portland, OR USA
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posted 19 June 2004 09:04 AM
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Great diagram, Mark.
If anyone feels that they have a knee lever that is too stiff, this paddle method will make the lever much easier to enguage (and you can flip bugers with 'em on break  ).
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Tony Palmer
Member From: Lincoln, RI USA
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posted 24 June 2004 01:37 PM
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Pete, how about posting a picture of those spatula knee paddles?!?! |
C Dixon
Member From: Duluth, GA USA
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posted 24 June 2004 02:39 PM
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Please forgive, I am not intending to steal Mark's very fine drawings of a knee lever paddle. Below is a pic of paddles made for my Emmons' LeGrande that I posted some months ago in another thread. I would not want to play the guitar without them. They are soooooo very slick. Photos below: 
Note: they were made with 1/2" X 1/16" thick channel aluminum and 1/16" thick by 1 and 1/2" wide aluminum bar stock available at Home Depot. The two pieces were then riveted together. A 6-32 "clinch" nut was pressed into the outer wall in the aluminum channel where a setscrew was used to affix it to the existing knee levers on the LeGrande. Note the slight bend in them. My friend Mac Atcheson who made them, bent then slightly to make them more comfortable when used on the left knee levers. He used protective cloths so they would not be marred in the vise. He then put a high polish on them using a buffing wheel with aluminum type rouge in a drill press. I dearly love em. May Jesus rest Mac's soul and bless all of you, carl |
Nicholas Dedring
Member From: Brooklyn, New York, USA
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posted 28 June 2004 09:49 AM
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Thanks for the advice and diagrams, everybody...Do you drill into the knee lever to mount the 'paddle', or is it just bolts that press it into place? My knee levers aren't rectangular section bars, they have a slight arc to the front surface, and have a cross-section that is somewhat like a half-section of an I-beam... T-shaped, for lack of a better term. I think the GFI Knee levers have the same contour to them. |
Pete Burak
Member From: Portland, OR USA
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posted 28 June 2004 05:58 PM
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"Pete, how about posting a picture of those spatula knee paddles?!?!"Actually, my local "Nothing Over 99 Cents" store only had 3 Spats left, so my LKL is currently a fly-swatter. I'm scrapping the paddle idea alltogether... I'm thinking Old Timey Pistol Holster style leather knee-lever leg wear for RKR. I only need it for RKR on my push pull as it has 4 lowers (D#>C# and three E>Eb's) and the lever is on the thin side to be holding in for extended periods. I strapped a dead rat to the top of my left leg last weekend and it made a great LKV extender, and people in the front row loved it when I hit that lever! Kind of a Gallager thing.
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