I have been playing a Franklin for the last 6 or 7 years and obviously it's a great guitar.

The extra resistance in the Emmons on slow stuff is a "good thing" for that extra squeezing, but on faster stuff or pedal hammers, it does seem harder to play.

I thought I had read long ago that a P/P set up properly should play as smooth as an all pull guitar? Don't get me wrong, I'm lovin' the tone so much that sacrifices are in order

The only other problem is that a few knee levers are hard to get to. (I don't play perpendicular to the guitar any more, but at an angle towards the tuning keys) The LKL is out of reach and hopefully could be moved in?

thx

I also would like to move my LKL. In my case it's too close to the back apron. I wish I could just slide the lever assembly over on its shaft but the set screw runs clear thru the shaft so I'll have to build a wing extention for the lever bar or something.

Can't tap my feet, that's for sure. I can on my Franklin and Mullen but I thought that was the difference between P/P's and all P's.

BTW, this has the (in)famous "Crawford Cluster" (2lkl/s, 2 lkr's,etc) 10 knees, 9 floor if that explains it being on the stiff side?

thx

thx

Bob S,
There's more to it than just the string tension, because it is a machine with mechanical efficiency/advantage and mechanical drag/friction to consider. As you may know, you have a lot of leverage options on both guitars. On the push-pull you do it with shock springs, etc. On the all-pull you do it with the position on the bellcrank and, to an extent, at the changer. You can go from shorter/stiffer action to longer/easier action by going from the bellcrank position closest to the body to the one at the end of the bellcrank. Most all-pull players seem to prefer the shorter throw and slightly stiffer feel -- may be better for speedpicking. All-pull players seem to also prefer to use the tunable split with the B to Bb lever to get the C rather than half-pedaling the A pedal.

My push-pull feels as good as any steel I have ever owned. Can be played without shoes with no problem. While it's true that the more stuff you add (I just sold a D-10 with 9x9) the more difficult it is (or impossible) to get easy action, I believe they hold their own in the playability dept. if they're properly adjusted.

Hope this helps some.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro

[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 30 August 2002 at 07:39 AM.]

Now.... Having said all of this, let me point out. It is not bad to be a little stiffer in regards to pedal action... just different.

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Steve Stallings
Bremond, Texas
Emmmons/Mullen/Remington
Evans

Does Bobbe's video cover this kind of stuff?

Bobbe's video is excellent, but I don't recall whether he addresses this specific issue. Plus, he sells a book called something like 'Theory and Practice in Pedal Steel Guitar' (STRANGE title -- I believe that's it) that provides a lot of specific info. (e.g., what length shock springs for all standard D-10 pulls). It is essentially a push-pull shop manual. I recommend it. It starts with a fully stripped undercarriage and builds a complete D-10 setup, step by step.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro

[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 30 August 2002 at 07:54 AM.]

Actually it's to far towards the front of the guitar. I need to move it back towards the apron.

thx

I just looked at my '81/'82 P/P (we're not sure exactly which year it is!) and there is only one angle adjustment screw on any of the knee levers and it is on one of the two levers for the C6 neck. My Mullen has these adjustment screws on all the levers.

I'm trying to get used to the pedal feel of the P/P as compared to my Mullen SD-10. As Steve has pointed out, the Mullen is very easy and smooth. The P/P is considerably more stiff (by comparison). I have also noticed that the Emmons pedals (these are the LeGrande style pedals) are 1/2" shorter in length than the Mullen pedals. I think this affects the leverage on the pedal and therefore the "stiffness." (I'm also getting the toe of my shoe tangled up in the pedal rods!)

I've often though about installing a set screw, like several brands use, through the vertical part of the lever itself, at the pivot point. All you'd have to do is drill and tap a piece of aluminum bar and add a set screw that changes the angle.

Bob,
To move the lever closer to the front of the guitar, just cut off the cross shaft to the proper length to get the position (front to back) you need. I'm sure a machine shop could drill the holes in those hard cross shafts, but I'd opt for putting in a shorter one or cutting that one off.
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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro

[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 30 August 2002 at 10:26 AM.]

John,

Not quite sure what you mean here. My guitar is home so at least I can look

thx

Why would a more complex setup make it harder to play? I think that could be *part* of my problem, (10/9) but I don't want to remove any unused hardware for fear of changing the tone

bob

[This message was edited by Bob Snelgrove on 01 September 2002 at 09:47 PM.]

Check your voice mail. I want to talk to you about working on this guitar, K?

thx

Was your 9x9 that you sold stiffer than your current guitar?

bob