Beginner help

Everett Gillespie · From: Vine Grove, KY

I was recently gifted a Rus-ler S12 that was a bit of a a basket case.9 pedals, 6 total knee levers (has 2 left vertical levers). The pull rods that were still connected didn't seem to make sense with any common copedants i could find, so I figured I'd start from scratch. Ive been playing 6 strings for decades and am pretty experienced in repairing them. Im Planning on doing a universal setup and found a copendant on here that seems to make sense, but have some questions regarding the set up. Was planning on a more basic 7 and 5 set up until I learn this thing

I'm assuming that each pedal and knee lever need to operate independently, i.e. any time I press one, it shouldn't be operating another one because the pull rods are tied together. I have a handful of the little collars (not sure of the correct name) and I can kind of see how to make this happen with them, but not sure of the most efficient routing of them without a ton of trial and error. That's the way I'm currently going, and it's frustrating and time-consuming

Would anybody be willing to post some pictures of the underside of their guitars along with their copedants so I could make a little more sense of how to set this thing up?

Or could someone direct me to some guides on how to get this set up?

I also wouldn't mind to pay for books or even profession help if someone could recommend someone around central KY/ louisville area.

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

Do a search using Google qnd click the "images" section - you'll find hundreds.

BUT - if you are not experienced as a pedal steel tech - find one. I was a guitar tech for 35 years before taking up pedal steel, and even a simple S10 3+4 by the same manufacturer could have hundreds of variations depending on the exact model, year etc.

And after over 15 years playing/working on pedal steels I (until I had to retire working on them) only serviced Fenders, a few Emmons push-pulls, ZB's and GFI's. I've owned several others but don't understand them enough to service them.

And what you have is not a typical E9 steel, nor a C6 - it's a "universal" - that's like taking basketball experience and entering a ping-pong tournament.....

You need to find a steel tech with experience doing setups/copedent changes on that EXACT type of guitar. Not someone who has owned a few Shobuds.

Trust me, as one of many who spent years spinning wheels with hacked-together guitars - making ANY changes on that guitar are not "DIY" projects, and guitar tech experience (unless you've installed several brands and operational types of b-benders - AND rebuilt a Porsche 911 engine from the 60's from a box of parts) will be of almost no help.

You need to "ride shotgun" with someone making adjustments on several simple steels just to understand functionality of various changers (builders changed their mechanism quite often).

If you add your location to your profile other players may be able to recommend techs - but be prepared for either shipping costs or hundreds of miles of driving - there are not many steel techs.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Everett Gillespie · From: Vine Grove, KY

Thanks for the response. That's kind of what I was afraid of. I've been bearing my head on the wall for a couple of days now over this thing. I'm well versed in floating trems on guitars, I have built engines from boxes of part, and I understand the basics of how all of this works, but making the rod runs is confusing as hell. And there's little info out there about it.

My google-fu has been failing me on finding any real pictures of undercarriages on pedal steels.

I'm more than happy to pay someone to set this up, but I'm having no luck finding people. Google searches just keep leading me to standard guitar techs

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

Forum member Jerry Overstreet lists he lives in Louisville, KY. Send him a personal E-Mail here on the forum, See if will help you with the guitar or advise someone.

Being a 12 string guitar, It could be set up 12 string Universal tuning or 12 string Extended E9th tuning.

I have bought 2 S12 guitars. I changed both guitars to Day set up pedals, Jeff Newman 12 U tuning.
The 1st Guitar was set up Emmon's/Nashville Jeff Newman Universal tuning. I Only had to change 2 pedals to Day set up.

The 2nd Guitar was setup Extended E9th, Emmon's/Nashville pedals, I had to re-rod all pedals and knee levers to get the guitar Set Up Day Pedals, Jeff Newman U12 tuning.

Good Luck getting the guitar set up to suit you, Happy Steelin.

Everett Gillespie · From: Vine Grove, KY

Thanks so much, Bobby. I'd been putting in the research, and had landed on doing a (somewhat midified) newman universal setup, simply because it seemed to have the most available learning material. I'll shoot jerry a message.

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

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