need feedback on leg placement

[Dan Campbell]

I recently put up a new Stringmaster single neck guitar for sale on the forum. In putting the guitar together I mistakenly put the legs slanting in the opposite direction from the way I usually place them. It is easy for me to change them back to the way I normally place them (with the middle legs slanting away from the player) but after trying this new placement out I think this new placement may be better for the following reasons:
1. The stability of the guitar is slightly better because the two end legs are away from the player
2. The middle leg slanted towards the player did not interfere with my playing (I had assumed it would).

I would like to hear from others if this makes sense and if you have had any thoughts or experiences with this leg arrangement. Am I missing something?

[Pete Martin]

Nice looking steel Dan!

I stand when I perform and like to be able to move left to right, depending on what I'm playing. So the front leg would get in the way of my feet as I don't want to look at a foot while playing.

Sitting may be no big deal but I would have to try it out first...

Just my 2 cents, take this with a grain of salt please!

Pete

[Dan Campbell]

Good point Pete- that makes sense. The placement of the legs then may depend on whether you generally stand or sit when playing.

[David Knutson]

Ya, great looking steel, Dan. I would also be concerned about hooking a foot, especially on those tiny stages with no extra real estate available.

[Dan Campbell]

Thanks David- the good thing is that it is easy to switch the legs around.

By the way do you have any trouble with the steel “wobbling” when you play standing up? I use to have a lot of trouble with that until I went to these new legs that are much stiffer.

[David Knutson]

My old S-8 Fender was plenty solid, standing up, with the stock chrome legs that came with it. There was some "flex" but I wouldn't call it wobble. The little bit of flex made it look like I was working harder.

[Michael Kiese]

Aloha,

Just my 2¢, that leg pointed towards the player would drive me crazy on a gig. I know that I'd constantly be tripping over it on a stage.

Like Pete said, if you play standing, that single leg pointing towards the player would really get in the way. The higher you place the steels, the longer the legs, and the bigger the footprint.

To each their own.

Enjoy!

[Dan Campbell]

Thanks for weighing in Michael.
Just so I understand you correctly- do you play standing up? Clearly this would get in the way if you do, but if you sit down the angle is less because the guitar is lower and it seems to me, it would be more stable because about the only way it could fall over is if it fell towards the player. Does that make sense? If that is true then I should sell the guitar with the middle leg pointing towards the player for people who always sit down and just the opposite to players who always stand up. For people who do both I think it makes sense to point the middle leg away from the player because the chance of hitting the middle leg when you are standing up is too great.

Regarding the “rubble” or “shaking” problem it old fender guitars were fairly stable, but some of the newer chrome legs are not as stable. This is especially true of the “airline” legs that weighed less and were more popular for that reason. They weren’t too bad when sitting down, but when extended so you can stand up it becomes a significant problem in my experience. Yes, players get use to it and compensate for it, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t play better without the “shacking.”

I would be interested in hearing from more players- including those who sit down to play.

[Michael Kiese]

Thanks for weighing in Michael.
Just so I understand you correctly- do you play standing up? Clearly this would get in the way if you do, but if you sit down the angle is less because the guitar is lower and it seems to me, it would be more stable because about the only way it could fall over is if it fell towards the player. Does that make sense? If that is true then I should sell the guitar with the middle leg pointing towards the player for people who always sit down and just the opposite to players who always stand up. For people who do both I think it makes sense to point the middle leg away from the player because the chance of hitting the middle leg when you are standing up is too great.

I would be interested in hearing from more players- including those who sit down to play.

Hey Dan,

If I'm sitting in with another band, I always just play in my lap. But if I'm leading my own band, I switch off between electric guitar and steel, and I sing. So I put my steel on an Asher lap steel stand. It makes switching instruments a lot faster, therefore less downtime between songs. Sometimes I feel froggy and try switching instruments mid song. I always play seated because why stand if you're going to play 3 one hour sets, right? lol.

The way I see it, the 3 legs of your Stringmaster make an isosceles triangle. Regardless of the orientation of the legs, it would yield the same isosceles triangle, so it would have the same stability either way.

I personally would prefer having the leg in the back. I'm sure I wouldn't like the leg in the front because it's just an obvious tripping hazard in my personal footprint.

For my playing position, I'd have the steel guitar as close to my navel as possible, so that means the middle leg is going to be between my legs if I'm seated. Standing up and moving around would require lifting my leg high up...almost as high as the steel to clear that middle leg. No megusta. No bueno. Or, I have to lift up the steel and place it forward, or lift up my chair and move it back. Still no bueno. Stages are easily cluttered with cables because most musicians are lazy and have poor cable management.

I know that placing the middle leg between my knees would drive me crazy. I can't speak for anyone else, but I know I wouldn't like it, and I wouldn't buy a 3 legged steel with that orientation.

But there are no rules, and to each their own. Some players might like the middle leg in the front, stuck right between their legs.

Just my 2¢. Take it with a grain of salt.

Enjoy!

[Dan Campbell]

Thanks for your feedback Michael. I think I agree with you that the best placement is with the middle leg slanting away from the player.