Every Pedal Steel Detunes — Here's What You Can Do

Every pedal steel guitar mechanically detunes when pedals and levers are engaged. Whether you call it cabinet drop, body flex, or mechanical detuning, the result is the same: notes that were in tune can shift when the guitar is under an additional load. In this video, I compare two different pedal steel guitars that exhibit different amounts of mechanical detuning and show how I use the same tuning philosophy to get both instruments playing comfortably in tune. Rather than chasing perfect tuner readings, I'll demonstrate how I approach tuning open strings, and pedals, while accounting for the unique characteristics of each guitar. My goal isn't to eliminate mechanical detuning—it's to understand it and work with it so the instrument sounds as musical and in-tune as possible. I know tuning is one of the most controversial aspects of playing pedal steel, my goal here is to get everyone to think more about their tuning and to get us all in tune more. The pillar of beautiful playing is great intonation. Let me know in the comments how much detuning you see on your pedal steel and what tuning methods have worked best for you. A pedal steel guitar lesson channel focused on the mental side of playing. We explore the decisions behind the music — how steel functions in a band before the notes are even chosen. The goal is to think clearly, hear better, and play with intention. –––––––––––––––––– Time Stamps: 0:00 Intro 0:19 Mechanical detuning Explained 2:29 Demonstrating B Pedal Detuning 4:05 Mitigating B Pedal Detuning 5:37 Tuning A pedal after Adjustment 6:46 Demonstrating A Pedal Detuning 7:27 Mitigating A Pedal Detuning 8:20 Full Overview on Second Guitar 11:07 Outro Please Subscribe –––––––––––––––––– 📲 Instagram:   / steel_sasquatch   –––––––––––––––––– #PedalSteel #PedalSteelGuitar #SteelGuitar #intonation #MechanicalDetuning #PedalSteelLessons #CountryMusic #Tuning –––––––––––––––––– Subscribe for pedal steel content focused on how to *think*, not just what to play.