RKR and RKL Copedent Clarification for Shobud Pro 1

[Tyler Lanigan]

Hello you foundations of knowledge.

I'm a new steel player. I bought a guitar off facebook marketplace last year and have been loving playing it. The problem is I can't figure out what my RKR and RKL levers are supposed to do. All of the learning material that I can find out there talk about the A,B,C and knee levers that raise and lower the E's (for me LKL and LKR). But for the life of me, I cant figure out what the use of my RKR and RKL pedals are and even if I'm tuning them properly. My best guess for the copedent is as follows

Screenshot 2026-02-22 at 7.08.49 PM.png

but I'm not even sure if they are right, as I can tune them up or down a semi tone. RKL Seems especially weird to me, but yes it does raise one string and lower the other. It also seems to have a soft stop for 1 semi ton, then you can go another further.

Does anyone know what the intended copedent should be and what these pedals (RKR and RKL) would be useful for?

Thanks!

[Stew Crookes]

So your RKL can give you a unison between your high G# string and the normally F# first string, which is useful for licks but also gives you a strummable minor chord in conjunction with either the E lower or A pedal, or tuned to pull to G can give you a 'home position' minor chord.

RKR gives you the 4th note of the scale on string 2 in pedals down position, which is very useful for basic melody things, and can be employed for more advanced ideas like this: https://youtu.be/7KwooVmwnag?si=aSgiQLF9_8QeDMoy

[Richard Sinkler]

RKR gives you the 7th tone of an E7 chord with no pedals. Normally that lever has a half stop at D and continues to C#. The half stop (G) on string 1 gives the 7th tone of an A7 chord with A & B pedals down. I would dump the B to A on string 5. That will destroy your pedals down A7 chord with the knee lever. Alternatives would be to lower string 6 to F# or raise string 7 to G or G#.

[Rich Ertelt]

My RKL raises string 1 a whole and string 2 a half.
This gives me the unison, and I use the 2nd string raise as a half stop to G on string one (My Mullen has a half stop device for this, my GFI can do it on feel). AB down, that G is the 7th. Hugely important to me as I play a lot of Mooney type stuff. The Unisons are a big deal too.

On RKR, as was mentioned, you have the 7th. When you play that chord with AB down (like the A chord at the 12th fret), that lower gives you the 4th of the scale. I also have it set to go to C# and use the feel half stop of the C# on string for the 1/2 step lower.
That C# is also really cool, Play the A chord at 5th fret, play that 7th of the chord on the 9th string, raise G# to A with pedal and drop that 9th string , you have the D chord.

The more I mess around with those right side levers, the more cool stuff I find.

[Donny Hinson]

Here's a little major-to-seventh lick that's neat.

Pick these strings and let them all ring: 3, 1 ,4 ,2 and then engage RKR and the A pedal, then pick string 5 and release the A pedal.

[Donny Hinson]

I would dump the B to A on string 5. That will destroy your pedals down A7 chord with the knee lever. Alternatives would be to lower string 6 to F# or raise string 7 to G or G#.

Another alternative is to lower 10th string to A, as it gives you a lower voicing (nice IV "power chord" on 6-8-10 with the B pedal).

[Richard Sinkler]

I would dump the B to A on string 5. That will destroy your pedals down A7 chord with the knee lever. Alternatives would be to lower string 6 to F# or raise string 7 to G or G#.

Another alternative is to lower 10th string to A, as it gives you a lower voicing (nice IV "power chord" on 6-8-10 with the B pedal).

I like that change. My first PSG was a ZB 5p/5k, and I had that change on a pedal. I periodically think I want it again but not sure what pedal or lever I can add it to. I'm thinking I could add it to my C pedal as I never play the 10th string with the C or B&C pedals. And the A note is part of the F#m chord anyway. I may have to try it. It would sure by nice to have that low power chord.

[Tyler Lanigan]

Wow thanks all. This is actually super helpful. You've opened up my eyes. I'll experiment with all your suggestions

[K Maul]

I don’t do it now but lots of people lower that B-Bb, not A. That gives a cool chord(partial 7th, 13…11??) two down from home position or a minor if used with A+B pedals. That’s an easy fix for a beginner. No moving of rods etc.

[Richard Alderson]

Dear Tyler - Congratulations on your new addiction ! Sounds like you've got a nice Sho-Bud. Some people say it takes 10 years just to suck at pedal steel !! That may be a little bit overstated, but there's a grain of truth in it. A 3 x 4 set up will keep you occupied for a life time. A&B pedals and E string lowers (E flat lower) and raises (up to F) will keep you busy for years as you gain muscle memory, and there's no shame in playing just with those four raises and lowers and learning those ones first........

BUT, in regard to the RKR, which lowers the 2nd string to D and the 9th string to C#; Here are two very basic uses of RKR;

1) in the so-called "Pedals-down" position, any fret, there is a major scale starting on string six with the B pedal engaged, that uses the 2nd string lower for the fourth note of the scale. For example a C major scale in pedals down position at the third fret,

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C, goes

C (sixth string w A pedal engaged)
D (fifth string no pedals)
E (fifth string w B pedal engaged)
F (second string w RKR engaged)
G(fourth string no pedal)
A (first string 3rd fret)
B (third string no pedals)
C(third string w A pedal engaged)

So that's a really basic and essential pedals down position major scale and it uses the 2nd string lower RKR to get the fourth note (F) of the C major scale, as Stew Crookes mentioned above. Press both A&B pedals down at once and engage the knee lever before starting to play the scale and you release either the A or the B pedal as needed, while keeping the RKR lever engaged more or less the whole time to strike the second string at any moment as needed without hitting a clam.

2) A common use for the RKR 9th string lower is to simultaneously engage Eflat lower (LKR on many guitars) with the RKR and you get a nice C6th voicing across all 10 strings (or in your case all strings except string #2,) (which is why many RKR levers go from D# to D halfway engaged, and then down to C# all the way engaged, you have probably noticed on other copedants).

Happy Steelin!

PS - I learned first on 8 strings in my own case, and I probably couldn't have handled those 2 chromatic strings when I first started, so I really respect all the players who have started out trying to learn all 10 strings at once !

[Donny Hinson]

I would dump the B to A on string 5. That will destroy your pedals down A7 chord with the knee lever. Alternatives would be to lower string 6 to F# or raise string 7 to G or G#.

Another alternative is to lower 10th string to A, as it gives you a lower voicing (nice IV "power chord" on 6-8-10 with the B pedal).

I like that change. My first PSG was a ZB 5p/5k, and I had that change on a pedal. I periodically think I want it again but not sure what pedal or lever I can add it to. I'm thinking I could add it to my C pedal as I never play the 10th string with the C or B&C pedals. And the A note is part of the F#m chord anyway. I may have to try it. It would sure by nice to have that low power chord.

Richard: I have it on the lever that lowers the 2nd string a full tone, and it works very well there.

K Maul: I play the Day setup, and lower 5 & 10 to Bb on p4.

(I should add that I don't know that much about theory and setups, I just do what sounds good.)

[Jerry Overstreet]

Most "standard" setups, if you just buy a new guitar with the basic setups, come with lowering the Bs to Bb on the vertical lever. There is a lot you can do with it including licks. If you have spllits you can tune it to a true half note as well.

I've used this on all my guitars over 40 yrs. and I find it's a keeper for me.

It's best to stay with the tried and true changes in the beginning starting playing. If down the road you feel a change is more comfortable somewhere else, then do it then.

[Richard Sinkler]

Donny said:

Richard: I have it on the lever that lowers the 2nd string a full tone, and it works very well there.

K Maul: I play the Day setup, and lower 5 & 10 to Bb on p4.

I also thought of putting it on my lever (RKL)that lowers 2 & 9, but I also lower 3 on my C6 neck. That would make 4 changes, and might mess with the feel stop on string 2. But, I also have 4 changes on RKR, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Does the B to A lower on 10 interfere with the C# on string 9?

I am also a Day player. I have P4 lowering my 5th string to Bb. I also have 2 changes on C6 on that pedal, which is why I don't lower 10 to Bb.

So many things to think about.