Loose Rodgers Pedal Note

[TSPhillips]

Hello! The high E on my Rodgers Essex pedal board has been acting up lately. I noticed a note was still playing after I had stopped and found it to be that one. A tap on the pedal with my toe stopped it and I noticed it acted a bit different than the other notes. A toe tap on this pedal causes it to bounce while the other pedals come right back into place. I'm guessing there's a screw or something I should be able to adjust under there, but I don't want to do it blindly. Any direction? Thanks!

[jbird604]

Take off the wooden cover at the back end of the pedalboard. It will come off after you remove the 6 or so screws holding it down. Underneath you will see that the rear ends of all the pedal sticks are screwed down into a large block of hard rock maple wood. Tightening a screw very slightly will add tension to the drooping pedal. Don't overtighten, just add enough tension to make it feel right.

While you're in there, check to see if any other pedals are at the point of getting loose. I generally play up and down the pedals with a hand to feel for any that are looser than the rest. There is a spec on this somewhere, so many ounces or something should be required to push the pedal down at the playing end.

If the tension is the only problem, you're lucky. It's also possible that you have some worn or missing upstop felt at the end of the pedal that goes to the console. Or a defective reed switch or magnet. But let's hope it's just the screw needing adjustment.

[rohrlover]

I had a similar problem on a 940 - the end of the pedal was rubbing on the board that holds the switches. If you move the pedal by hand, you may feel whether it is sticking or has a weak spring, as jbird604 mentioned. I shimmed the pedal frame out about 1/4", since the mounting board was a bit warped, and that cured my problem.

[TSPhillips]

Just a bit less than a quarter turn of the screw at the back of the pedal seems to have solved the issue. All the pedals feel the same now. I wonder if my friends kids (4 & 5) who came over the other day may have had something to do with it - I found them standing on the pedals and banging the manuals. I told them firmly not to stand on the pedals or hit the manuals, but I moved the bench up and let them continue playing, reminding them to be gentle every couple minutes. Not enough kids are taking music lessons these days and I don't want to discourage them.