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Topic: Steel project #2 - Final assembly |
Bent Romnes
From:
London,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 18 Jun 2009 4:28 pm |
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A couple of pics as I put the steels together.
Actually it's more like semi-final..I find myself installing, dismantling, filing, adjusting, re-assembling. You can imagine..this is all I have done in one days work.
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BenRom Pedal Steel Guitars
https://www.facebook.com/groups/212050572323614/ |
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Pat Comeau
From:
New Brunswick, Canada
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Bent Romnes
From:
London,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 18 Jun 2009 6:51 pm
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Thanks Pat. Don't think for a second that I have done this alone. So many good people have helped me and coached me. Credits will be given upon completion.
By the way how is your project coming along?
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BenRom Pedal Steel Guitars
https://www.facebook.com/groups/212050572323614/ |
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Ashley D\'Silva
From:
Perth , Australia
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Posted 18 Jun 2009 7:35 pm
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Hi Bent,
Needless to say this looks to be a real hum-dinger of a Project. You have really done a magnificient job. Well done my fried.
Glad you received and are enjoying the CD.
Ashley |
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Bent Romnes
From:
London,Ontario, Canada
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Bill Ford
From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
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Posted 19 Jun 2009 4:31 am
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Bent,
I would say..hurry up and finish it, But, this is something you don't hurry on "hurry up,,,mess up" lookin good.
BF
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Bill Ford S12 CLR, S12 Lamar keyless, Misc amps&toys Sharp Covers
Steeling for Jesus now!!! |
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Bent Romnes
From:
London,Ontario, Canada
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Martin Weenick
From:
Lecanto, FL, USA
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Posted 20 Jun 2009 8:56 am
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Looking great Bent !! Those torsions look OK to me, course I cant see real good with the little picture, did you remake any of them ? I'm gonna have to hide my work if you ever get a milling machine !! Keep us posted with pictures. Martin.
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Several custom steels. NV-112 Boss DD-7 |
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Bent Romnes
From:
London,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 20 Jun 2009 9:20 am
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Hehe , Martin, after talking to you on the phone, I went in the shop and re-made them all, according to your instructions! Like you said, once done that way, they look factory. Sure enough. The blue color on the end is liquid plastic, so as to prevent scratching the paint job.
Hope y'all can make out what's what in these pics. Looks like double parts. Actually just reflecting off of the shiny side rail.
_________________
BenRom Pedal Steel Guitars
https://www.facebook.com/groups/212050572323614/ |
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Bent Romnes
From:
London,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 23 Jun 2009 11:56 am
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Making headway, albeit slowly.
Here are two pics showing the progress. Everything is there except the rods. As you see I have just started.
One pic with the levers folded up and the other with the levers open for business.
_________________
BenRom Pedal Steel Guitars
https://www.facebook.com/groups/212050572323614/ |
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Leslie Ehrlich
From:
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Posted 23 Jun 2009 1:31 pm
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I like the idea of all the knee levers under the back deck. It makes the mechanism look less cluttered.
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Sho-Bud Pro III + Marshall JMP 2204 half stack = good grind! |
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Bent Romnes
From:
London,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 23 Jun 2009 1:36 pm
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Leslie, that's the way I think too. Also it makes the most sense because of no pull rods or other mechanism there, on the SD
_________________
BenRom Pedal Steel Guitars
https://www.facebook.com/groups/212050572323614/ |
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Jody Sanders
From:
Magnolia,Texas, R.I.P.
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Posted 23 Jun 2009 1:42 pm
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| Way to go Bent. Jody. |
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Pat Comeau
From:
New Brunswick, Canada
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Stu Schulman
From:
Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)
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Posted 23 Jun 2009 4:59 pm
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WOW!
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Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952. |
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Bent Romnes
From:
London,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 23 Jun 2009 5:14 pm
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| Pat Comeau wrote: |
Hey Bent nice work,  what is the story about those spring on the cross shafts, usely the spring on the changer is enough for the pedal to come back in tune, you just added more pressure on the pulls.  |
Pat, call it extra insurance. Usually it is enough to let the return spring take care of getting back to neutral. What if there is some stickiness somewhere? What if a return spring becomes a wee bit slack and isn't able any longer to take the whole pulling train back to neutral? This way I know it will work. A lot of builders use springs.
Imagine the weight of the pedal pivot, the pedal rod and any little restriction in the pull rod . It is a lot to expect that the one return spring will do all that.
Everything operates pretty smoothly so the little added effort needed to overcome the spring tension is almost nil. One thing about doing it this way. It is easier to take them off if not needed, than to put them on after the fact and you discover you need them.
_________________
BenRom Pedal Steel Guitars
https://www.facebook.com/groups/212050572323614/ |
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Pat Comeau
From:
New Brunswick, Canada
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Posted 23 Jun 2009 6:54 pm
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| Imagine the weight of the pedal pivot, the pedal rod and any little restriction in the pull rod . It is a lot to expect that the one return spring will do all that |
I understand what you're saying, i guess it doesn't hurt to have them but when everything is done right in the first place there shouldn't be a need for those springs, if there's friction somewhere than that mean that there's something that's out of aligment or the pull is not set right, just make sure that everything is well lubricate with oil that doesn't dry, when the changer spring is well adjusted there's no need for any other spring.
Bent my friend... please don't take this the wrong way i'm very impress of the work you've done so far with your projects , i'm just expressing my 2 cents cause on my last project steel i've done it plays smooth as butter with just the spring on the changer and everything comes back in tune..
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Comeau SD10 4x5, Comeau S10 3x5, Peavey Session 500,Fender Telecaster,Fender Stratocaster, Fender Precision,1978 Ovation Viper electric. Alvarez 4 strings Violin electric.
Click the links to listen to my Comeau's Pedal Steel Guitars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIYiaomZx3Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2GhZTN_yXI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvDTw2zNriI |
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Pat Comeau
From:
New Brunswick, Canada
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Posted 23 Jun 2009 7:07 pm
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I forgot to mention also that helper spring is only needed for the lowering strings as a last option, cause the raise has enough tension to get back to tune with the spring, and also on some push release system changer they don't have any springs for the raise...just the tension is enough.
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Comeau SD10 4x5, Comeau S10 3x5, Peavey Session 500,Fender Telecaster,Fender Stratocaster, Fender Precision,1978 Ovation Viper electric. Alvarez 4 strings Violin electric.
Click the links to listen to my Comeau's Pedal Steel Guitars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIYiaomZx3Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2GhZTN_yXI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvDTw2zNriI |
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Bent Romnes
From:
London,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 24 Jun 2009 4:25 am
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Pat. Dont worry I am not taking it the wrong way.
First, what is push release? Or did you mean pull release? If so, that is quite a different system than the all-pull. Can the 2 even be compared?
It is a pull release in your home built, right?
Ok..to the matter at hand: To rely solely on the one spring, and sometimes, just the string tension, to bring you back to neutral pitch, is too much to ask in some instances I think. We know how very little it takes to have a string return 2 cents off-pitch. Why not err on the side of caution and install the springs?
I can't really see any disadvantages.
-I bought a coil of 40 gauge music wire for $21...enough for me to make springs for at least 80 pedal steels.
-It adds no negotiable weight to the guitar.
- The amount of extra force needed to work a pedal/lever is infinitesimal. For example, the coil spring on the pedal crank is so soft that I can easily push the crank with one finger. When I let go, there is just enough spring there to let the crank pop back.
- The u-shaped spring on some KL returns are a tad tighter, but also very easily adjustable. Just grab hold with needle nose pliers and bend up slightly.
- I think it looks finished, neat and efficient.
- You mentioned how everything should be done right in the first place. Believe me it is, as far as my knowledge goes. But what about the unknowns? Although I am not building these as a commercial venture, I am still building them as if anybody could buy it and play it every day...that was my goal this time. An 'unknown' would be that an owner might not lubricate the changer at all, or maybe even uses WD-40 on it and gums it up. So there you have more resistance right away. The springs would keep him going for a bit.
- Many builders use these springs. Two that come to mind are Fulawka and Weenick. What's good enough for them is also good enough for me. And I dare say that these builders "do it right in the first place".
How are you making out with your project?
_________________
BenRom Pedal Steel Guitars
https://www.facebook.com/groups/212050572323614/ |
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Dick Wood
From:
Springtown Texas, USA
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Posted 24 Jun 2009 6:32 am
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The guitar looks great Bent.
You guys that can build your own steel have my deepest respect and admiration.
Get us a sound clip ASAP after it's finished.
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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night. |
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Bent Romnes
From:
London,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 24 Jun 2009 7:33 am
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Thanks, Dick. I'll try my best to do a sound clip. Might take a while...the one I am working on now is being set up Jimmy Day plus some unusual KL's.
The red one will be set up Emmons. Maybe not til then.
In any event, by some time in Sept this one should be doing some tunes - hopefully.
_________________
BenRom Pedal Steel Guitars
https://www.facebook.com/groups/212050572323614/ |
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Georg Sørtun
From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
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Posted 24 Jun 2009 7:57 am
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| The extra free-play take-up springs makes a lot of sense to me. I don't like having pedals/levers "hanging" on the changer only. |
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Martin Weenick
From:
Lecanto, FL, USA
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Posted 24 Jun 2009 8:22 am Springs
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Many if not almost all steels have either a torsion spring on the shaft or a extension spring on the pedals and knees. They are especially handy on a floopy knee lever. the right size wire produces almost zero resistance. Martin.
_________________
Several custom steels. NV-112 Boss DD-7 |
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Bent Romnes
From:
London,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 24 Jun 2009 9:06 am
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Georg, Martin; Amen to that.
Just enough tension to prevent the hanging you are talking about Georg.
Martin, the U-shaped springs you showed me, well you see I copied them in a few spots. How easy is that? And the tension is easily adjustable...just bend the spring up a wee bit.
_________________
BenRom Pedal Steel Guitars
https://www.facebook.com/groups/212050572323614/ |
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Martin Weenick
From:
Lecanto, FL, USA
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Posted 24 Jun 2009 10:17 am
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I do believe you got the hang of it Bent !! By the way, your package is wrapped and will go out tomorrow. Martin.
_________________
Several custom steels. NV-112 Boss DD-7 |
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, you did a tremendous job 
and it's almost finally done, can't wait to see it finish.