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Topic: Right way to remove pedal slack |
Michael Hummel
From:
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 5 Feb 2014 8:18 pm |
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After having my guitar overhauled by a great local mechanic, I've been looking critically at the way it is set up, and the B pedal sits lower than A or C. I've shortened the pedal rod a bit, but the problem is really that there is too much slack in the travel before the 3 and 6 pulls are activated.
What is the right way to remove the slack? It's a Sho~Bud Pro III and the only thing I can see is to loosen the hex nuts on the things that connect the crosshaft to the pull rods (sorry if I'm using the wrong names) and slide the pull rods a few millimeters tighter. The pain seems to be that it has been adjusted to make the two raises fairly simultaneous. I'm afraid if I loosen these collars I will lose the synchronicity (to borrow a term from The Police).
Is there any other way to do this? Sorry if this is a rudimentary question.
Mike
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MSA Classic 5+4
Too many 6-strings and amps to list |
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Paul Sutherland
From:
Placerville, California
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Posted 5 Feb 2014 10:33 pm
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I would not do anything to your steel without first talking with the guy that did the mechanical work. You could very easily mess everything up by trying to eliminate slack. That slack might be there for a reason.
You mentioned that the B pedal is lower than the A or C pedal. In my opinion that is no reason to start changing things. As long as your combos (A&B, and B&C) feel good to your foot when they are engaged, and you can rock cleanly on and off the A or B pedals, who cares what height they are when you're not touching them? I sure don't on my steel.
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It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. |
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Ray Anderson
From:
Jenkins, Kentucky USA
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Posted 6 Feb 2014 5:50 am
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| I have a Pro111 also and the B pedal is lower that A & C so the foot don't have to over extend to bring either of them in, it's quite comfortable that way. As for slack that is a yes, about 3/8 " free travel before engaging. Even the slightest touch or unintended pressure will cause detuning so that works out as well also. When you're using the B pedal only you will touch the A pedal and without the slack it will start to pull and that ain't good. Play it and try to get comfortable with it , after a while you won't notice it. Gotta ' have some slack. JMHO |
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Mickey Adams
From:
Bandera Texas
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Posted 9 Feb 2014 9:39 pm
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The "slop" is most likely a combination of pedal stops, and bell crank hole/changer selection. There are several variables to consider. If you do not understand the mechanics behind the pull ratios, you could easily make it worse....you may try this though....Find the pedal stop on Pedal A, and shorten the travel on the pedal slightly...Then retune your hex nuts. If you get to point where after tuning your pull, the open string is compromised, then you may need to have it reconfigured properly. IF you do find a tighter tolerance, and its suitable, you would have to reset the pedal height again.. Pedal B on most guitars DOES Sit lower than A and C, because the ratios are different. The idea is to have the Groups, A/B, B/C reach their stops (full down) at the same time....
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