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Topic: Upgrades to Dobro, rattles! You asked for Photos! Part 2 |
Russell Baker
From:
Owego NY, USA
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Posted 21 Apr 2015 5:37 pm |
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Hi Gang
Here are the photos you requested.
The Saddles have been leveled.
I reinstalled every thing including the cover plate.
It doesn't rattle.
However the High B String sounds dead and like
I mentioned before sort like a banjo string sound.
I have had bad wound strings before on my regular guitar can a non wound string be bad?
Now bearing in mind I only know what I have read on the Stew Mac Site about setting up a Dobro but the strings seem to look high in their slots.
But then again what the hell do I know?
I also noticed that there was very little difference in the height of the saddle from when the strings were off it and when they were brought up to tune.
I have at least 1/8 of an inch clearance from the top of the stings to the bottom of the palm rest.
I thought there should barely be and clearance?
Possibly I should get new saddle inserts and not trim them down so much?
Thanks again for everything!
_________________
R.E. Baker
There's lots more of me where I come from! |
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Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2015 4:45 am
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Do you have a way of cutting a better angle in the string slot on the nut? My guess is that's the final step. A luthier will have gauged files to do this. The string's passage across the nut needs to be very slightly higher in the front(neck side) and lower off the back, going towards the tuner. The plain strings are most obvious and deadened by the nut slot being higher in the back. It is a VERY slight adjustment, but it makes a huge difference. Just a thought. Sounds like you are getting there!
_________________
RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer 1963 Gibson Falcon |
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Russell Baker
From:
Owego NY, USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2015 5:08 am
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I had mentioned having my Luthier deepen the slots for the
strings on the Saddle Inserts. I was going to ask him to angle the slots in the Nut at that time also.
Yep I am almost there.
If I can get rid of the dead banjo sound
I'll be a happy guy....
_________________
R.E. Baker
There's lots more of me where I come from! |
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Dave Thier
From:
Fairhope, Alabama, USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2015 5:37 am Re: Upgrades to Dobro, rattles! You asked for Photos! Part 2
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| Russell Baker wrote: |
Now bearing in mind I only know what I have read on the Stew Mac Site about setting up a Dobro but the strings seem to look high in their slots.
I also noticed that there was very little difference in the height of the saddle from when the strings were off it and when they were brought up to tune.
I have at least 1/8 of an inch clearance from the top of the stings to the bottom of the palm rest.
I thought there should barely be and clearance?
Possibly I should get new saddle inserts and not trim them down so much?
Thanks again for everything! |
I have replaced the saddles on a couple of my guitars over the years, just recently on my Clinesmith. My experience is only with Quarterman and Beard cones with #14 spiders. I cut my own slots and the strings are 1/2 the string diameter or less in the slot. Your slots look deep enough and I would hesitate to cut them deeper.
My saddles are high enough that the coverplate will not sit flat on the guitar without the strings. I will put the strings on and bring them to pitch and only then will the coverplate sit flat. On the Clinesmith I just did, there is 1/16 clearance between the tops of the strings and the palm rest with the strings at pitch. Your statement that the cone does not seem to compress much with string tension seems troublesome to me. |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 22 Apr 2015 5:43 am
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The slots look fine as far as I can tell.
Try taking a small wound string (.026) and using it as a file, gently moving it back & forth in the high B slot. That will dress the slot if done carefully.
The action may be a tad low but not an important consideration if the guitar plays clean.
Many import coverplate designs will not allow the action to get close to the palm rest. You could invest in a new U.S. made coverplate from Beard but that'll be more money that you don't need to on that guitar.
h |
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Russell Baker
From:
Owego NY, USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2015 5:43 am
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With my original Cone and Saddles there wasn't any
clearance with out string pressure.
I wonder if I damaged the Cone while doing all this fooling around?
When I look at the Saddles they sure look to me like the strings are too high.
_________________
R.E. Baker
There's lots more of me where I come from! |
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Russell Baker
From:
Owego NY, USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2015 5:45 am
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Thanks Howard
I was thinking of that....
In one of my Dan Erline Books on
setting up Electric Guitars he mentions
using a String as a File.
I guess its my imagination about the Saddle depth.
_________________
R.E. Baker
There's lots more of me where I come from! |
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Dave Thier
From:
Fairhope, Alabama, USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2015 6:10 am
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I use wound strings to dress and burnish slots. Learned this trick from Tim Scheerhorn.
While dressing the slot, perhaps a bit more relief on the break toward the tailpiece is in order. |
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Greg Booth
From:
Anchorage, AK, USA
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Russell Baker
From:
Owego NY, USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2015 7:36 am
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I'm not home now so I can't check the guitar
but I seem to think it was dead no matter how you
played it.
If this was a regular guitar I would say
it sounds like it's "fretting out" like
it was hitting a high fret.
It has sort of a quacking ring to it like
a Banjo string.
The High G and D do it to a very small amount.
But the B is where you really hear it.
If I play it open and use my fingers
and not with a pick it doesn't seem to do it.
I seem to be the only one who thinks the strings are to high in the saddles!
_________________
R.E. Baker
There's lots more of me where I come from! |
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Russell Baker
From:
Owego NY, USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2015 7:37 am
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I think it is more noticable when you play it open than barred though
_________________
R.E. Baker
There's lots more of me where I come from! |
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