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Topic: P/P Changer too tight? |
J Fletcher
From:
London,Ont,Canada
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Posted 5 Jan 2006 9:05 am |
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I would appreciate some advice about the changer on my SD10 '84 Emmons push pull. This guitar always had stiffer pedal action than my S10 Emmons push pull, so I took the changer apart, cleaned it all out, carefully reassembled, and lubed with light machine oil( 3-in-1).The fingers all moved easily on the axle at this point, and I mounted the changer back into the guitar. I noticed while cleaning the axle, that there was noticeable wear on one side, from the movement of the fingers, so I rotated it 180 degrees, to put a smooth axle surface on the top.
I've now reconnected all ten lower return springs, at the same tension as before, and have noticed that the raise fingers no longer move freely. They move, but seem tight. I think this is due to the friction of the caused by the raise finger being packed tightly against the lower finger, as I can loosen most raise fingers up by jiggling the adjacent lower finger slightly out of the way.
I was careful to note the number and placement of washers between the outside fingers and the "axle holder arms", as well as where the washers go between the fingers, and reassembled everything as before. Also lubed between fingers.
So I'm wondering what's up here. Perhaps it's normal, but I would think at this point, with no strings on the guitar, the raise fingers should move more freely. Should I remove one of the spacer washers at the end of the axel? There's three at one end and two at the other.
Appreciate any advice. Thanks...Jerry |
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J Fletcher
From:
London,Ont,Canada
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Posted 5 Jan 2006 3:01 pm
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Well, I loosened off the lower return springs, and now the raise fingers move quite freely. I think there's too much friction, or pressure, between the sides of the raise and lower fingers, and that's why the pedal action was always so stiff.
Any comments are welcome...Jerry |
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J Fletcher
From:
London,Ont,Canada
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Posted 7 Jan 2006 10:15 am
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| Any insight from the collected push pull wisdom out there in forumland? |
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Nic du Toit
From:
Milnerton, Cape, South Africa
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J Fletcher
From:
London,Ont,Canada
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Posted 15 Jan 2006 10:36 am
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| Hello? Anybody? I should have put Jerry Garcia's name in my post's title. That always brings lots of responses. |
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Jay Ganz
From:
Out Behind The Barn
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Posted 15 Jan 2006 2:20 pm
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The spring tension of the lower return springs should not really affect the raise fingers.
There's gotta be something else causing them to bind. Are they all stiff? If there's no
strings on the steel and the changer is installed correctly....the lower & raise fingers
should move freely without any friction. |
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J Fletcher
From:
London,Ont,Canada
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Posted 15 Jan 2006 4:55 pm
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Hi Jay
Yes they were all stiff, until I unhooked the lower return srings, and then they loosened up. I'm thinking it's the pressure of the lower fingers against the sides of the raise fingers that is bindings things up. Or the axle is flexing from the tension of the lower return springs, though this seems unlikely. I'm going to replace the changer axle, hopefully this will help matters. I cleaned everything before reassembling, and then lubed. It's all back together now, and the pedal action is just like it was when I started...stiff! But all the push and pull rods look a lot staighter, and the timing of the pulls is better.....Jerry |
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Willis Vanderberg
From:
Petoskey Mi
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Posted 15 Jan 2006 7:45 pm
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| Mike Cass or Tommy Cass. I believe Tommy is in New York State. It might be close enough to drive over. |
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Bruce Hamilton
From:
Vancouver BC Canada
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Posted 16 Jan 2006 9:31 am
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| Why not just take it to Al Brisco? He has a fully equipped shop and has worked on push pulls for years. |
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Jay Ganz
From:
Out Behind The Barn
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Posted 16 Jan 2006 12:27 pm
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All of my Push/Pulls have two washers on
either end. You shouldn't need three. Take
that extra one out. It might be putting on too
much pressure. |
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J Fletcher
From:
London,Ont,Canada
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Posted 16 Jan 2006 1:53 pm
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| If I can't sort this problem out myself, with the help and advice of the forum, then I'll have somebody look at it for me. But I would rather do it myself if I can. At this point I'm looking for some tips on loosening the changer up. If I'm going to own and play these things, I should learn how to maintain them. Thanks for the responses so far....Jerry |
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