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Topic: Steel Guitar Ghost?! |
A. Roncetti
From:
Toronto,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 6 Feb 2007 5:46 pm |
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| My guitar is around 6 months old and seems to do wierd things on it's own. It was all tuned up one day and then a day later it was way out and even the pedals(A,Franklin) were acting up. No adjustments had been made. My point is how does this happen? Do new steels take time to settle or get worked in? |
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A. J. Schobert
From:
Cincinnati, Ohio,
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Posted 6 Feb 2007 6:06 pm
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| How often do you play would have an impact. My PSG when I got it I was busting strings like crazy but after a few months I "broke" it in and no problems at all. You may have to break it in more but after 6 months? |
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 6 Feb 2007 6:06 pm
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Could be unrelated but check it out anyway-----this time of year especially, dry heat can cause shrinkage which can result in the body tightening up and causing binding in the cross shafts. Turn your guitar over and grab a bellcrank on each cross shaft and give a side to side jiggle. You should have a little bit of play in the shaft between its insertion point in the front & rear aprons. If you don't, come on back and I'll take you thru the simple procedure to correct it.
One result of such binding can be slow and inconsistent pedal & lever return. |
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Bob Blair
From:
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Posted 6 Feb 2007 7:57 pm
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| As Jon says, the cross-shafts are the most likely suspects. Just happened to me with a new guitar when the temperature here dropped and it got real dry - pretty much the exact symptoms you described. If I can fix it, anyone can! |
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A. Roncetti
From:
Toronto,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 7 Feb 2007 4:51 am
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| Thanks guys. I'll turn 'er over and check that out. I'm wondering also if there are some split tuning issues. I think I'm going to let those off a little too. |
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Jim Bob Sedgwick
From:
Clinton, Missouri USA
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Posted 7 Feb 2007 7:11 am
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| Jon, would you please go ahead and post the remedy for binding crosshafts due to winter dryness? Thnx so much |
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 7 Feb 2007 12:24 pm
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The reason I made the offer is that I know that Angie has a Fess as do I. I just recently did this job on mine. And I've done it on my Carter which is a different fix than the Fess. So those are the only two guitars that I can tell anyone what to do. With any other guitar, I'm ignorant.
On the Fess, what I did is the following (and it was a combination of following some rough instructions from Jerry F in a note he sent me and just sussing out the situation:
---loosen the screws on the metal strip that is inset in the rear apron. I totally removed the strip but in retrospect I'm not sure that was necessary. In fact I'm not sure it was even necessary to loosen the screws but I'd do it again next time, just to be safe.
--at the flange on the cross shaft where the pedal rod attaches to the shaft, wedge a flat screwdriver blade between the aluminum front apron and the flange. If you have difficulty getting the blade in there, then you, for sure, need to make this adjustment. Once you get the blade in there (tap it with a hammer gently, if necessary) work it gently with a prying motion. What you are trying to do is force the whole shaft toward where it goes into the rear apron. It sits in a bushing that sits tightly in the apron. Your screwdriver action is pushing the bushing deeper into the wood body, making more lateral room for the shaft. After you get it to move a bit you should be able to move the cross shaft back & forth between the aprons. If things were really tight before you did this, you may well notice the difference in pedal feel when you set the guitar back up.
btw--while I was in there I also put some oil in the bushing.
I repeat--this is specific to my Fessenden. I have no idea how one would adjust any other guitar but the Carter which I will be happy to describe if anyone needs to know. |
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Bernie Straub
From:
Folly Beach, South Carolina, USA
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Posted 7 Feb 2007 1:46 pm
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Jon, I think you nailed it. I had identical issues with my new Fess, and Jerry F. gave me the same advice. 5 minutes with the screwdriver and all was well. The pedal feel changed for the better, and I swear it sounded better, too! 
_________________
Bernie Straub
GFI Ultra S-10/Fessy D-10 |
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Jim Eaton
From:
Santa Susana, Ca
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Posted 7 Feb 2007 3:57 pm
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Thanks for posting about this problem! I have been trying to fix a problem on a Fessy for a student of mine that sounds alot like this will take care of it! All of a sudden the A pedal was not comming back to pitch when released and I have just about run out of things to try!
JE:-)> |
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A. Roncetti
From:
Toronto,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 10 Feb 2007 10:34 am
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| The problem was the 10th string finger had some how slipped out of the slot in the changer and was jammed to the side. It seems the dryness in the air and the fact that its a new guitar "settling" depressing the corresponding pedals caused this. Everything has been adjusted properly and is in it's right place now. Sounds better than ever! Thanks for the info Jon! |
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Dan Beller-McKenna
From:
Durham, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 11 Feb 2007 1:08 pm
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When I picked up my Fessy from Jerry in Dec. I asked him how often I should oil it. He said, "as often as you can stand to!" I have been oiling those cross-shaft joints (as well as the other obvious parts of the guitar) religiously and haven't had any of these problems, even though my poor steel must go between music room and the basement where one of my bands rehearses (not to mention the ultra dry climate of my heated car), a wild humidity and temperature swing. Glad to hear there is a remedy, however, in case mine succumbs to the humidity.
Dan
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Durham, NH
dbmCk mUSIC |
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