Universal 12 rodding help needed!

Brian ONeil · From: Minneapolis, MN USA

Hey folks,

Just started rodding my Carter U12 and ran into something I could use some help on. I'm rodding the second pedal and noticed on the steel guitar resource page they talk about "geardown" so that you can have three changes all move at the same time. What are they talking about? Do you have a picture I could see? I'm confused, please help!

Thanks in advance.[/list]

Jacek Jakubek · From: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

I'm not sure what they mean by "geardown," but my Carter U-12 B pedal was rodded like this:

The cross-shaft for pedal B had a pull rod connected
to it that raised string 3. This same pedal B cross-shaft also was connected to a separate cross-shaft next to it with a piece of pull rod. This other separate cross shaft had the pulls for string 6 and 11.

When you have tuned your string 3 pull, lightly press the B pedal so that there is no slack in the pull rod going from string 3 to the changer, but not to the point where you see the changer fingers move and the string begins to change pitch. when there is no slack, tighten the screw on the pull pin going to the
other cross shaft for string 6 and 10. This will make
sure that just as string 3 begins to pull, string 6 and 10 will start pulling at the same time.

Hope that helps.

Brian ONeil · From: Minneapolis, MN USA

Jacek,

That does help, that is exactly what I'm talking about, thanks.

How is it connected to the "extra" cross-shaft? Would you happen to have a picture?

Thanks so much! From the looks of things this guitar has been changed quite a bit, so getting back to stock is sort of a challenge.

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Brian--I don't have my guitar here right now....which is ok because I don't have my camera here either. There is a bellcrank (rod puller) on the B pedal cross shaft. It is connected via a standard rod to a bellcrank on the gear-down cross shaft. Then a rod runs from another bellcrank on this shaft to the changer. The choice of rod puller positions on all of these bellcranks is how you achieve the change in leverage to equalize the different pulling distances required of the 3rd and 6th strings (and 10th). I forget how I've got mine set up but I do recall that when I changed to a wound 6th string which requires a much longer pull than a plain it was necessary to change the leverages. I may...may....have bypassed the geardown shaft altogether. I don't recall. Next rehearsal (where my Carter awaits me) I'll try to remember to refresh my memory.

Brian ONeil · From: Minneapolis, MN USA

Jon,

Thanks for that. I should mention, the work that was previously done to my guitar before I owned it looks like they did bypass the gear-down crank-shaft. I don't remember having any issues with the pedal before taking it apart, but do you this having the gear-down crankshaft set up would prove to have a more positive feel?

Brian

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

I would like to see a picture of this mechanism.

By the way, on my Mullen U-12, all three of the G#'s pull to A just fine. They are all timed to start and stop at the same time, without any such device.
_________________
Lee, from South Texas - Down On The Rio Grande

There are only two options as I see it.
Either I'm right, or there is a sinister conspiracy to conceal the fact that I'm right.

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Bill Ford · From: Graniteville SC Aiken

Brian,
A good general rule to keep in mind is the farther you need to move the finger, the farther from the axle you hook to the bellcrank. If you have a short travel pull, and a long travel pull on the same pedal.

Short pull=closer to the bellcrank axle, farther from the changer axel. (changer pulls slower)

long pull=farther from the bellcrank axle, closer to the changer axel. (changer pulls faster)

This way both pulls leave, and arrive together. You [url=can move to different hole positions to change the pedal travel. This is confusing until you do it a couple of times, it's simple geometry.

Look here

Hope this helps..Bill
_________________
Bill Ford S12 CLR, S12 Lamar keyless, Misc amps&toys Sharp Covers
Steeling for Jesus now!!!

Brian ONeil · From: Minneapolis, MN USA

Thanks Bill, great advice. I'm pretty much following the rodding chart from Carters website to bring this guitar back to original set up. I hope it works out!

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