Cabinet Drop?

Roger Shackelton · From: MINNESOTA (deceased)

How much cabinet drop does a "Multi-Kord" have? or does anyone care... Laughing

Roger

Philip Atkinson · From: Abilene,Texas

If you are answering this question, could you also explain what cabinet drop is for a new guy? I've seen this term in multiple posts. Thanks.

John Drury · From: Gallatin, Tn USA

Andy Sandoval · From: Bakersfield, California, USA

Click Here

Ken Metcalf · From: San Antonio Texas USA

Oops
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Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Phil, "cabinet drop" is a somewhat generic term used for unpedaled strings going flat when other strings are raised or lowered (by pedals or levers). Causes range from the body actually flexing, to tuning heads moving, to changer axles flexing, etc.. In general, many players obssess about it because it's a very minor problem that gets magnified by use of digital tuners. (An analogy might be the driver who sets his cruise control at 60 mph, and then sees their speedometer vary from 59-61 mph as they goes up and down hills.)

Be it a pedal steel, or even a straight guitar, most all stringed instruments exhibit similar characteristics. That is, the strings vary slightly from "perfect" tuning due to minor stresses. The bottom line, however, is that provided the drop is less than 5 cents, it should be considered perfectly acceptable.

For most all modern steels, Shakespeare's phrase "Much ado about nothing" is pretty appropos.

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

Lets put it this way: There is one guitar I'm aware of, the Lashley LeGrande III with Counterforce compensators which tune out the cabinet drop (or detuning or whatever one chooses to call it). Very few players actually play that guitar. Drop is just something we learn to live with. I have heard several VERY reputable, knowledgeable builders say that pedal steels without cabinet drop don't sound very good because they're too rigid to resonate properly. It's much more important to learn to play in tune in the face of cabinet drop, a/c or heat ducts, stage lighting, bad strings, and all the other factors that pull our guitars out of tune.
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Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Greg Wisecup · From: Troy, Ohio

My ears (unfortunately)are very sensitive to cabinet drop even down to about 1-2 cents. Last Saturday night I found the unquestionable fix for cabinet drop. A great band and about 5 Coronas. Your prescription may vary! Shocked

Greg

Joking aside; it tends to bother me more at home than it does in a gig situation. As long as your guitar is in tune and in tune with everyone else you shouldn't notice it much on a job. At home; it could drive you crazy.
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Bobbe Seymour · From: Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.

Larry Bell, I have never agreed with anyone more! May I quote you?
Bobbe

Joseph Barcus · From: Volga West Virginia

the one that will fool you the most is that 6th string sometimes your ear ( thinks ) its out but its not. that darn 6th string lol
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Steve Norman · From: Seattle Washington, USA

Roger I got an email from you but my spam filter messed it up somehow,,can you resend it? I re-added you to the safe list,,sorry bout that.

trading musician in the u dist had a multichord and emerald city in pioneer square had 2,,they may still be there
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Terry Miller · From: Hammondsport NY USA

Everyone talks about cabinet drop, I'm sure it hapens.I have had several brands of guitars, some were worse than others. You learn to live with it. I have a 69 Sho bud and it has zero drop. Lucky I guess. I just got a new Show Pro and that guitar has less than 1 cent drop. Again just lucky. Bottom line is if they had more drop I would learn to work with it. The most important thing to me is the sound and am I comfortable playing that guitar.Isn't that what's most important. Terry

Ulric Utsi-Åhlin · From: Sweden

Along the lines of what I stated in another thread;
even a slight inaccuracy in bar placement introduces
an "off"-reading that´s more acute than the average
amount of cabinet drop...McUtsi

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

Terry
Just curious
How are you measuring that one cent drop. Which string? While pressing which pedal(s)?

My Bud drops much more than one cent if you measure the unwound 6th string dropping while only the A pedal is pressed firmly. Even the 4th with A+B is more than one cent (which one can hardly read on most tuners).

How are you doing the measurement?
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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
My CD's: 'I've Got Friends in COLD Places' - 'Pedal Steel Guitar'
2021 Rittenberry S/D-12 8x7, 1976 Emmons S/D-12 7x6, 1969 Emmons S/D-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Quilter ToneBlock 202 TT-12

richard burton · From: Britain

I must respectfully disagree with the statement that you can learn to live with cabinet drop, no matter how bad it is.

There are some (usually old) steels with such significant cabinet drop that they are virtually unplayable.

I had a ZB student, which had tone to the bone, but the cab drop was so bad that I had to get rid of it Sad

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

To echo Donny and others: unless the detuning is severe... and I mean mucho severe, most players just adjust their hand positions slightly on a guitar that in all other respects sounds and plays great.

Really, it's just about learning to play the instrument.

The greatest solos of all time, that we love and continually keep going back to for their classic beauty, were recorded on guitars with no knee levers and cabinets that were flexing all over the place. Those players knew how to control their guitars.
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Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

if you watch jessica simpson's steel player, he seems to get a regular case of cabinet raise!

Richard Paul · From: Iowa USA

Cabinet drop in some instances is very critical, the handel on my case broke, and my cabinet dropped 14 inches to the pavement. The case was sturdy enough and no damage to the cabinet at all. That was my experiance with cabinet drop. And it did not effect the tuning. MSA's are remarkable. Chalk one up for MSA. When I met Curley Chalker he was playing an MSA. I wonder if he ever had cabinet drop?

Bo Legg · Posted 16 Jan 2009 4:57 pm

Why is it that PSGs made out of a cabinet top have little or no cabinet drop?
My Sho-bud is made of maple so when I tune I have to allow for syrup drop.
If my PSG was made out of Cedar would it be called chest drop.

Bent Romnes · From: London,Ontario, Canada

My homebuilt is made out of birdseye maple. Does that mean it has bird drop(ings)?

Steve Norman · From: Seattle Washington, USA

I dont know Bent but I dropped a cabinet last week and now the doors are crooked...
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Terry Miller · From: Hammondsport NY USA

Larry, I am measuring the same way you are talking about. The tuner will hardly move on string 4 or 6. You have to look real close to see the tuner move. I know many have guitars with much more drop, I have had several guitars with much more. I guess I am just lucky with this old Bud. Terry

Mike Archer · From: church hill tn

I know some steels have it worse then others
but the fact is the longer you play steel
without thought you begin to play steel more with your ears ....ive found that cab drop unless its
way way off your ears will cover the detune
ive done many recording sessions and ive never had a problem with it
new players do play more by frets because
there ear has not developed fully yet
IMHO Mike Very Happy

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