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Topic: Sho~Bud C pedal problem - help! |
Marc Jenkins
From:
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 3 Feb 2009 11:06 am |
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The guitar: mid 70's Pro 1 with 2-hole pullers.
The problem: If I engage the C pedal quickly, the E string raises to F# just fine. If I engage it slowly, the pedal stops and the note is quite flat of F#. The slower I pedal, the flatter the resulting note.
The factors: The B to C# raise is not affected. Also, after having problems getting the 4th string E to Eb to lower far enough, I removed the helper spring. This F# raise issue has been happening since!
Any advice? Thanks! |
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richard burton
From:
Britain
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Posted 3 Feb 2009 11:09 am
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| Sounds like the lower return spring needs more tension. |
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Jon Light (deceased)
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 3 Feb 2009 12:20 pm
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Also make sure the puller is tight on the shaft.
And although this would not likely be relevant, make sure the pedal isn't bottoming out on the floor or carpet---I went through a whole bunch of diagnostics once until I realized that my rear legs had slipped down a bit and the C pedal was hitting the floor. |
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Clyde Lane
From:
Glasgow, Kentucky, USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2009 2:26 pm
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Sounds like a changer finger worn out. Are they potmetal? Do they have slots for the string ends or pins? Slots are potmetal.
_________________
Clyde Lane |
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Marc Jenkins
From:
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 3 Feb 2009 10:39 pm
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Thanks for the tips, all. Clyde, they are pot metal fingers, but I'm not sure it's a wear issue, as the other pulls on this string are fine.
I tightened up everything as best I could. (Jon, the puller WAS actually a tiny bit loose, but it made no difference.) Same problem. After swapping a couple other springs, I spent 2 hours messing with the 4th string spring, to try and twist it so there was more tension (by shortening it a little). I achieved no results there either, but I don;t think I shortened the spring enough.
Any more suggestions (should I cut the spring and twist it? How much?) would be appreciated. At this point, I'm ready to SCREAM.
I'd rather be practicing for upcoming gigs, that's for sure. |
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Pat Comeau
From:
New Brunswick, Canada
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Marc Jenkins
From:
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 3 Feb 2009 10:47 pm
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| Thanks Pat! I was mainly worried about cutting too much. I'll try a lop at a time. |
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Bobby Bowman
From:
Cypress, Texas, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 4 Feb 2009 12:45 am problem
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Marc,
Probably best to do this with the guitar upside down.,,,,,,,
Engage the C pedal with you hand and watch the lower actuator (sissor blade) as the raise sissor blade is moving. Do it both ways, fast and slow. If the lower finger is not moving off of the stop plate, cutting the lower return spring will probably not help your problem.
If it is moving off the stop (or rest) plate, it still may not be the fault of the return spring. It could very well be the 5'th string finger hitting or rubbing the 4'th string lower finger or some other binding or friction.
Check all the possibilities out before you start clipping off the spring.
BB
_________________
If you play 'em, play 'em good!
If you build 'em, build 'em good!
http://www.bobbybowman.com |
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Tony Glassman
From:
The Great Northwest
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Posted 4 Feb 2009 1:28 pm
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I had that exact problem w/ my Cooped Pro II. Coop very patiently helped me diagnose the problem.
First, make sure that's not a broken string remnant binding things up. Also try shortening a return spring borrowed from a non-lowering string and swap it onto the 4th string......... If it's still not returning correctly:
Try removing the 4th string, return spring and, the pull rods. You should now be able to freely move the finger and see if there's any binding through any part of it's excursion.
If so, it's easy to remove a changer finger using a wood dowel (or even a unsharpened pencil). Loosen up all the strings then tap the dowel with a small hammer and displace the changer axle, to the point where the dowel displaces the axle under the 4th string. Back up the dowel slowly until the changer finger drops out. To reinstall the finger tap the axle back into place, until the dowel is pushed out. Use another piece of dowel to tap the axle, so as not to deform the end. |
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Marc Jenkins
From:
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 4 Feb 2009 2:07 pm
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| Thanks Bobby and Tony. And James and Coop, too, for the email help! |
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Tony Glassman
From:
The Great Northwest
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Posted 4 Feb 2009 8:11 pm
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| Keep us posted |
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Marc Jenkins
From:
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 6 Feb 2009 11:31 am
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Well, the problem is mostly solved! Taking the changer acompletely apart and re-luricating made a pretty big difference. I think the E - F# C pedal problem was caused partially by the finger sticking a bit, plus I discovered that the new brass roller I put on was way too tight, and wasn't moving well. I swapped with a different one, and it seems mostly better. I'm going to try removing the felt pad I put on the pedal stop, as I think it may be contributing somewhat, but I think I've got it mostly nailed.
Thanks again for all the help! |
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James Morehead
From:
Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.
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Posted 6 Feb 2009 7:46 pm
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The felt pad is probably fine. They are a good solution to buffering mechanical noise.
Check your email marc, i sent you a couple more tips.  |
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