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Topic: Sierra pedal stop problem |
John Russell
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 16 Aug 2011 3:14 pm |
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I just got a new/old Sierra S12U guitar. Beautiful machine but I'm having trouble setting the A pedal stop. I added a pedal to the first position on the left, all the mounting holes were there and the hardware bolted up with no problem. As I was adjusting the stop for the B to C# raise I noticed that with a little more pressure on the pedal the note continued to raise after bottoming out. As you know floor pedals get hit pretty hard and it's not good if the note doesn't stop on pitch. I've checked the axle bushings and the nylon pedal stop as well as the set screw on the frame rail where the axle mounts. There just seems to be some flex in the whole system. Any suggestions? First picture is the nylon pedal stop. Second picture is the frame rail set screw--it's tight.
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 16 Aug 2011 3:23 pm
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My first guess is that the nylon pedal stop is slipping.
It is set up on a cam (off-center) so you can set the travel distance, then tighten it up.
You should be able to snug that up.
Do any other pedals have this symptom? |
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Tom Campbell
From:
Houston, Texas, USA
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Posted 16 Aug 2011 5:05 pm
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I have three Sierra Sessions (12's).
Check the hole in the nylon cam to make sure it does not have a crack in the area of the hole; a crack...ever so small...will prevent the screw from tightening properly.
Make sure the hole has not become enlarged from use. An enlarged hole offers less nylon material for the screw cap to "bite" into thus allowing the cam to rotate.
Inspect the cam's screw hole (in the side rail)and the screw, to be sure there is not an area that has been stripped.
Check to see if the area of the lever, that strikes the cam, is contacting the majority of the cam's strike point. |
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David Wright
From:
Pilot Point ,Tx USA.
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Posted 16 Aug 2011 5:21 pm
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| all good points... |
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John Russell
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 17 Aug 2011 7:16 am Sierra pedal stop problem
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| I checked the nylon cam for cracks or enlarged hole. That's not it. The cam appears to squeeze a little under pressure. Maybe I'm applying too much pressure--I'm testing this with the guitar upside down pressing the pedal (up) with my hand. I don't see any movement along the frame rail though the bushings have been a problem--easily fixed. I'm going to make a substitute pedal stop out of aluminum angle stock to see if that helps. --J |
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Tom Campbell
From:
Houston, Texas, USA
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Posted 17 Aug 2011 10:06 am
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John
Make sure the the pedal stop (lever that has the ball end and strikes the nylon cam) is screwed TIGHT to the round cross-shaft. If it is not tight slippage will occur when you depress your pedal. This is the major drawback of round cross shafts. Grease, on the round cross shafts, is NOT your friend...especially if it is under a bellcrank or pedal stop. |
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John Russell
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 17 Aug 2011 11:21 am
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I bought some aluminum angle stock that's 3/4" X 1/8" thick, L-shaped extrusion. I had a piece that I used before on a Sho-Bud guitar, it did fit this one but allowed very little travel. I installed this piece and it fixed the problem. I'll make several with different locations for the hole to make the adjustment. It seems that that nylon cam is just a little squishy. I'll post a picture when I'm done.
BTW, Tom, how do you fit the larger strings into the slots at the bridge? I had to fabricate an extension using an old string for the low B and E strings (.072 and .052 respectively). Jim Palenscar says he just puts the strings on a vice and smashes them with a hammer to make them fit. My guitar was set up for extended E9 and I'm converting to a S12U. Could that be the problem? I can probably live with this workaround if necessary but I wonder if there's a part that fixes that--not that I want to disassemble the bridge. Just curious. --J |
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Tony Glassman
From:
The Great Northwest
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Posted 17 Aug 2011 11:33 am
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Make an eccentric cam-stop out of similar diameter aluminum or steel bar-stock. All you need is a chop (or hack)saw, drill and a counter-bore. Expect it to be noisier than the nylon stop.
Jim's method of squishing the string in a vice, is what I used to get the big strings to fit into the changer fork. |
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Tom Campbell
From:
Houston, Texas, USA
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Posted 17 Aug 2011 1:17 pm
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Squishing the heavier strings in a vice is the solution. For my 12th string I have used a .068 and .072 with on problem.
Sierra made some "Crown" 12 string steels with the aluminum cams. They are much more stable than the nylon cams...and easy to make. you can use your nylon cam as the pattern. |
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John Russell
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 17 Aug 2011 3:12 pm pedal stop fix
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Thanks, guys for that help. For now I'm using the L-shaped aluminum bar stock. It's easy to cut and drill and I can locate the hole anywhere so I'll make several to adjust the pedal travel. It's pretty stable, I've got one set up on the B-C# raise and will to the same for the G#-A and maybe the E-F change. Intonation on these is critical.
Let me know of any other anomalies re this guitar. I'm pretty spoiled with my Zum SD-12U--the Sierra was bought as a backup but it's an amazing guitar. If it sounds and plays as good as it looks, I'm stoked. --JR |
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