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Topic: Fender 400 set up |
Alan Cook
From:
Kent,England
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Posted 22 Nov 2015 1:18 pm |
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I have just bought this and I'm deciding how to set it up, it's 6 pedals with no lever. Any ideas?
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 22 Nov 2015 4:05 pm
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Before you hook anything up, do you have any particular tuning in mind?
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Alan Cook
From:
Kent,England
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Posted 22 Nov 2015 6:27 pm
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| E 9th tuning. I was thinking F, A, B, C, B, D pedals so I could get the main E 9th changes. |
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Michael Maddex
From:
Northern New Mexico, USA
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Posted 22 Nov 2015 8:19 pm
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| Alan Cook wrote: |
| E 9th tuning. I was thinking F, A, B, C, B, D pedals so I could get the main E 9th changes. |
You've got one too many B-Pedals in there, but I get the idea and otherwise that looks to me like a good place to start. Once you have it strung up and your pulls set, you'll find that it is real easy on these guitars to make changes to experiment with variations as you go along. Since there are eight rather than ten strings, I think that I would drop the lower two from the standard E9 setup, at least for starters. Or maybe drop seven and nine, giving a nice strummable E chord on the bottom six strings.
Fender still has the manual for the 400 posted on their website in the Customer Support Section:
http://support.fender.com/manuals/instruments/Fender_400_Pedal_Steel_Guitar_%281967%29_manual.pdf
If you don't already have a copy, I recommend downloading and printing it. When I bought my 400, the previous owner thoughtfully included a copy with the guitar.
HTH. Enjoy your new guitar! 
_________________
"For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert." -- Arthur C. Clarke |
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Roger Guyett
From:
San Francisco, Ca.
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Posted 23 Nov 2015 12:09 am
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Great guitar ....and has been mentioned, very easy to change turnings.
However I think that's the longer scale guitar, so you may have issues with a high G# -> A breaking strings. A lot of people tune down to D9 |
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Alan Cook
From:
Kent,England
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Posted 23 Nov 2015 2:15 am
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| Thanks for the info guys I like the high end of the e9th idea i had 2 B's to get that 7th move and the BC move, is there any way of overcoming the string breaking issue.? |
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Michael Maddex
From:
Northern New Mexico, USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2015 8:58 am
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| Alan Cook wrote: |
| ... i had 2 B's to get that 7th move and the BC move, is there any way of overcoming the string breaking issue.? |
You can use two feet on the pedals to avoid duplicating one. You have a volume control on the guitar; you don't have to use a volume pedal.
IMO, don't worry about string breakage until it happens. Some have had the problem but not others. Polishing the string contact area on the nut and saddle seems to prevent it. Otherwise, as Roger said, the usual cure is to tune down to D or Eb.
_________________
"For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert." -- Arthur C. Clarke |
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Brendan Mitchell
From:
Melbourne Australia
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Posted 23 Nov 2015 10:43 am
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| There is a fender pedal steel page on Facebook and a forum dedicated to these guitars you may find helpful |
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Roger Guyett
From:
San Francisco, Ca.
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Posted 23 Nov 2015 11:42 am
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[quote="Michael Maddex"]
| Alan Cook wrote: |
...
IMO, don't worry about string breakage until it happens. Some have had the problem but not others. Polishing the string contact area on the nut and saddle seems to prevent it. Otherwise, as Roger said, the usual cure is to tune down to D or Eb. |
I agree Michael - don't worry about it til it's a problem....but you'll winding that high G# wearing safety goggles ! Just kidding.
other cures are (those with better knowledge please correct me) :
- change the tuning key (from 1st to 2nd) so it's not at such an angle going over nut (straighter string)
- install roller nut : so it's not pulled over a fixed nut
- "clips" : you can get these metal clips that change the way strings attach at changer end
But I love the sound of those longer scale 400s |
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Chris Lucker
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2015 3:21 pm
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Use the second tuning peg for the first string and the first Kluson for the second string.
That is a suggestion from the original owners manual.
_________________
Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars. |
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Jim Palenscar
From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2015 9:59 pm
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| Frequently I will setup 400's w the 1st pedal raising the E's. 2nd and 3rd pedals same as A and B pedals of the std E9, 4th pedal lowering the E's and whatever is left have fun~ |
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Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
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Posted 25 Nov 2015 10:23 pm String snapped, Ow
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No Joking,
I don't have a Fender but did get a bad cut on my pinky once when my G# string broke and spent a while bleeding.
Wanted to get one of these guitars but the lack of knee levers is a big deal these days...
I think it was on the Fender forum or maybe on this forum that I saw someone had designed a device that clipped in place with four knee levers and it was slick.
Designed in a way that didn't ruin the guitar.
Good luck.
_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project. |
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Paul Redmond
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 10 Dec 2015 1:54 am
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I tuned down to Eb (D#) and have never broken a string. I just have to remember to play one fret higher on everything. I retained both the solid grooved nut and the solid bridge.
PRR |
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