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Topic: MCI S12U 8X5 - 80's Universal |
Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 5 Sep 2018 2:29 pm |
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Picked this one up today 
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John McClung
From:
Olympia WA, USA
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Posted 5 Sep 2018 4:40 pm
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I'd love an MCI but they don't have split screws!
_________________
E9 INSTRUCTION
▪️ If you want to have an ongoing discussion, please email me, don't use the Forum messaging which I detest! steelguitarlessons@earthlink.net |
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Mike Wheeler
From:
Delaware, Ohio, USA
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Posted 5 Sep 2018 6:23 pm
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Underside pics, please, Pete.
I've got the same guitar but mine is a steel blue with only 7+5. It's my favorite one to play around on, and to practice on. GREAT tone and feel.
If I still gigged it would be my workhorse....and I have an Emmons, Dekley, and 2 MSA The Universals...all 12 stringers.
John, years ago I asked one of the Forum's machinist gurus (can't remember who) if split screws could be installed, and he said yes....but I'd have to send in the whole changer assembly. And as I remember, it would cost a bit more than I could afford. I would guess Michael Yahl, or Jim Palenscar could do it. They're magicians!!
Just had a thought...if someone could send in an MCI changer and have it fitted with split screws, then maybe the machinist could take measurements and make a replacement changer housing that had the split screws built in.
Maybe it's just the dream on an old steel picker.  
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Best regards,
Mike |
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Tony Glassman
From:
The Great Northwest
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Posted 5 Sep 2018 6:59 pm
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| Very cool guitar, Pete. |
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Paddy Long
From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted 5 Sep 2018 7:58 pm
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Very cool Pete - I still have my D10 Rangexpander welded frame that I bought new in 1986 - always been a fabulous guitar !!
_________________
14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases. |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 6 Sep 2018 6:00 am
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It sounds really great!
I was amazed how rich it sounds way up high in Hughey-land.
The Steel was in a bad state of out-of-tune and miss-adjusted when I first sat down at it.
When I got it dialed in enough to play through some stuff with the Standard E9th and B6th changes, I finally got to a point where I said, Alright, I'll take it!
After hearing what it really sounded like, the guy said, I don't want to sell it anymore!!!
He had a nice LDG 10-string there, too, which was his main axe.
I have some fun hobby work ahead of me, setting up this Steel.
The BooWha pedal somehow ended up on RKR.
P7 only raises string 6.
The String-9 and String-2 changes need to be moved to RKL for my setup.
LKV currently raises string-7 F# to G#, i prefer to lower B's.
E lowers are on wrong lever for me.
Etc
Also, every string is strung so the leading edge goes UNDER the tuner Post. This drives me into a slightly insaned rage!!!
More pics later today. |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 6 Sep 2018 4:20 pm
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Underside pics:
I have this moslty changed around to my setup.
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John LeMaster
From:
North Florida
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Posted 6 Sep 2018 4:55 pm U12
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Great looking guitar, Pete.
I'm curious about the pickup....single coil by??
Emmons? Mullen? Zum? Or Lawrence 912?
None of the above??
_________________
Magnum D10, Emmons D10 push-pull |
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Tony Glassman
From:
The Great Northwest
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Posted 6 Sep 2018 5:37 pm
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| The way that the pull rod end is stabilized in the bell crank to prevent slip-out is an elegantly simple solution. It looks like it should be easy to reconfigure. |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 6 Sep 2018 6:35 pm Re: U12
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| John LeMaster wrote: |
Great looking guitar, Pete.
I'm curious about the pickup....single coil by??
Emmons? Mullen? Zum? Or Lawrence 912?
None of the above?? |
I am not sure of the pickup make/model. It looks to be original (there are no obvious modification/replacement marks near the pickup). I will have to research this brand more to find out what kind of pickups they used. It sounds great (the high G# really rings out).
| Tony Glassman wrote: |
| The way that the pull rod end is stabilized in the bell crank to prevent slip-out is an elegantly simple solution. It looks like it should be easy to reconfigure. |
Tony, The rods have a little curl in the end, and then many of them have a little O-ring to hold them in place. I need to replace all of those O-rings due to dry-rot.
It was very easy to move rods and bell-cranks around!
I am learning my way through the finer set-up issues now. Timing (the C-pedal and P7 both use the "two rods on one bellcrank" method), checking/setting pedal-stops, etc.
I don't want to do too much before I change the strings.
Also, I just checked and it is a 24" Scale. |
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Christopher Woitach
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 7 Sep 2018 6:37 am
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Pete
First - this seems cool - sorry I won’t get play with you on Sunday (gig in Eugene)
Second - buddy of mine, you got a crapload of steel guitars... man
_________________
Christopher Woitach
cw@affmusic.com
www.affmusic.com |
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Ken Pippus
From:
Langford, BC, Canada
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Posted 7 Sep 2018 7:04 am
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| Glad you got it! I think that’s been coming for a couple of years. |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 7 Sep 2018 7:07 am
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When it comes to 80's S12U's, they are affordable enough to pick em up when I see one 
As Ken mentions, this one was for sale in Kent WA a few years ago.
It surfaced in Portland recently and a local 10-string player swoopped it up.
He called me a week or so later to come n git'er |
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Mike Wheeler
From:
Delaware, Ohio, USA
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Posted 7 Sep 2018 9:13 am
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Pete, when you get tired of replacing those blasted "O" rings, try using some tiny 4" cable-ties. Put them on just tight enough to keep the rods in place.
I mention this because I once had "O" rings break during a couple gigs and rods dropped out of the pullers. Very bad situation because it takes a bit if time and effort to replace them. The cable-ties solve that problem.
Ebay has them in bags of 100 for about $4.
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Best regards,
Mike |
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Paddy Long
From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted 10 Sep 2018 3:30 pm
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Pete the original factory pickups in the MCI D10's were Barcus Berry humbuckers ...I presume they made a 12 string version as well, so the single coil is probably a replacement.
I did a complete refurb of my D10 last year. I never ever had a rubber ring break - and only four broke during the disassembly so they are in fact, pretty durable :-} I replaced all of them with new ones so expecting another 32 years out of them hehe...
_________________
14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases. |
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