| Author |
Topic: Adjusting the pull rods |
David Brain
From:
Florida, USA
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 7:12 am |
|
Hi,
I have a newbie sort of question.
Should there be an unequal amount of play in the pull rods (due to the gap between the tuning nut and the changer), such that when you push on a pedal, it engages one lever sooner than the other? How much of a gap should there be between the tuning nut and the changer and should they all be the same?
Thanks.
David |
|
|
 |
Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 8:28 am
|
|
| Before I spend time putting together an answer I need to know what guitar and what model. |
|
|
|
David Brain
From:
Florida, USA
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 9:48 am adjusting the pull rods
|
|
| Jon Light wrote: |
| Before I spend time putting together an answer I need to know what guitar and what model. |
It's a GFI student model. I don't have any information other than that. 3 pedals, 2 knee levers. E9.
I bought it used and it was set up funny. I found a guy an hour away who could put the copedents back to match the instructional materials I was finding. As I was trying to learn, I found that one of the pedals was engaging differently so that it was hard to engage both A & B and get a consistent result. I tried removing the gap so that the lever is engaged the moment you press the pedal, and now I don't think I did the right thing.
Thanks!
David |
|
|
|
Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 9:58 am
|
|
| Ah. I'm glad I asked for that info. If I'm not mistaken, that is a pull-release mechanism. My knowledge is confined to all-pull. I can't help at all with that. But there are lots of folks here who can. |
|
|
|
David Brain
From:
Florida, USA
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 10:57 am Adjusting the pull rods
|
|
Thanks anyway. How would I tell if it is a pull-release model as opposed to all pull?
David |
|
|
|
Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 11:08 am
|
|
Look at the fingers with the holes at the end plate that the rods go thru. If there are two sets, split, over and under each other, one is the raise, the other is the lower of an all-pull guitar. In this picture, green arrow is the raises, red arrow is the lowers. If there is just one piece with holes with no split, it is a pull release.
 |
|
|
|
David Brain
From:
Florida, USA
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 11:23 am Adjusting the pull rods
|
|
Yes, I see what you mean. Here is what mine looks like.
 |
|
|
|
Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 11:27 am
|
|
| Good. Confirmation of a pull-release. As I said, I simply don't know this system and can't even begin to fine tune rod slack and synchronization. |
|
|
|
David Brain
From:
Florida, USA
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 11:42 am Adjusting the pull rods
|
|
| Thanks for your reply. I've learned something important already. |
|
|
|
Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 11:44 am
|
|
A friend has one of these. I recall that he Manual says "Don't adjust the Red tuners, they are set at the Factory".
They pre-load the Raise, so you can have a Lower.
In these pics it is strings 4 and 8.
Your options to optimize the timing of the string pulls are somewhat limited on these models. I can't remember what the cross shafts and bell-cranks look like. Can you post a pic? There may be some adjustment there.
I would contact the builder.
What pedal or lever is bugging you? |
|
|
|
Dave Campbell
From:
Nova Scotia, Canada
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 2:26 pm
|
|
| i don't know an awful lot about pull release, but it does stand to reason that there would be an unequal amount of slack to accommodate raises or lowers that work on two different strings. i could be wrong (so why did i answer?). |
|
|
|
Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 3:09 pm
|
|
On the other hand you could be right, and you are.
I know a lot about pull-release but before I launch a lecture, there must be a relevant one somewhere on this site already.
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs
Last edited by Ian Rae on 10 Feb 2020 3:37 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
David Brain
From:
Florida, USA
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 3:30 pm Adjusting the pull rods
|
|
Well, nuts. Now that I know what to search for, I found a previous discussion of the pull-release mechanism on a Marlen. Apparently I really screwed things up by trying to take some of the slack out of the pull rods. I should never try to fix things myself. The previous discussion talks about how there needs to be some "backlash", but doesn't really say how you would set it up.
If anybody can point me at a youTube video or something, I'll be eternally grateful.
Or somebody on the Gulf Coast of Florida that I can pay to set it up right?
Or should I toss this thing and buy a new PSG? Wait, my wife won't let me do that right now, so I guess I'm stuck trying to sort this out. |
|
|
|
Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 3:38 pm Re: Adjusting the pull rods
|
|
| David Brain wrote: |
Thanks anyway. How would I tell if it is a pull-release model as opposed to all pull?
David |
The easiest ways to tell are the row of springs on the bottom of the changer, and the fact that all the fingers are in a straight line. (You can see these characteristics without even removing the guitar from the case.):
Note in this picture of a pull/release, there are no springs, and the fingers aren't in a nice straight line:
As far as the differences in slack, that may or may not be a problem. If it isn't excessive, and the guitar plays okay, I'd try to just get used to it.
` |
|
|
|
Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
|
|
|
|
Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
|
|
|
|
Danny Letz
From:
Old Glory,Texas, USA 79540
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 6:51 pm
|
|
| Yes, what Ian said. Get the tuning instructions from GFI. If you messed with the factory set tuning nuts, you may want to call them & let them walk you thru getting them back in adjustment. |
|
|
|
Travis Wilson
From:
Johnson City, TX
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 6:59 pm
|
|
| Pete Burak wrote: |
A friend has one of these. I recall that he Manual says "Don't adjust the Red tuners, they are set at the Factory".
They pre-load the Raise, so you can have a Lower.
In these pics it is strings 4 and 8.
Your options to optimize the timing of the string pulls are somewhat limited on these models. I can't remember what the cross shafts and bell-cranks look like. Can you post a pic? There may be some adjustment there.
I would contact the builder.
What pedal or lever is bugging you? |
I have this guitar. The red tuners are for tuning your open E. Lower lever tune Eb at the head, tune E with Red tuner, raise and tune F with the white tuner. |
|
|
|
Travis Wilson
From:
Johnson City, TX
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 7:24 pm
|
|
I don’t have but a little bit of slack on my low G#.
I wouldn’t worry that you screwed it up, I’ve felt that way before too. Just think logically and you’ll figure it out. Take pics before you do anything and mark on the rods and where they were with a marker.
Before you go much further, I found you have to use the string gauges GFI recommends. It says in the manual the guitar won’t play right otherwise and it really won’t. In my experience you really need an 18 for your B and a 22 for your G# at the least.
Last edited by Travis Wilson on 10 Feb 2020 7:43 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
Travis Wilson
From:
Johnson City, TX
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 7:41 pm
|
|
Here’s my bell crank positions for the rods. Those are all factory except my high B and G# were lowered one hole.
I hope that helps. |
|
|
|
Travis Wilson
From:
Johnson City, TX
|
Posted 10 Feb 2020 7:54 pm
|
|
I don’t have but a little bit of slack on my low G#.
I wouldn’t worry that you screwed it up, I’ve felt that way before to. Just think logically and you’ll figure it out. Take pics before you do anything and mark on the rods and where they were with a marker.
Before you go much further, I found you have to use the string gauges GFI recommends. It says in the manual the guitar won’t play right otherwise and it really won’t. In my experience you really need an 18 for your B and a 22 for your G# at the least. |
|
|
|
