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Topic: I see a lot of steels that..... |
Larry Behm
From:
Mt Angel, Or 97362
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Posted 31 Oct 2019 9:00 pm |
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Do not live up to the pictures..
Do not live up to the description..
But it is the world we live in, you might not receive what you were expecting for the $$$ paid.
So it is up to us to know as much about adjustments and repairs and resources for parts as possible.
It is amazing the things I have seen over 47 years, most can be brought back to a working condition but it might take a lot of the above.
All I am saying is do your home work, ask lots of questions and do not be afraid to grab a wrench and get to work.
_________________
'70 D10 Black fatback Emmons PP, Hilton VP, BJS bars, Boss GE-7 for Dobro effect, Zoom MS50G, Planet Wave cables, Quilter 202 Toneblock, Telonics 15” speaker.
Phone: 971-219-8533 |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 1 Nov 2019 2:43 am
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Right on Larry.
Ask the RIGHT questions, don't assume something is what you expect because it was not discussed or someone didn't reveal it. If you don't ask a question there will be no answer.
Assumptions don't count and we can't complain about something if we didn't ask about it. It may very well have been very innocent.
Many times photo's get our emotions up. "I gotta have that ".
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Dale Rottacker
From:
Walla Walla Washington, USA
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Posted 1 Nov 2019 4:15 am
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Over about the same time period as you Larry, I’ve made many changes to my set up; but I’d never done a FULL re-rod until I got my Rittenberry... Wayne had it set up perfect when I got it, but it was totally backwards to any setup, I’d used in the past. Thank goodness for friends like Mickey who did a little hand holding, and encouragement, to help me understand a little of what I was looking at. There is a bit of Transposing when going from the top to the bottom.
I learned a BUNCH, by just jumping in, with fear and trepidation and re-rodded it not just once but twice, and may do it again. And once I do that, I may tear apart my 77 Pro lll for the first. By digging into the Rittenberry, some of the Mystery that the Veil hid has been lifted. So now instead of the fear I had when first re-rodding the Rittenberry, now I’m relishing the idea of doing the Sho~Bud.
_________________
Dale Rottacker, Steelinatune™
https://www.youtube.com/@steelinatune
*2021 MSA Legend, "Jolly Rancher" D10 10x9
*2021 Rittenberry, "The Concord" D10 9x9
*1977 Blue Sho-Bud Pro 3 Custom 8x6
https://msapedalsteels.com
http://rittenberrysteelguitars.com
https://www.telonics.com/index.php
https://www.p2pamps.com
https://www.quilterlabs.com |
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john widgren
From:
Wilton CT
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Posted 1 Nov 2019 5:24 am
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The guitars I sell (occasionally)come with complete and honest descriptions, outlines all of work done, and my shop guarantee. My set up and repair work is guaranteed. My policy: If its not what I say it is, its returnable. In many years of doing this I have made many friends, and only had one client who scammed me, and took advantage. His bad.
Buyers: If a seller is evasive, wont commit to condition in writing, or uses the phrase "I Believe" too much, or says "well Ive never noticed any problems....run! Condition, is not a belief system, its based on quantifiable fact..Get a condition representation, and a return option.
Best,
John Widgren
_________________
Steel Guitar Services:
Live performance and recording. Instruments, repairs and lessons. Fresh bait/discount sushi.
(203) 858-8498
widcj@hotmail.com
Last edited by john widgren on 1 Nov 2019 5:35 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Brian Hollands
From:
Geneva, FL USA
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Posted 1 Nov 2019 5:27 am
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So what are some of the right questions to ask? IMO a few would be:
1) Has the seller played/gigged the guitar? How recently? (does the seller play and/or know anything about playing)
2) Do ALL of the pedal and lever movements bring notes to the correct pitch and then return them to the correct pitch? (has that been verified with a tuner).
3) Does the guitar hold its tuning through a whole gig or do you have to adjust tuning during a gig?
4) Does the guitar have any non-stock parts on it?
5) if you use/want feel stops or splits and it has them, ask how those work.
A knowledgeable seller should be able to answer all of those questions. A guitar bought from a non-knowledgeable seller is a crap shoot (unless it's more or less brand new) and should be priced accordingly.
Of 4 guitars I've bought that were not known restoration projects, only one was good right out of the case. That was the newest which was about ten years old. The others all had at least some level of disassemble/clean/adjust needed. Sometimes the problems don't have obvious causes so being mechanically inclined is very helpful with older guitars.
My Derby's C pedal wouldn't properly adjust. I played it before buying it so I knew that but the problem had me stumped for a good half hour until I discovered the little aluminum spacers between the changer fingers and the nylon tuning nuts had welded themselves onto the pull rods. Disassemble, clean, de-burr, re-adjust. But you do really need to understand trouble-shooting a mechanical device.
_________________
'81 Sho-bud LDG, 2 EMCI's |
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David Nugent
From:
Gum Spring, Va.
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Posted 1 Nov 2019 5:41 am
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| Prior to buying (or selling) any item on the Forum, my first move is to check the listing member's profile to determine length of membership, history of past transactions, etc. While this method may not be 100% fool proof, has helped in determining how I proceed with a sale or purchase. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 1 Nov 2019 7:01 am
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| If I were to put my Franklin up for sale, there would be a statement that (1) I expect prospective buyer to physically inspect it and (2) it would have to be picked up no shipping. This would probably exclude some potential buyers. Considering the prices that Franklin's sell for I wouldn't feel right with just posting about it, even though I would be thorough and truthful. |
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Larry Behm
From:
Mt Angel, Or 97362
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Posted 1 Nov 2019 9:29 am
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It seems like PP's are guitars that end up with all kinds of parts either from the hardware store or some other guitar brand or hand crafted from something else to get them to do what one wants them to do.
A bushing here, a pin there, a stop of some sort over there etc. I remember using 1/8 water pipe and fitting to cobble knee levers for a single 10 ZB in 1972. It worked for years, I was really new at this.
Having said that goes back to my original post above, you never really know what you are going to get after many others have "come up with a solution" to a problem.
Thus we also need to think outside the box. Today we have lots of avenues and contacts that can help, in the days of yester year we were kind of on the "what is on hand" out here in the shed that I can use to get me by.
_________________
'70 D10 Black fatback Emmons PP, Hilton VP, BJS bars, Boss GE-7 for Dobro effect, Zoom MS50G, Planet Wave cables, Quilter 202 Toneblock, Telonics 15” speaker.
Phone: 971-219-8533 |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 1 Nov 2019 9:56 am
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Photoshop can fool a lot of buyers. 
Erv |
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John McClung
From:
Olympia WA, USA
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Posted 1 Nov 2019 11:23 am
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Renowned tech guru Lynn Stafford in Portland laments that there just aren't enough younger guys learning the trade. When he and others of his generation are gone, getting knowledgable work done on your steel is going to be hard to come by.
I would encourage anyone in their 20s, 30s, 40s who is mechanically inclined to apprentice yourself to an expert, and carry on that knowledge base!
_________________
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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Tyler Hall
From:
Mt. Juliet, TN
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Posted 5 Nov 2019 1:42 am
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Pictures of guitars for sale shouldn’t be altered. I’ve got a bolt-on that I wish looked half as good as the seller’s pictures made it look. I looked at the guitar in person and was disappointed with how much different it looked than all those beautiful pictures but I bought it for the tone, not the appearance. If I’d paid for it first and it wasn’t an unusually good sounding one, I’d have been pretty ticked. Since then, I only buy guitars I can see in person first.
_________________
www.joshturner.com
www.ghsstrings.com |
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