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Topic: My winter project. Seeking advice on a fixing this.... |
James Horan
From:
Oregon, USA
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Posted 25 Nov 2019 3:36 pm |
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Hello,
I picked up a double neck, 8 string pedal steel in pretty much horrible condition from Craigslist, of course.
I got this as a winter project. I'm a guitar and mandolin player but have been wanting to get a hold of a pedal steel for a while. I'm pretty mechanically inclined and I was convinced that I could get this to a serviceable condition before I take it to a luthier in town to have it fine tuned and sounding pretty.
I haven't started to clean it yet but every time I pick it up to start planning the process, I get a little overwhelmed. I am interested in your advice and guidance before I get too deep into this.
I have some images detailing some of the issues on imgur [url https://imgur.com/a/MtLTvvI /url]. I can always add more images with finer details if you would like to see.
The condition is poor and everything needs to be cleaned and properly lubricated (I've read about a 10 posts about how and what to use for lubrication on this forum as my starting point).
No manufacturer name anywhere on this. Could it be homemade? Also, it looks like a previous owner ground the tops of the changers. I can make out text "custom... ...uilt".
Bent pegs but appear to be functioning.
The rollers need cleaning.
Missing pickups (Would like advice on what type or make/model I should get a hold of)
Missing all the pedal rods. How do I know what kind/type to get? I've looked a psgparts but want to make sure I get the correct type.
Underneath is a mess.
Half the cables are missing. It doesn't seem like it is even cabled remotely correct as what wires I do have seem to be jumbled together. Seems like one would like clean cables strung and not interfere with others.
I can fabricate my own cables based on what I see here but I need to know the eventual connections to get the correct chord shift for the correct pedals.
Probably will have to replace many of these springs too.
Changers underneath seem stiff or sticky. Need some cleaning...
Yes, it's a mess.
Like I said, looking for some guidance here. Appreciate the assistance. |
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Len Amaral
From:
Rehoboth,MA 02769
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Posted 25 Nov 2019 4:47 pm
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Wow, that’s an ambitious restoration you have there. Definitely a cable system and I have no idea who the mfg. would be. I’m sure other forum members would have some insight into this guitar. I look forward to the completion of this project.
_________________
I survived the sixties! |
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Paul Wade
From:
mundelein,ill
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Ian Worley
From:
Sacramento, CA
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Posted 26 Nov 2019 1:17 pm
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That is a cool old artifact. I'm really curious about the odd pull-release changer, from the pic of the underside of the changer, it appears to have two-piece fingers. I'm wondering if it might function similarly to an Emmons Push-pull with a separate lowering finger that provides the stop for the open note tuned via the screw on the top side of the changer housing.
The most important thing as a starting point is just to study and understand how everything is meant to function - raises, lowers, tuning the open notes, etc. - from there you can map out what needs to be done to get it functional, what parts you'll need to acquire, rehab or replace. The changer appears to be an unusual design so you may have trouble finding any examples that are directly comparable. Perhaps you could disassemble one of the changers and post some pics of how the individual pieces go together. I for one am curious to see how it works.
If you're new to pedal steel it would be good to search the forum for general info on pull-release guitars. Take lots of detailed pictures of everything as you disassemble, label and segregate parts, be patient, and most importantly, have fun. There will always be someone here ready to help with more specific questions once you dig in.
You can probably recruit some local help if you get stuck. If you're in the Portland area, there seems to be a ton of steelers in your neighborhood, including Lynn Stafford, who is a master pedal steel mechanic. A traditional luthier who hasn't worked on pedal steels before is not likely to be of much help. For the purpose of getting an old basket case like this up and functioning you really need to approach it, at least initially, as a mechanical device rather than a musical instrument. |
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David Ball
From:
North Carolina High Country
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Posted 26 Nov 2019 3:04 pm
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| Ian Worley wrote: |
That is a cool old artifact. I'm really curious about the odd pull-release changer, from the pic of the underside of the changer, it appears to have two-piece fingers. I'm wondering if it might function similarly to an Emmons Push-pull with a separate lowering finger that provides the stop for the open note tuned via the screw on the top side of the changer housing.
The most important thing as a starting point is just to study and understand how everything is meant to function - raises, lowers, tuning the open notes, etc. - from there you can map out what needs to be done to get it functional, what parts you'll need to acquire, rehab or replace. The changer appears to be an unusual design so you may have trouble finding any examples that are directly comparable. Perhaps you could disassemble one of the changers and post some pics of how the individual pieces go together. I for one am curious to see how it works.
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I'm wondering if it isn't an all-pull similar to the Fender design. With cables and no obvious reversing mechanism, there isn't much other choice that I can see. Of course, with steels of that era, dang near anything is possible!
Really cool looking guitar. Seems to be very well designed and built. Good luck with it!
\Dave |
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Ian Worley
From:
Sacramento, CA
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Posted 26 Nov 2019 4:05 pm
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| David Ball wrote: |
| I'm wondering if it isn't an all-pull similar to the Fender design. With cables and no obvious reversing mechanism, there isn't much other choice that I can see... |
Good observation David! It's hard to decipher from the pics how the leverage might work for that, but since it has a roller bridge, the fingers are free to move any which way without affecting intonation. It doesn't look there is enough room for an elaborate scissor mechanism like the old Fenders had, but it could just as easily work as an all pull with only the two finger pieces on the same plane if the string was attached to the smaller forward finger and the upper end of the larger lowering finger was an eccentric cam or lever that just moved out of the way to release the finger as it was pulled from below. Hopefully James will share some pics of the individual changer components, I'm getting more curious now!
The disc grinder marks on the lettering on top of the changers looks sort of chop shop-ish, like perhaps this guitar was stolen at some point in its long history. I can't imagine why else someone might have done that |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 26 Nov 2019 4:19 pm
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| Those fretboards look like chopped-down Gibsons. What's the scale length? |
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