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Post new topic Fessenden knee lever very "squeaky"
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Author Topic:  Fessenden knee lever very "squeaky"
Daniel McCombe

 

From:
Pennsylvania, USA
Post  Posted 6 Nov 2014 9:30 am    
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Hello fellow steelers and brilliant neurotics. I have a fessy sd10 and my LKR is really stiff and squeaky i dont think its a lube issue. I had it set up by billy cooper last summer it was perfect then but its outta wack now. Any suggestions or insights on how to get rid of the duck quacking sound coming from this guitar. It could relax a bit too.
Thanks in advance
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Fessy sd-10 lil' izzy Mesa nomad 55 fender mustang 2x12
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Lane Gray


From:
Topeka, KS
Post  Posted 6 Nov 2014 1:15 pm    
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I recall hearing that, at fall and spring, Fessy will sometimes bind in the bushings. Try backing off the nylon nuts and moving the lever to see if it rotates in its bushings. If that's the problem, ask Jerry; I think he has a solution.
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects
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Jim Park

 

From:
Carson City, Nv
Post  Posted 7 Nov 2014 2:49 pm     Re Squeaky KL
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If its squeaking, it needs lube somewhere. Loosen the nylon tuning nut till it barely moves the string and start with the crosshaft and work backwards to the lever. This should tell you where the problem lies. sometimes the wood in the cabinet shrinks and the aluminum retainer strip causes the shaft to bind. An easy fix is to put a washer on each retainer screw between the strip and the body, thus giving the crosshaft some axial clearance. I had to do that to my Fessy. I had a squeak in my Fessy also, it needed a drop of oil on the contact point between the pull rod and bellcrank, I wouldn't have thought that part would squeak, but it did, drove me crazy!!
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John Booth


From:
Columbus Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 25 Nov 2014 9:11 am    
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I don't know if this is your prob but this is part of an email I got from Jerry

"BUT , the best thing to watch for is keeping some humidity in your home. The wood will dry in winter and expand in summer , like sticking doors & other wood products , etc then mak sure the cross-shafts are able to turn freely ...in some cases , pry then back away from the front apron a little if they don't turn freely . JF "
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Jb in Ohio
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GFI S10 Ultra, Telecaster, a Hound Dog, and an Annoyed Wife
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Jim Park

 

From:
Carson City, Nv
Post  Posted 25 Nov 2014 9:23 am    
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Thanks I got the same info...... But in Nevada we have humidities down to 5% sometimes so i needed a different approach
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Jim Park

 

From:
Carson City, Nv
Post  Posted 25 Nov 2014 9:24 am    
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Thanks I got the same info...... But in Nevada we have humidities down to 5% sometimes so i needed a different approach
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Jerry Fessenden

 

From:
Vermont, USA
Post  Posted 25 Nov 2014 10:17 am     knee lever
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You don't need a different approach ....you need some humidity ...that means that you need more water in the air ...about 30% ... Even Martin guitars ,Gibson and most other companies have some way to add water into the air. If you go into Guitar Center , they will have a mist going . JF
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Tom Gorr

 

From:
Three Hills, Alberta
Post  Posted 25 Nov 2014 10:55 am    
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Lots of practical reasons outside of guitar wood to maintain a 30 percent humidity in the home...keeps the piano in tune, too. Depending on water quality, it can be a nuisance managing it.

What is the average humidity in Vermont? It's coastal, so probably well above the national average? It would be interesting to test cabinet moisture in different regions.
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Jim Park

 

From:
Carson City, Nv
Post  Posted 25 Nov 2014 3:51 pm    
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I don't like humidity....... I was born and raised in an arid desert. So it is easier to shorten the cross shafts by ten thou and be done with it than to endure humidity. I also have occasion to leave a guitar in a place where I cannot control the humidity such as someone else's house where we rehearse, That's my approach for my situation.........
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Tom Gorr

 

From:
Three Hills, Alberta
Post  Posted 25 Nov 2014 3:55 pm    
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Whenever we humidify with tap water, we get a white dust everywhere in the house. To humidify with distilled water would cost a thousand dollars a year.

Ten thousandths of an inch has a pretty fast payback for sure.


Last edited by Tom Gorr on 25 Nov 2014 4:24 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Jim Park

 

From:
Carson City, Nv
Post  Posted 25 Nov 2014 4:04 pm    
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I forgot to add that when I worked at a sawmill we would not finish process wood that had more than 7% moisture content
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Jerry Fessenden

 

From:
Vermont, USA
Post  Posted 27 Nov 2014 9:02 am     knee lever
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The wood in a saw mill is different than this situation.
ALL instruments need some humidity ! Martin & Gibson , even Taylor include advice about this .

If Martin doesn't want the top of their guitars to split , then I guess it is an important issue .

Has anyone been inside Guitar Center at this time of the yr and NOT seen them misting the air?

One yr Bob Taylor came to the univ of Vt , and that was his topic .

Steel guitars tend to shrink across the body (mostly) when the weather is dry , they tend to expand in the summer .

If you shorten the shaft as I had to do with a P/P that I still own , you may solve the problem but maybe not .
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Jim Park

 

From:
Carson City, Nv
Post  Posted 27 Nov 2014 10:02 am    
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It did.....
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