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Topic: SP changer upgrade |
Storm Rosson
From:
Silver City, NM. USA
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Posted 14 Nov 2016 3:35 pm |
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 ....here's my latest noodling, could be the last time u have to mess with the 2 most obvious fail points (changer only)....what y'all think...Stormy  |
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Storm Rosson
From:
Silver City, NM. USA
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Posted 15 Nov 2016 5:14 pm
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Apparently the interest in Super Pro changer fingers has diminished over the last 2 weeks. This a pic showing where I bored out the axle hole to retrofit a 5/16 x 1/2 x 5/32" sealed full complement ball bearing. This eliminates axle hole wearing an egg shape. The micro bearing on the old friction tab as on the stock finger has been straightened and had 9mm ball bearings mounted with hardened steel shoulder screws, to cover and replace the old tab and they fit perfectly. These 2 things should at least double the life expectancy of a new stock assembly and probably longer if taken care of properly. Oh and the action is smooth as glass ,even onn a repaired finger...Stormy  |
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Wayne Ledbetter
From:
Arkansas, USA
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Posted 15 Nov 2016 6:13 pm Fingers
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That's interesting. The old one on the left and the repaired ones on the right. Be curious to know how much use it took to get the fingers to the repair stage?
_________________
Sho Bud Super Pro, Fender Twin Reissue, Martin HD-28, Gibson J-45, Gibson RB-250,Stelling Bellflower,Regal Dobro, Takamine and Alvarez Classical, Fender Telecaster, Peavey Studio Pro 112. Mainly played Gospel and some bluegrass. |
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Storm Rosson
From:
Silver City, NM. USA
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Posted 15 Nov 2016 6:52 pm
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| Unless the fulcrum top where the strings roll over are way crappy ,this makes any stage of wallered out axle holes and/or major gouge from that rubbing tab, a complete fix and your old rebuilt finger(s) work better than when new...I think it's the repair to endall Buds with the +3, -2 changer...Stormy ps. it's really quite cheap too as far as parts. |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 15 Nov 2016 7:18 pm
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That looks pretty cool, Storm
_________________
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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Storm Rosson
From:
Silver City, NM. USA
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Posted 15 Nov 2016 7:24 pm
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| Thank you Lane, I think I found a repair that is an upgrade in disguise. The bearings make the changer smooth as glass. And as mentioned the parts are quite cheap only real machine tool needed is a drill press. Time will tell...Stormy |
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Storm Rosson
From:
Silver City, NM. USA
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Posted 15 Nov 2016 7:39 pm
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 ...these are total refurb, built from two of the worst three left from the 7 used ones I sent Pat. These both have been filled with liquid steel epoxy and smoothed. A bit of time smoothing the scissor parts assembling the bearing upgrade and voila Better than new..(IMHO)...Stormy |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 15 Nov 2016 9:57 pm
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So you have bearings both at the axle and the pivot?
Brilliant.
_________________
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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Storm Rosson
From:
Silver City, NM. USA
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Posted 15 Nov 2016 10:18 pm
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At the axle and replacing the little bent piece that rubbed against the pot metal fulcrum. With a bearing and the slant in that proverbial groove of wear, it never crosses at a perpendicular angle so u never feel any roughness or bump...Stormy ...Lane, I am glad you appreciate the simplicity and resolve, wish I could say I thought it all out but no sometimes good shite happens as a "side effect" u know ps the bearing on the axle was our much missed friend James Morehead's idea ,as it was on his prototype "Super Finger" that he sent me a few pics of also he had enlarged the axle shaft to 3/8" also.great work James where ever u are buddy 
Last edited by Storm Rosson on 11 Jan 2017 10:47 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Ian Worley
From:
Sacramento, CA
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Posted 16 Nov 2016 1:10 pm
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Cool. Have you installed these in a guitar yet? I'm curious about the overall thickness. It looks like the screws on the upper pivots are pushing the limits on width for finger-to-finger spacing, which is ~0.34".
It appears you drilled that pivot hole bigger for the new screw, curious if you used some sort of shoulder bushing on the scissor side of the screw to maintain clearance between the scissor and the finger. The original rivets had that shoulder to preserve free movement between the finger and scissor. When you add up the thickness of the rivet head, the scissor and the 3/16" finger itself, there's not much space left before the next finger. That's why they recessed the 'squeezed' end of the original rivets in a flaired hole.
Coop solved this issue on his superfingers by using lateral set screws to clamp that upper pivot axle, thus avoiding the extra thickness of the protruding head on that side.
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Storm Rosson
From:
Silver City, NM. USA
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Posted 16 Nov 2016 2:25 pm
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| Yes ,the rivets you see the brass ones, are kinda like a shoulder screw with no shoulder. They are sometimes called chicago screws ,binding posts, these came from Ace and/or True Value hardware. They have some tapered thread or something that tightens the deeper into the thread it penetrates., when I have my guess of proper tightness, I put a drop of blue loctite in the end. And finally you are correct in the rivet thickness, you must file,grind (dremel tool) them down to a lower profile head to maintain working distance between each finger....Stormy (I have hung them all in a Sho Bud axle/changer housing to make sure they meet necessary parameters needed for proper spacing(s). |
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Storm Rosson
From:
Silver City, NM. USA
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Posted 16 Nov 2016 2:34 pm
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I forgot my personal favorite term for those rivet looking fasteners is..."sex screw" yes that is a real hardware term ....  look on Mcmaster Carr. |
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Rob Clot
From:
Petaluma, California USA
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Posted 18 Nov 2016 9:30 am
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Storm,
That looks like the final fix for those fingers. I did notice the tips of the metal fingers were also worn when i did my repair. I just cleaned them up, but now see that this really should solve the problem. Great idea! |
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Storm Rosson
From:
Silver City, NM. USA
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Posted 18 Nov 2016 11:13 am
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| Thanks Rob, did u get my note last nite about your fix and mine together? I think that could be awesome. And doable without any major machining.... Stormy. |
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Rob Clot
From:
Petaluma, California USA
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Posted 18 Nov 2016 12:12 pm
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Yes I did Storm. Thats when I looked up this forum. I am old friends with
Mc Carr,so I will look into the bearing project. That would be a very smooth combination, huh! |
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Storm Rosson
From:
Silver City, NM. USA
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Posted 18 Nov 2016 12:17 pm
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| Word to the thrifty ....get your bearings from Avid Racing Concepts...best prices and quick shipping, these guys are pros....Stormy |
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Rob Clot
From:
Petaluma, California USA
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Posted 18 Nov 2016 2:37 pm
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| Copy that! |
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James Collett
From:
San Dimas, CA
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Posted 18 Nov 2016 2:50 pm
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Does the lack of direct contact with the changer and the axle rod negatively impact the tone?
_________________
James Collett |
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Storm Rosson
From:
Silver City, NM. USA
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Posted 18 Nov 2016 3:47 pm
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| That is a more or less esoteric concept from player to player, it's still steel on steel with a considerable amount of pressure at the point(s) of contact so I would hazard a guess that it would be minimal if detectable at all...Stormy |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 18 Nov 2016 5:03 pm
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And because it's a half a finger, it'll never sound like a Perm or Marlen
_________________
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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Storm Rosson
From:
Silver City, NM. USA
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Posted 18 Nov 2016 6:22 pm
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Lane, is that good or bad?  I used to use a friends old Marlen D-10 to practice on after the gig, I thought it sounded really good. Took me 2 days to figure out how to tune the pulls but it was solid after that. |
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