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Author Topic:  Excel Question
Daniel Morris


From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 4:44 am    
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My buddy's got a ~1993 Excel U12.
He doesn't use it a lot, but it's a good guitar.
Neither of us is sure about something: what are the small (Allen wrench) screws at the changer end used for? Are they similar to the screws on a standard 6 string electric which adjust the string length? Rather curious, and don't want to mess with something that could be a pain to put right again.
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix.


Last edited by Daniel Morris on 24 Mar 2017 4:53 am; edited 1 time in total
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Greg Cutshaw


From:
Corry, PA, USA
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 4:49 am    
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Are they like the ones pictured below? If so they are for split tuning adjustment!

(click picture for larger view)



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Daniel Morris


From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 4:54 am    
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No, they are on the other side of the rollers, Greg. Similar to the style of "nuts" I have on my keyless Kline. Just below the ball end of the string (this is not his steel, this part is very similar). Small and black.



_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix.
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Greg Cutshaw


From:
Corry, PA, USA
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 5:54 am    
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Do they look like any part of this:





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Greg Cutshaw


From:
Corry, PA, USA
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 5:57 am    
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Also hear's a link to the Excel site showing the string changing process on their standard guitar:

http://www.fuzzypsg.com/int/product.html
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Daniel Morris


From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 6:59 am    
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Yes, those small black hex (Allen wrench) nuts, just below the ball end, in your second photo, Greg. (My buddy's steel is the standard key head, not keyless).
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix.
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Greg Cutshaw


From:
Corry, PA, USA
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 7:37 am    
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Normally the string is fed through and wrapped around the upper hex gold post which also can be rotated to take up excess string slack and make it easier to have the string wrapped a few times around the post. The black hex screw then locks the gold string post in place (prevents it from rotating).
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Daniel Morris


From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 8:07 am    
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His steel doesn't have those gold posts.
Thanks for your help, Greg, I may just try to contact Excel/Fuzzy, or have my buddy do that.
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix.
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Chris Reesor

 

From:
British Columbia, Canada
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 8:35 am    
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Daniel , I believe the cap screws you are talking about hold the scissors portion of the fingers (plated stamped steel) to the (aluminum alloy) upper parts with slots for the ball ends and the bearing surface for the strings.
My guitar is an early (circa 2000) Superb keyless U12 built for Carl Dixon; it may be the first Superb, though I can't confirm that. The basic pitch is tuned at the keyless head end.It has split screws in the position Greg's photo shows.Is your friend's '93 set up that way?
Fuzzy is still refining his amazing designs; no resting on laurels there.
_________________
Excel Superb U12, MIJ Squier tele, modified Deluxe Reverb RI, Cube 80XL, self built acoustics & mandolins
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Daniel Morris


From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 8:45 am    
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I don't think his '93 is a Superb, if that's the model (not keyless, at any rate). Since I don't have his steel here in front of me, you may be quite correct that those parts are some sort of screws, so I apologize if I was misleading.
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail

Greg Cutshaw


From:
Corry, PA, USA
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 9:45 am    
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A picture of the guitar in questions would be worth 992.567 words! Mitsuo at Excel always answers my emails within 3 days.
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fraser

 

From:
seattle wa
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 10:15 am    
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Isn't this what you are talking about, Daniel?
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Daniel Morris


From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 12:01 pm    
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Yes, indeed that's the ones, Fraser.
I put up the picture, but I'm afraid I'm not savvy enough to have put an arrow.

Greg, does Fraser's pointing help? That's the part I'm referencing.

(Thanks to both of you).
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail

Greg Cutshaw


From:
Corry, PA, USA
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 1:00 pm    
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On all the Excel's I've seen, the gold part is a post and the black allen screw below it is the post lock!
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Daniel Morris


From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 24 Mar 2017 1:11 pm    
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In the photo which Fraser (and I) posted, his arrow is pointing to the black screws. If the steel in the photo is like my buddy's, there are no gold posts - what appears to me to be gold are actually the brass ball ends of the strings, which in this case hook onto a small post.
Rather a pain to keep a string hooked on those posts, but that's all there is for attaching.

I hope I'm not coming across as testy, Greg - I appreciate your help. I'll see if perhaps I can get a photo of my buddy's guitar next week and post it, but as I describe here, the photo of the green steel seems to have exactly what my buddy's has.
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail

Daniel Morris


From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 27 Mar 2017 5:32 am    
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OK, got it. This is my buddy's Excel - those little black screws, just under the slots/posts where the ball ends are attached.




_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail

Jim Palenscar

 

From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
Post  Posted 27 Mar 2017 6:07 am    
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Generally those are for the split adjustments. Later models had them on the other side of the changer using a set screw rather than an cap screw.
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Daniel Morris


From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 27 Mar 2017 6:15 am    
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Thanks, Jim.
I'm afraid I'm a tad dumb on terms: by split adjustment, are you referring to split pedals (say, A pedal down with the 1/2 step lower knee lever in as well), or something else?
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail

Jim Palenscar

 

From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
Post  Posted 27 Mar 2017 6:53 am    
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Yes- a split is a note that is achieved when the same string is raised and lowered simultaneously- like you alluded to- and it enables one to tune to a usable note- in your example a C note.
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Daniel Morris


From:
Westlake, Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 27 Mar 2017 7:26 am    
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Thanks, Jim, that solved the mystery.

Thanks to all for the replies.
_________________
1979 MSA U12 Pedal Steel
1982 Kline U12 Pedal steel
2019 Sierra U12 Pedal Steel
2011 Bear Creek MK Weissenborn
Milkman 40W Mini amps w/Telonics 15" speaker.
Dr. Z Surgical Steel w/TT 15" speaker.
Frenzel MB-50 head.
Spaceman, Empress, Origin, Eventide, Pigtronix.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail


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