Anyone have a guitar with these bell cranks?

Andrew Goulet · Post by **Andrew Goulet** » 27 Jul 2021 5:26 am

No, but what a great idea! As long as they don't slip.

mtulbert · Post by **mtulbert** » 27 Jul 2021 5:38 am

The new Sierra guitars developed by Ross Shaffer (sp?) have a similar design. Really great concept.

Marty Broussard · Post by **Marty Broussard** » 27 Jul 2021 6:44 am

Andrew, that’s why I posed the question. Wondering about long-term stability.

Ian Worley · Post by **Ian Worley** » 27 Jul 2021 10:45 am

Here is a pic of the Linkon crank:

something similar I made for one of my PPs, I had two installed for a while for extra leverage on some long pulls, they're not on the guitar any more but but there were never any issues with them loosening or slipping:

Blanton:

one of Ross' early Sierra prototypes:

Marty Broussard · Post by **Marty Broussard** » 27 Jul 2021 1:34 pm

Ian, you have a PM.

Andrew Goulet · Post by **Andrew Goulet** » 27 Jul 2021 2:07 pm

That Sierra crank is cool! I've never had a need for that level of fine-tuning, but it's a great idea.

Ron Pruter · Post by **Ron Pruter** » 27 Jul 2021 5:24 pm

Keep in mind the Blanton B/C wasn't really designed to fine tune pulls but rather just tune the pedal. RP

Ian Worley · Post by **Ian Worley** » 28 Jul 2021 7:21 am

Ron Pruter wrote:Keep in mind the Blanton B/C wasn't really designed to fine tune pulls but rather just tune the pedal. RP

Not sure what you mean by this. Fine tuning the timing of the pulls is exactly what they do.

David Ball · Post by **David Ball** » 28 Jul 2021 8:43 am

On the Blanton, there is no other place to tune the changes--nothing at the end plate. The timing of the pulls is sort of a by-product.

Dave

Brooks Montgomery · Post by **Brooks Montgomery** » 28 Jul 2021 9:40 am

I hear that covid affects the memory: will someone please remind me of the origins of the use of the part name: "bell crank"

Ian Worley · Post by **Ian Worley** » 28 Jul 2021 9:55 am

David Ball wrote:On the Blanton, there is no other place to tune the changes--nothing at the end plate. The timing of the pulls is sort of a by-product.

Dave

Interesting! That seems like a really cumbersome (and unnecessarily limiting) way to tune a guitar, hopefully they are they fairly stable once tuned. I'd love to see one in person.

David Ball · Post by **David Ball** » 28 Jul 2021 10:16 am

Mine were completely stable after being set. Once you get used to reaching under the guitar to tune it, it's surprisingly easy and natural to do, and doesn't require a wrench!

Of course, I'm used to doing a bunch of tuning under the body on my Permanents...

The older Blantons were very well made instruments with a welded steel body. Heavy heavy heavy!

Dave

Tucker Jackson · Post by **Tucker Jackson** » 28 Jul 2021 10:19 am

Brooks Montgomery wrote:I hear that covid affects the memory: will someone please remind me of the origins of the use of the part name: "bell crank"

Wikipedia says: "A bellcrank is a type of crank that changes motion through an angle.

The name comes from its first use, changing the vertical pull on a rope to a horizontal pull on the striker of a bell, used for calling staff in large houses or commercial establishments."

.
Illustration from 1908 Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary. "Bell-crank, n. a rectangular lever in the form of a crank, used for changing the direction of bell-wires."

This word was first recorded in the period 1880–85, and it was popular from that point up to about 1950 when it fell out of common usage. But it seems to have hung on in the steel builder's world because it's still a very accurate term given how that part functions (transferring the force pulling in one direction to a different direction).

Some call that part on a pedal steel a "pull bar," and that's a nice clear description for folks today who no longer live in a world where there are actual bells rung by pulling down on a rope.
.

Ian Worley · Post by **Ian Worley** » 28 Jul 2021 10:54 am

Brooks Montgomery · Post by **Brooks Montgomery** » 28 Jul 2021 11:04 am

Thanks Tucker!

Tucker Jackson · Post by **Tucker Jackson** » 28 Jul 2021 11:07 am

Well, I'm glad you asked the question... it finally gave me a reason to go look it up since I've always wondered why they used such a crazy, confusing name for that part.

Ron Pruter · Post by **Ron Pruter** » 28 Jul 2021 7:24 pm

I always thought the name came from a lever sticking horizontally off of the top of a large bell waaaay up in a church tower. Think Quasimoto

David, Thanks for answering the question given to me in such a 1st person way. You owning one, left no trace of a doubt. RP

Jon Zimmerman · Post by **Jon Zimmerman** » 2 Aug 2021 10:07 am

A ‘mechanical advantage’ device; been around in large #’s ever since Industrial Revolution began. Today on throttle bodies, trans linkages...ad infinitum. I doubt if any Patent could be awarded to Linkon, unless it’s an applied design to a specified function.

Ron Funk · Post by **Ron Funk** » 2 Aug 2021 7:45 pm

Marty

Clem Schmitz sells 'instant on' bell cranks for Emmons PP's

Perdy neat little gizmos!

Search eBay for seller's name = Freedom Sauce and they should pop up

Also shown on eBay under Emmons guitar parts

Regards
Ron

Bobby D. Jones · Post by **Bobby D. Jones** » 5 Aug 2021 9:52 pm

What is unique with the Blanton bell crank, Is with the adjustable pull rod you could find the the sweet pull area on the bell crank for exact timing of pulls, Then fine tune with adjusting the bell crank screw.
I worked for Westinghouse making Sealed Beam head lights, They had similar adjustment bell cranks, But they had a locking bolt or screw so they would hold exact function until the tolerance needed to be changed.

Some of the machines dated to the 1940's.

Mark McCornack · Post by **Mark McCornack** » 21 Aug 2021 3:05 pm

Here's something I machined a while back for my old Sho~Bud. This was WAY MORE TROUBLE than it was worth, but another aproach

John Hyland · Post by **John Hyland** » 8 Sep 2021 9:31 pm

The main benefit of this type of bell crank is it to fine tunes so your strings start and finish their pulls at the same time.

Larry Allen · Post by **Larry Allen** » 10 Sep 2021 11:54 am

Hey Marty. I’ve got these left over after restoring steels for 30 years..don’t remember what they’re off of…Larry

The Steel Guitar Forum

Anyone have a guitar with these bell cranks?

Anyone have a guitar with these bell cranks?

Re-invented? Well..