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Topic: Rebuilt Pro III |
Mike Preuss
From:
Mount Vernon, Washington, USA
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Posted 18 Mar 2023 7:16 pm |
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A parts build sourced mainly through you fine folks!
Bought the keyhead, neck, changer, bellcranks, pedal rods, pickup and legs through the forum . Endplates off eBay.
Aprons are joined 45 degrees with biscuits. Rit dye and shellac from flakes on the maple. I tried french polish but couldn't nail the technique and settled for brushing it on.
I'd never in my life played, or even seen in person a Sho Bud. Once I got this thing dialed in and started playing I began to hear what all the fuss is about. This guitar sounds... really good. Now I understand. Wow! I am digging this tone 😁
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 18 Mar 2023 8:28 pm
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| You Done Good! |
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Greg Forsyth
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 20 Mar 2023 12:06 pm
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| Fine looking rebuild Mike. Awesome finish and I like the 45'd edges. The best way to do it. I also think using dye and shellac for finish produces great results. |
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Les Ford
From:
British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 20 Mar 2023 12:18 pm
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| Real pretty. |
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Daryl R Smith
From:
Eastern Washington, USA
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Posted 20 Mar 2023 12:36 pm
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| Absolutely beautiful! I'm also building a very similar (LDG copy) guitar from sourced and machined parts with a figured maple cabinet. Not sure whether to color dye it or use a natural finish. I really like the 2 inside (aluminum? rails). Where did you source the fretboard? |
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Johnie King
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 20 Mar 2023 7:34 pm
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| Congratulations nice Job on your build. |
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Mike Preuss
From:
Mount Vernon, Washington, USA
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Posted 20 Mar 2023 8:28 pm Pro III rebuild
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Thanks everyone. It was a fun project, and it's not over yet. After playing more I think I'll add raise helper springs. These pedals are pretty stiff.
Daryl, the fretboard was attached to the neck, which came from Johnie King. I bought the changer, neck and keyhead from him this fall. He was kind enough to separate them from a more complete parts package to sell to me.
Johnie, in retrospect I shoulda just bought the pedals and other parts too. I have a habit of making things more difficult for myself haha. A life long student of learning the hard way I guess.
But I am really happy with this instrument. I haven't always been able to say that about my attempts to build things that need to stay in tune. |
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Ricky Davis
From:
Bertram, Texas USA
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Posted 21 Mar 2023 6:00 am
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WEll Mike; the raise springs won't help "stiffness" at all. It is all the mechanical movements, from when you push the pedal; down that line until finger moves. Make sure no tension in pedals on pedal rack. Those pull rods look flimsy and I can already see a bend in that 10 string pull rod and that adds flex "Tension". Check all crossbar movements without the pull rod on there to make sure they didn't get outta line or binding at either or both ends....they should be silky smooth before rods even hook on. I always use 1/8" dia stainless steel straight(never bend) rods. Who made those mechanics???
Ricky
_________________
Ricky Davis
Email Ricky: sshawaiian2362@gmail.com |
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Mike Preuss
From:
Mount Vernon, Washington, USA
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Posted 21 Mar 2023 10:29 am
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Ricky,
Thanks for the advice! The mechanics were all me. As far as pull rods: they all have a little slack in them. No tension until a lever or pedal is engaged. I had to offset the string 10 rod to get around the knee levers, and I slightly kicked one 90 going into a bell crank to make everything fit. The cross shafts all spun free and easy before I rodded the guitar. So did the pedal rod - pedal bell crank connection. What you are saying about offsets adding tension makes perfect sense. I suspect that pressing a pedal could add resistance where pedal rod meets its bell crank too. It's not the greatest design by any means. The knee levers work fine. What are the helper springs for then if not to help make it easier to raise pitch?
Mike |
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Mike Preuss
From:
Mount Vernon, Washington, USA
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Posted 21 Mar 2023 10:34 am
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| I've been playing a Mullen G2 for a couple years and am used to its pedal action. Maybe this is just the way these older guitars are? Getting A B C pedals as easy as my Mullen would be ideal, but the instrument is perfectly playable as is. Just different. I can't be as lazy with my feet haha. |
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Ricky Davis
From:
Bertram, Texas USA
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Posted 22 Mar 2023 7:08 am
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| Quote: |
| What are the helper springs for then if not to help make it easier to raise pitch? |
Well they "HELP" ha...yes Help the finger raise; but you can still have same tension in that raise; but the spring helps it move quicker; but a very small form of it. A Raise spring will hinder quicker movement in Lower if there is also lower on that finger. So yes Raise spring does help the raise but only use on a finger that just raises.; and no raise spring on finger that JUST lowers; that will help lower move quicker. ON just the fingers that raise...ok have raise spring; but also if adjustable; tighten lower return spring all the way tight and that helps raise move even better more efficient. STIFFNESS sounds like it is mainly taken care of with your info; so that would leave that Movement in the finger pivots and movement forward and backwards. So looks like horizontal moving lower and raise sections of the finger. They look ShoBud?? so they have a cut out in them that move in and out of that stop bracket behind them and yes I have seen them rub somewhat on those flanges; and that right there will hinder the more NON tension movement.
I understand about the bend in rod for 10th string with alinement around stuff...but it is part of the 1st pedal 5th and 10th string feel. Get a stainless steel 1/8" rod with threads for nylon tuner; same bend and you will immediately notice a great improvement.
To check the movability of the raise and lower sections moving in and out of that flange stop...just loosen string(1 at a time for checking) unhook rod and with your finger; push raise section and you can feel is there is any rub at all?? if so; then get flathead screw drive and wedge it in between finger slot and flange and kind of wedge a little more gap?? make since?? then check movement again. Ok there is some of my little picky fixes for system that does endure this prob very frequently...
Ricky
_________________
Ricky Davis
Email Ricky: sshawaiian2362@gmail.com |
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Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
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Posted 23 Mar 2023 7:40 am Sho~Bud v Mullen
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Nice work Mike,
Not sure which is nicer, the green color or the tiger striped maple, but you did a great job.
As for Sho~Bud v Mullen, I've owned lots of Bud's over the years and now have my 2nd Mullen. None of my Bud's ever had as easy an action as ether of my Mullen's but they were not hard to play. That includes my very first 70's Mullen that had rack & barrel pulling, but the parts were all nicely machined and it had very little slack in any part. On the other hand, most of my Bud's looked like they were assembled in a muffler shop, but still worked okay and sounded great.
Both of my Mullens sound fine with a good amp. So did the Sho~Bud's.
Anyway, very nice work you did. 
_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project. |
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Mike Preuss
From:
Mount Vernon, Washington, USA
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Posted 23 Mar 2023 10:41 am
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| Ricky, thanks for clarifying the function of the helper springs. I tightened the return springs and there was a noticeable lessening of pedal tension. I like the idea of using thicker rods when using offsets. I will keep that in mind going forward. As well as adjusting how the fingers fit into their stop. This is awesome knowledge. And thanks Andy too. I caught this building bug from you when I bought some of your parts a year ago. |
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Ricky Davis
From:
Bertram, Texas USA
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Posted 23 Mar 2023 2:57 pm
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| Quote: |
| Ricky, thanks for clarifying the function of the helper springs. I tightened the return springs and there was a noticeable lessening of pedal tension. I like the idea of using thicker rods when using offsets. I will keep that in mind going forward. As well as adjusting how the fingers fit into their stop. This is awesome knowledge |
Mike; that is just from restoring/refurbishing/setting up over 100 Sho~Bud's for the last at least 25 years. You find these things out after scratching the same hole in my head wondering what the heck is going on...ha...LOL.
Stay with it...you're on it bro.
Oh; so here's a little Tutorial I wrote about some secrets to "tuning the SPRINGS" so-to-speak
| Quote: |
Yes all those lower springs serve a purpose…..not just in the lowering.
They are there also to stabilize the lower section when you raise a string.
Take for instance.
If you raise your 1st string say a whole tone on E9th…..>if you tighten the lower spring almost all the way…..>you will find that that raise with happen much easier and sooner; as making that lower section more tight….>the raise section will move more freely.
AS for the strings that lower…..Yes you want the lower springs just tight enough so that the lower will come back to pitch….> and maybe a couple turns just tighter….so that it will not have to be adjusted again.
Also take for instance the 3rd and 6th string raise on the B pedal…..>you’ll notice that they don’t particularly move together; as it takes more travel and throw to pull the 3rd string up to pitch than the 6th string.
So to make them pull more even…..Loosen the lower spring on the 6th string half way….and tighten the lower spring on the 3rd string almost all the way and leave the raise spring on….>so with that what you are doing is stabilizing that 3rd string lower section very tight…so that the raise on the 3rd will happen more quickly and then it might move with the now lazier 6th string more so and taking the raise spring off the 6th string helps almost perfectly....but for sure if you use a .012p for the 3rd and .022w for the 6th; then they become dead perfect…..>make sense???
Also another trick……on those little Raise springs that are next to the body and attach to the raise portion of the finger and onto a bracket on the body of the guitar.
Those help strings raise…..so have them on the ones that raise…….and if you don’t have them on the ones that lower….>than of course the lower will happen more freely and moreso……>so here’s another trick I have with them.
Take the 4th string and 8th string lowers…>well you’ll notice that they don’t particularly move together also…..cause the 4th string needs more throw/distance than the 8th. So to get them to move together better…..I like to take off the raise spring of the 4th…..and leave it on the 8th…..>so now the 4th will lower quicker and the 8th will drag behind a little cause the raise spring is on 8th and not on the 4th and the 8th will drag behind because of the raise spring inhibiting the lower……so now they will move better together….
Ok there’s your little “Spring” lesson for the day…
Have fun.
Ricky
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Ricky Davis
Email Ricky: sshawaiian2362@gmail.com |
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Bobby D. Jones
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 26 Mar 2023 8:19 pm
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| Nice looking guitar. Neat under carriage. |
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