Fessenden Question - cross-shafts

[Eric Jaeger]

I've just gotten a new Fessenden, and I'm busily enjoying it. Smooth, precise, great tone.

One question though:

When I pack it up and move it usually a couple of cross-shafts will jostle out of one of their pivot points. It's pretty easy to work it back into the socket, but I was wondering if anyone else had seen it and had a fix?

thanks,

-eric

[Jerry Erickson]

If you take the metal strip off of the back of the guitar you'll see some bushings that the cross shafts rotate in. If you can find some same size bushings at your hardware store, or maybe a nut(metal kind ) to fit between the bushing and the end of the hole you'll be good to go.

[Jim Cohen]

I don't doubt that Jerry's reply is accurate, but no one who buys a brand new guitar should have to go to the hardware store for anything. I suggest you either contact the dealer you bought it from, or contact Jerry Fessenden directly through his website at www.fessendensteelguitars.com He'll make it right for you.

[Bill Hatcher]

Contact Jerry. He will take care of you.

[Tommy Young]

ERIC i'm agree with these other guys u need to call Jerry he can tell u what to do and u won't have to go nowhere to get parts he will fix u right up he is a good guy and stands behind his product TOMMY

[Ron Bryson]

No need to add any hardware. If the bushings have worked out, remove the trim strip on the rear apron enough so that you can access the crossshaft bushings. Carefully tap the bushings inward to tighten them making sure to allow enough room for free movement. Lubricate the bushings, replace the trim strip, tune 'er up, and play.
No cause for any alarm, I'm on my third Fessy. I love 'em.
Ron Bryson

[Jim Palenscar]

What Ron said- sometimes in shipping these guys get thrown around so hard that their fillings drop out. While it shouldn't happen- it is a very easy fix that will probably last forever.

[Jon Light (deceased)]

Further elaboration: the cross shafts need a little lateral play so as not to bind. If you were to find them tight and not moving freely (one potential cause of pedal or lever changes not returning to pitch) then you would want to wedge the cross shaft against that rear apron, pushing the bushing deeper into the apron, buying some more lateral space for the shaft. Conversely, with the bushing set too deep in the wood of the apron, as you have found, the shaft can slip out. And therefore, as per Jim & Ron, you want to remove the chrome strip and tap it in until you have it set right. Right meaning that the cross shaft has, like, I dunno, 1/16" play? 1/8"? Thereabouts. As the wood breathes and reacts to seasonal humidity changes you need to keep an eye on this, as a general maintenance thing.

[Hiro Keitora]

sorry, I sent in twice :>

[Hiro Keitora]

Well. brand new guitar does that sometimes and it needs to be broken in. mine did quite opposit; the bushings came out "towards" cross-shafts and bound 4 pedals out of 8. And this was 3 weeks old guitar,indeed. But you really can't hold it against to the maker, he doesn't change/set the climate we are currently in.

In my case, I lightly tapped the bushings back with a long neck flat screwdriver and that was the end of it. It really isn't a big deal. But, I must add, I didn't forget to give Jerry a "Nag" for a fun of it. He didn't like when I did, but that was exactly my point( ha-ha!)No big deal at all. :>

[A. Roncetti]

That's what happened to my Fessy too.Jerry told me about the screwdriver idea and it worked. It plays like buttah now.

[Eric Jaeger]

Thanks y'all. I'll give the suggestions a try and let you know.

To be repetitive, this is another example of how great the forum is. But even more, how how good the people on it are.

-eric

[Bari Smith]

I've got a Fessy ordered....Is this an on going problem or once it's correctly set up it stays put?

[Jim Cohen]

Nah, it's not an ongoing problem at all. I've owned 3 Fessies and never once had the problem. Maybe if a guitar gets knocked around in shipment or something but in normal use you'll probably not encounter it.

[Bari Smith]

preciate it!!!!!!

[Eric Jaeger]

Thanks for the suggestion about the bushings. I removed the rear trip strip and 5 bushings were flush with the rear edge. I used a screwdriver to push them forward and I doubt the cross-shafts are going anywhere again.

Great help, all.

-eric

[A. Roncetti]

According to Jerry F. this has been a common problem due to winter dryness on many steels and not just Fessendens. For my steel gas heat shrunk the wood that had expandend in the humid summer.Speaking of shipping mine had quite the journey.From Vermont to Quebec,to Alberta then to me in Ontario.So that caused some stress on moving parts for sure.This is the reason I posted the "Steel Guitar Ghost" thread a few months ago.

[Jim Cohen]

Now I know that Jerry finally joined the forum a month or two ago. If this thread doesn't bring him out to post, what the heck are ya waitin' for, Jerry??! Maybe a thread on vintage ZB's?!

[Dean Parks]

My Fessenden was hauled all over Europe for 2 months, and then around LA ... never happened to me.

-dean-

[Louis Falardeau]

I had some older model MSA guitars and the nylon bushings working their way out was always a maintenance problem for me. Builders could probably use a bushing with a flange with the flange against the trim piece to solve the problem.