Triple-raise for old MSA

Al Evans · From: Austin, Texas, USA

Tom Bradshaw designed, and Michael Yahl makes and sells, a triple-raise/lower block to add another pull to an old 2 raise/2 lower MSA.

Unfortunately, he's out of stock, and hasn't had time to make any. I don't want to hassle him for one ten-dollar part, so I'm wondering...

Does anyone happen to have one of these in stock/lying around unused that they could sell me?

Thanks in advance!

--Al Evans
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2018 MSA Legend, 2018 ZumSteel Encore, 2015 Mullen G2, G&L S-500, G&L ASAT, G&L LB-100, Godin A4 Fretless, Kinscherff High Noon

Al Evans · From: Austin, Texas, USA

Surely somebody has one of these lurking in an old parts bin somewhere?

--Al Evans
_________________
2018 MSA Legend, 2018 ZumSteel Encore, 2015 Mullen G2, G&L S-500, G&L ASAT, G&L LB-100, Godin A4 Fretless, Kinscherff High Noon

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

Al - You should contact Tom Bradshaw and/or Jim Palenscar, out in California.
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Lee, from South Texas - Down On The Rio Grande

There are only two options as I see it.
Either I'm right, or there is a sinister conspiracy to conceal the fact that I'm right.

Williams Keyless S-10, BMI S-10, Evans FET-500LV, Fender Steel King, 2 Roland Cube 80XL's,
Sarno FreeLoader, Goodrich Passive Volume Pedals, Vintage ACE Pack-A-Seat

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

You can also switch to a Sho-Bud rod and barrel on that string.
I have one I can send you along with the two shorter spacer tubes, either email or call me at 816-206-0239.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Al Evans · From: Austin, Texas, USA

Al Evans · From: Austin, Texas, USA

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

The rod will pass through the pull-pins on all the raising bellcranks and get screwed into none of the pull-pins (the far end of each barrel screws into the rod).
To tune a pull, you activate the pedal or knee you want to tune, and spin the rod. The near side of the barrel grips the pull-pins and spinning the rod will make it go more or less. Activating a change pulls the other barrels clear of the pull-pins in the other bellcranks.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

Both work, but each is different to tune and slightly awkward to install if you DIY.

The Bradshaw gizmo requires you to remember that one change is on the "wrong scissor" (you can use either the opposite scissor of the same string or an adjacent string's scissor for the same direction)Â¹. This can take a few weeks to remember. It is also a bit tricky to install, requiring you to use flat dental floss as a 'puppet string' to get the second half aligned with the first. The Bradshaw gismo also requires a free hole on an adjacent scissorÂ².
These are the only 2 downsides to the Bradshaw gizmo that I can think of. The first is easy to get used to and won't be a problem after a few weeks, and the second one is only a problem once.

The Sho-Bud barrel requires (or at least works best) you to tune the changes in ascending order of how far the bellcrank moves (so that all other barrels are pulled free of the pull-pins of inactive changes.
The barrel system is also very finicky with regard to both bellcrank placement on the rods and all the pull-pins being on the same hole in the bellcrank: the rod must be dead straight and not be pulled left, right, up or down. This makes installation a bit of a pain, but if you put all the barrels on but don't tighten them, and make sure that it moves cleanly in and out, and that it spins freely, then your bellcranks and pull-pins are correct.
These are the only two downsides to the Sho-Bud rod and barrel system. The first is easy to get used to and won't be a problem after a few weeks, and the second one is only a problem once.

If you do your own work, either will test your patience. If you have people who do the wrenching for you, ask them which they would recommend (or charge the least to do).

Â¹by this I mean that, if you are adding a third raise to the E9th 5th string, the third pull will have to ride on either the lower scissor of the 5th string, or the raise scissor of the 4th or 6th string.

Â²if you have a fully loaded modern copedent, you may find that you have run out of holes. If you have a whole tone drop of 6 with a tunable split, then you can't donate the 6th string raise scissor; it has 2. If you have both a half step drop of 5 and a 'Franklin pedal', then you can't donate a 5th string lowering hole, they're both in use, and you can can't donate the 4th string raise hole, they're both in use.

I wish I'd taken a picture of the MSA I'd done that required multiple gizmos. Since he wanted a tunable split on 6 (the whole tone drop plus the B pedal), A a Franklin pedal, and a tunable split between the A# lever and the A pedal, much thought went into it.
That's three raises on 5, 2 lowers on 5 and 6, 2 raises on 4 and 6, so there weren't any free donor holes.
I ended up putting the 6th string split (actually the final lower correction, but those who follow this sort of thing know what I mean) on the 7th string raise scissor and the B pedal on one of the 6th string raise scissor. This freed up a 6th string raise hole to donate to the 5th string split tuning (I could have gone to the opposite side, and moved the F lever to the 3rd string, so I could donate a 4th string raise hole to the 5th string, but decided against it). So two changes had to be tuned on the "wrong string", which required color coding to make the learning curve tolerable.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Al Evans · From: Austin, Texas, USA

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

For an additional raise on the 4th string of the C6th neck, I'd turn it sideways and steal one from the G string which usually goes unraised.
_________________
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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