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Author Topic:  Easiest/Toughest Guitar to Work On
Brett Lanier

 

From:
Madison, TN
Post  Posted 19 Oct 2018 1:37 pm    
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Jim Palenscar wrote:
Easiest has to be any Fender cable guitar (400, 800, 1000, or 2000).

Until you loosen an endplate screw too far. Maybe there's a quick trick for that, but when it happened to me 14 years ago the only solution i could think of was to take the whole guitar apart.
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Tony Prior


From:
Charlotte NC
Post  Posted 20 Oct 2018 1:17 am    
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For me, I've taken many all pulls apart, Emmons, Sho Buds, BMI, MSA, Carters etc, all different vintages, no issues. I'm talking about down to yanking the changer and cleaning each finger .

The only one I cursed at was the Carters for the very small parts and the cap head screws. Better to have a supply of new ones on hand. They are not hard, they just have small parts.

It's not that any of these instruments are hard, they are not, they can be cumbersome.

Regarding the Push Pulls, they also are not hard, they just require a different education . They are different. You may have to re-do three things to fix ONE thing. I don't work on push Pulls even though my primary guitar is an 81. I can but choose not to. Thats what Doug Palmer and Billy Knowles are for ! That being said these are very stable instruments , once setup properly they will stay that way for a very long time.
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years

CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website


Last edited by Tony Prior on 20 Oct 2018 1:00 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Ken Byng


From:
Southampton, England
Post  Posted 20 Oct 2018 2:32 am    
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Infinity and the the new MSA guitars are an absolute breeze to change the set up on. I don't own a guitar that is really difficult to work on.
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Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E,
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Jon Light


From:
Saugerties, NY
Post  Posted 20 Oct 2018 2:48 am    
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One really nice feature of some guitars (either by design or just incidental to engineering choices) is the ability to remove the nylon tuning nut but have the rod remain connected to the bellcrank and not fall off, fall out, or become disengaged and freewheeling (requiring that you grab it with pliers to complete the nut removal. I'm not talking about good or bad design. Just ease of working on.
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Tom Campbell

 

From:
Houston, Texas, USA
Post  Posted 20 Oct 2018 6:22 am    
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Carter...pull rod and "dog-bone" pin linkage to the bell crank, plus cap screw securing the bell crank to the shaft...that totally blocks the lower hole on the bell crank. Enough to drive one to drink..err more!
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Richard Sinkler


From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
Post  Posted 20 Oct 2018 8:30 am    
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Tom Campbell wrote:
Carter...pull rod and "dog-bone" pin linkage to the bell crank, plus cap screw securing the bell crank to the shaft...that totally blocks the lower hole on the bell crank. Enough to drive one to drink..err more!


You have to remove the bellcrank screw to use the bottom hole. Hopefully you don't strip that stupid torx screw.

Those screws and dogbone are Carter's BIG MISTAKES. IMHO
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, NV400, NV112 . Playing for 54 years and still counting.
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Dan Behringer

 

From:
Jerseyville, Illinois
Post  Posted 20 Oct 2018 9:11 am    
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The one thing that irks me are the steel guitars that bend the pull rods and hook them into the bell cranks. You do a lot of cranking to get the pedals and knee levers back in tune. The guitars that clamp the pull rods onto the bell cranks are so much easier to set up. You can screw the tuning nut on the rod exactly where you want it, then put it in the guitar and it’s almost in tune before you put the legs back on. Not to mention you know you have the nylon tuning nuts on plenty of threads so they can’t pull off.
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Johnie King


From:
Tennessee, USA
Post  Posted 20 Oct 2018 9:28 am    
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BMI gets my vote easy An tough as a mack truck!!!!
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Henry Matthews


From:
Texarkana, Ark USA
Post  Posted 21 Oct 2018 9:20 am    
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ZB is toughest to work on by far, especially in a double 10 configuration. I find push pulls fairley easy to work on unless they are loaded with over 5 Knees. The more stuff, the harder they become as of any guitar. The older Zums with comb bell cranks sometimes can be a little tough to move changes around because of access to screw that holds bell cranks is sideways. Never worked on a cable guitar and hope to never.
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Henry Matthews

D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
D-10 1974 Emmons cut tail, fat back,rosewood, 8&5
Nashville 112 amp, Fishman Loudbox Performer amp, Hilton pedal, Goodrich pedal,BJS bar, Kyser picks, Live steel Strings. No effects, doodads or stomp boxes.
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Henry Matthews


From:
Texarkana, Ark USA
Post  Posted 21 Oct 2018 9:33 am    
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Dan Behringer wrote:
The one thing that irks me are the steel guitars that bend the pull rods and hook them into the bell cranks. You do a lot of cranking to get the pedals and knee levers back in tune. The guitars that clamp the pull rods onto the bell cranks are so much easier to set up. You can screw the tuning nut on the rod exactly where you want it, then put it in the guitar and it’s almost in tune before you put the legs back on. Not to mention you know you have the nylon tuning nuts on plenty of threads so they can’t pull off.

I’m with you Dan, I do not care for the bent rod into bell crank but most builders are using it. I like a straight rod that can be adjusted at Bell crank withe the little linkage deals and Allen screw but I can see why the bent rod is used most. Less parts.
_________________
Henry Matthews

D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
D-10 1974 Emmons cut tail, fat back,rosewood, 8&5
Nashville 112 amp, Fishman Loudbox Performer amp, Hilton pedal, Goodrich pedal,BJS bar, Kyser picks, Live steel Strings. No effects, doodads or stomp boxes.
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