The Steel Guitar Forum

Dennis, is the Williams still for sale?

Very nice guitar!

How many guitars use the left-end change? I saw one that was supposedly built by Bobby Bowman that had a changer on both ends. I believe that one end raised and the other lowered. Anyone seen this?

Lee proclaims: An Internet troll is someone who posts offensive, controversial, or divisive material on an Internet community. It is not meant to be offensive or controversial, or divisive. It is what it is, the truth. A simple, elementary, physical law! Laws are laws for a reason.............. :o ...

Billy says: Mods and now bent cross shafts. What's next? Just look around at who's playing G2's. This bent cross shaft is not a design flaw. Matter of fact, it takes a great designer/builder to even think of such an idea and then put it to use. 5 years of testing and studying this concept of the G2...

Brint says: Tony, meaning no disrespect, it seems improbable to me that you don't know what Chris means. It's obvious to me that what he's saying, rephrased to match your formulation, is precisely that the physical forces of nature do indeed come into play on Mullen steels, and the bent-crossrod de...

Tony says: Not much difference that I can see. You're stating that laws of physics were not used in the design of, and are not even "in play" for the G2 mechanism at all. Yes Tony, I think you are starting to get the point. However , I am not saying that Mullen does not consider the laws ...

Earnest asks: I have no idea what that statement means, but I think you mean that Mullen is only "trying" to violate physical laws as currently understood, but have not actually done that. That's good news because it means we can still use last year's textbooks. Have you seen how much new...

J-D shows: There is only ONE way this can work: If you please go back to Bob's (b0b) post on page 5 where he outlined in RED a common axis, THEN the bearings or collars/bushings holding MUST be inserted into the rails at a 90Deg. angle to THAT (average inclined) RED line (IN Axis with that line)......

Earnest says:

I thought Chris didn't mean to say that before, because there was no response to my question about which laws of physics are being broken in this case.

Earnest, that means Mullen is trying to make their "bent" rods work, without regard to physics.

b0b, you still there?

Have you tried the "hanger" experiment?

Tony: Chris Lang wrote: That's all well and fine, but the laws of physics are still around, being applied today! (except in the case of the mysterious bent rods) Chris, It sure seems you are stating that the "laws of physics" don't apply to the "bent" cross-shafts in this respon...

b0b says: That's absolutely silly, Chris. A steel guitar can't violate the laws of physics. We don't need "scientific evidence" to prove that. Nobody is claiming magic. Now, if I may, I'd like to address the issue of "two distinct axis of rotation". There are not two axis of rot...

Erv says: We're getting waaaaay to fancy here. Something like this would be easier and less complicated. It would allow for some deviation in the axis of rotation.: You would still have the added "rise and fall" problem though, would you not? I like your second illustraion. It shows the c...

Richard said: This makes the use of a centre brace necessary but almost impossible unless the center of the joint can be ground so as to supply a smooth bearing surface and the brace, itself, mounted at the appropriate angle. That is true Richard. You might be able to machine a groove on each side ...

Oh Pete, I guess I forgot to answer your question.

I play in a small to medium church on Wednesdays, and Sundays.

As far as brand of guitar, I play a GFI SD-10 3x5. Keyless of course!

(I bet you saw that one coming!)

Richard shows: A miniature double-universal joint should make everyone happy, as the cost of one with a 5/16 bore is not too exorbitant, and a centre brace can then be incorporated Excellent Richard! This is the kind of brainstorming that I can appreciate! This would allow the use of, what I believ...

Tony: Sorry Chris........the basic laws of basic physics (mechanics) do apply to Mullen bent rods. They violate none of them. The off-center axis of each shaft just mean that there is a crank-shaft action, in addition to pure shaft rotation. The greater rise & fall of the bell crank is still tr...

Bent: You still ignore the fact that the bent rods work as intended, with good measure. Never said they didn't work. Only pointed out they are not as effecient as they should be, and a design flaw, as for as engineering and precision go. Sorry to see you go. Maybe will have a chance at another topi...

Bent: Chris,I told you I didn't mind the Bent jokes attached to my name. That was then, This is now: I have you figured out...when you are starting to feel backed against a wall you start upping the joke level with what you wrote. Not funny. Show respect. That is the first commandment of healthy de...

Danny says: I thought a design flaw was something that doesn't work right. If it works fine, then how can it be a design flaw? Also, how can anybody possibly think those shafts are ugly? If I was Del Mullen, I don't think I'd be too insulted. Anybody that can build a guitar with an undercarriage li...

Bent to the point of breaking: It is merely a visual flaw in the eye of the observer who doesn't like the bend. Uh...... No. It is in fact a design flaw by physical definition! Several have tried to explain to you in great detail. Even with a great computer animation! Still, you do not want to see ...

Bent again sure the axis is different... by a quarter inch. But that is ok and also sound engineering, because it is not like you say that the ends have to "squirm" as you scientifically put it. Instead it is like Mike said: That this is built to tolerances of .002 inches. That is a very ...

Ross says: for anyone who's interested I modeled this up in Solidworks. Mating the bent rod at each end to the two different bores concentrically will not allow the bent rod to rotate. The only way it can rotate is for some misalignment of the two rod ends within their respective bores to take plac...