Kudos to Mickey Adams ... My Mullen Is Reborn!

[Dick Wood]

I stopped by Mickey's last night as I was playing a club just up the road and he happened to be giving a lesson so he told me to take a look at a D10 Mullen he had just finished while he worked with the student.

I have to say it looked as good as new.

The Guitar was totally disassembled,cleaned,metal buffed to a mirror finish,lubed and reassembled.

It was sharp as well as adjusted just right.

If you want an old guitar to look and play like new again,you might want to give Mickey a call.

[Alan Brookes]

Mickey: what did you use to clean the changers? They've come up better than new.

[Mickey Adams]

First the changer was stripped with gun scrubber spray to loosen the contaminates, in this case it was the combination of Slick 50, and heavy nicotine/tar deposits from years of TX Honky Tonk exposure!
Next it goes into a sonic cleaner with mild solvents
at 190 degrees for 5 minutes. I then remove the changer
and use a light machine oil spray on the fingers while the changer is still hot, and exercise then thoroughly . A second sonic bath follows, and any remaining deposits are removed by hand. Next I polish the fingers lightly and lube the whole changer with Exxon 2380 turbine engine oil. This jet engine oil is a synthetic white oil that is void of all detergents and never gums up. So far Ive had very good results with it.

[Mitch Ellis]

Jim,
That sure is a good lookin' steel! If it was mine, I'd be happy too! I played a Mullen once, and it was as smooth as silk. They're great steels.
Mickey...let me guess. Your a perfectionist, right? That is really great work! If you don't mind me asking, why was it necessary to remove the necks just to clean them? Was it because you wanted to use a buffing wheel to clean them? Again, great work!
Mitch

p.s. The little girl asleep in front of the amp brought a big smile to my face!

[Jim Lindsey (Louisiana)]

Hi, Mitch ...
Thanks for the compliments on my guitar. I really love it and Mickey did a fantastic job on it.

The necks had to come off in order to get the changers out, so while Mickey worked on the changers, I polished the necks.

Yeah, my friend's little girl, Catarina, was just about all in. She was cute laying in front of the amp and she slept through all our steel guitar tuning and playing. By the way, you know that caption that refers to my guitar looking like her mommy's ironing board? She actually said that when she walked in the room (so, I couldn't resist quoting her).

[Mickey Adams]

Yes Jim is correct. The changer is mounted to the body underneath the neck assembly. While there we also replaced the foam supports for the pickups which of course were pretty brittle after 25+yrs.

[Jim Lindsey (Louisiana)]

I couldn't resist this, guys ... although I only have the one Mullen guitar now, I've owned four of them and loved them every one. Here's a quick photo of the four of them ...

[Alan Brookes]

Thanks, Mickey, for the advice on cleaning the changers. I shall be cleaning the mechanism of an old Fender D10 shortly and I'll use your suggestions.

[Mitch Ellis]

Jim,
Those are great lookin' steels! Color-wise, the one that you have now is my personal favorite. I've heard that screw tension play's a role in the tone of a steel. Were either of you worried about changing the tone of the steel by taking it apart and putting it back together? If so, how was this problem avoided? Thank you,
Mitch

[Jim Lindsey (Louisiana)]

Thanks, Mitch ... that same guitar is also my favorite of the four for several reasons (the color of it being among them).

To tell you the truth, Mitch, I was a bit concerned at the thought of tearing the guitar down completely. My fears were that undoing the screw tensions would change the tone and that by tearing it down and reassembling it, it might lose that "Gary Hogue" feel which, more than any tonal concerns, was my greatest fear ...

But, Mickey definitely knows what he's doing. When we got it all back together and did the tune-out, not only was the tone exactly the same as before, but amazingly it still had that same "Gary Hogue" feel (meaning the feel of the pedals and knee levers that Gary had put his personal touch to before his guitar came into my keeping).

Somehow, Gary just had this magic touch and on every guitar he got, he put his personal touch to them and they all just seemed to turn to pure gold ... feeling and playing like no other guitars.

I've been privileged to own three of Gary's guitars, my current Mullen, the brown Mullen you saw in that group of four and his first Emmons guitar, a 1976 P/P that sounded and played like no other Emmons I've ever heard or played.

Getting back to the guitar in question, the only real change in the feel of the guitar is in the E to F knee lever. Gary always liked a long travel in his knee levers and I do to with one exception: the E to F lever. A long travel in that particular lever is my Achilles heel in playing E9th, so we shortened the travel on that one (a change I'd been planning to make for a long time) and the guitar plays beautifully.

[Jim Lindsey (Louisiana)]

I forgot to mention, Mitch, that Mickey (who did the bulk of all the work) could best answer how the tonal change was avoided and how the feel of the guitar was retained.

All I did in assisting him, really, was do some polishing and cleaning on parts that came off. I'm sure Mickey would have done it all, but he was so energetic and enthusiastic, that it was infectious and I had to do something.

I know that part of retaining that "feel" was the fact that when we took the pull rods out, we left the pull levers (or, bell cranks as they're often called) in place on the rods and we didn't modify the pedal and knee lever stops in general. Thus, when the guitar went back together, everything was in its original place and the travel for knee levers and pedals remained the same.

The changer being so clean now and not gunked up has really made a difference for sure! You can almost breathe on a pedal to make it go down. I remember when Gary had me play this guitar when he first got it and it plays now as it did when it was new.

[Mickey Adams]

Mitch as far as the potential for tonal change, I dont think there are TOO many things you can do to alter these older Mullen Guitars in a negative manner. If anything, after 25 years I would think that making sure the changer was secure, (and they were both loose)as well as the endplates, the roller nut, and headstock, would yield a positive result. The only real potentially discussed variable would be the torque on the neck screws. While removing the necks, i noted that they weren't extremely tight, and replacing them i estimated the torque..Nothing extreme. Almost all of the tuners were loose, and the headstock as well...The good thing is...In the end...the guitar SOUNDS great, and plays like new again. And Jim..knows how to play...Hes a fine PSG-er!

[Jim Lindsey (Louisiana)]

Mickey, I know you'll find this interesting regarding our discussions on when my steel (Gary's first Mullen) was made ... I just got off the phone with Mike at Mullen and he was very helpful. I got Hogue's original C6th copedent and when the guitar was made.

I didn't get the exact date of the month it was shipped out, but the guitar, Serial Number 2033, was made and shipped to Charlie Norris' Family Music for Gary in August 1986. We were all wrong on the year of the guitar's birth!

Before he passed away, Gary had told me that he thought it was a 1983 model. After speaking in another post with Herby Wallace (and then a follow up phone call with Junior Knight), we then thought it was probably a 1984 model. You and I talked on the phone just this morning and then we thought maybe it was a 1985 model. Turns out, it's a 1986 model!

That means the videos I recorded of Hogue & Knight playing at Charlie Norris' Family Music (the ones up on YouTube) were actually in late 1986 and not late 1984 as I had presumed ... well, I am in my 50's now and they say the first thing to go is your memory!

[Bent Romnes]

This is the first time I noticed this thread and must say I'm impressed! Jim, you had, and still have, an excellent guitar. Also, you have a great mechanic to work on it. Kudos to Mickey for the nice job and kudos to you for the picture presentation...that was literally another "How It's Made" show, but here I could sit and study each picture in leisure.

I find it amazing and amusing how much gunk and crap these changers can accumulate before they refuse to work.
The tip about the jet engine oil is noted. Now I just have to figure out where to buy it.

Great work guys!

[Mickey Adams]

Great idea!...heres where you find it...Go to any airport facility thats serves private aircraft..these are called FBOs..(Fixed Base Operator)...Ask for a quart of Exxon 2380 turbine oil. Expect to pay about 17.00 for a quart. This oil is very "light"...It soaks into the changers very effectively. A quart should be all the oil you ever need for a lifetime, and dozens of guitars....Mick

[Drew Howard]

Mickey/Jim,

Tell us what all the switches do on the guitar!

thanks,
Drew

[Mickey Adams]

There are 5 switches on these Mullen steels. I 3 position switch of course switches between the necks. The next switches the pickups individually, or together (3 position) The third and fourth are to tap the coils to single coil..The 5th switch throws the whole pickup arrangement in and out of phase...

[Jim Lindsey (Louisiana)]

Wow, Mickey ... that's pretty interesting. The five switches on my guitar are set up a little different than what you're describing. Here's a quick photo of my guitar (when I first dug it out to start playing again before we went through it and cleaned it) ... this photo shows the functions of the 5 switches on my guitar, which differs slightly from the function you described on your charcoal mist D-12 ...



This makes me wonder ... is your guitar an example of the switches on a standard dual pickup guitar and is mine different because it might have been something that Gary special ordered?

[Mickey Adams]

I had to go back and revisit this thread today Jimmy...I had another gentleman whos worried about me tearing down his favorite Lacquer Mullen...What a fine piece of history that is you have...See you soon chief!...Capt Mick!

[Jim Lindsey (Louisiana)]

Glad you did revisit it ... I looked through it myself. Man, what a great day we had that day. And the old girl still plays and sounds so great, too!

If anyone ever worries about having their lacquer guitar torn down for a rebuild and clean up, just point 'em my way and I'll give them the reassurance they need to lose their fears. I've no regrets that we did it to mine and it sure turned out great.

[Jim Lindsey (Louisiana)]

Bumping this post back into life is for the gentleman who emailed me and asked about this thread and the job that Mickey did on my guitar ... the guy that emailed me is not a member of the Forum, but likes to read the posts as a guest. He has a Mullen that needs some work and he remembered seeing this post a long time ago, but couldn't find it today (thus, the email asking me about it).

I'd actually kind of forgotten what a fun day that was. All I can say is if you're thinking of having some work done on your Mullen, Mickey's the man!

[Johnny Thomasson]

I missed this thread on the first go, I'm glad you bumped it to the top Jim. Wow! I'm sure you're excited; what beautiful work! Mickey, that's incredible! Thanks for all you do for the steel guitar community.

That's exactly what my poor old '73 Pro-II needs. It sounds terrific, but playing it is sort of like driving a Mack truck on a dirt road. One of these days...

[Jim Lindsey (Louisiana)]

Thanks, Johnny ... it's been roughly a year now since we worked on my Mullen and I'm still excited about it. The guitar plays like an absolute dream.

The gentleman who emailed me about this thread sent me an email and read through it again and I believe he's probably going to contact Mickey for some help on his guitar.

[Jeshua Lehman]

Mr. Lindsey thanks for taking the time to make this post. The comments have spurred a few questions. How do you go about figuring out what your switches do? I know my first one from the left (right in the picture) selects front and or back pickups, I believe on both necks, and my fifth one selects between c6th and e9th. Even after reading your post, I am not for sure how to know what they do. I have played around with them to hear the difference, but I tend to take it to the position that Mr. Adams suggested which is switch 1 and 2 in the right position switch 3 and 4 in left position and switch 5 in middle so both necks are on. Furthermore, is there a reason I shouldn't leave switch 5 in the neutral position, but should only have one neck on at a time?

Thanks for your time.
Lehman

[Jim Lindsey (Louisiana)]

Hi, Jeshua ...
I wish I knew a correct answer to the questions you have on your Mullen with five switches. While I know that Del made some guitars with dual pickups and up to five switches between the necks, the switches on my guitar are, I believe, a bit different from the others that Del made.

My guitar was originally owned by Gary Hogue and he'd ordered it brand new ... Gary's dual pickup rig wasn't a "standard" setup and Del, from what I understand, did a "custom" job on the wiring of Gary's switches to accommodate Gary's personal requests on how he wanted his pickups to operate. That sort of made Gary's guitar the "odd man out" when it comes to the dual pickup Mullen guitars with five switches.

This isn't to say that Gary's old guitar is the only dual pickup Mullen with the switches set up like this, but I'm not aware of this same custom switch job on any others, either. So far, each Mullen that I've seen with dual pickups and five switches all operate differently than the switches on my guitar and I've never really had an opportunity to play around with the switches on the other "five-switch Mullen" guitars to discover how they're hooked up and operate.

I think Mickey's suggestion on the first four switches is the way to go. Now, regarding your question on the 5th switch ...

If your 5th switch is the bank switch between the necks, there's no reason why you couldn't leave it as it is if that's your desire. It's just a matter of personal preference. Some players like to bank all the way to E9th when on E9th, and then bank all the way to C6th when on C6th, while other players like to keep both necks on simultaneously so that they can quickly go from one neck to the other without having to flip the bank switch. I'm one of those who likes to bank all the way from one neck to the other and not keep them on simultaneously.

To answer your question, "Furthermore, is there a reason I shouldn't leave switch 5 in the neutral position, but should only have one neck on at a time?", there are some things to perhaps consider when deciding whether or not to leave both necks turned on all the time ...

First, I've had the experience of hearing a strange "noise" while having both necks on and then discovered it was my sleeve dragging across the neck of my C6th as I moved my arm playing E9th. Didn't happen a lot, but it did happen. I've also had the experience of hearing pedal noise on some guitars while having both necks on at once. And, back on my old MSA guitars with Supersustain and Supersustain II pickups, I've had the experience of having feedback occur while playing with both necks on simultaneously (feedback that immediately disappeared as soon as I banked all the way to the neck I was playing).

Second, I've noticed that on virtually every guitar I've ever had regardless of brand or pickups, I seem to have "stronger signal" on E9th or C6th by itself than when both necks are turned on. To test whether this happens with your guitar, put your volume pedal at a certain level and take your foot off of it. Strike a string on your E9th or C6th neck with both necks turned on. Now, throw your bank switch to either E9th or C6th (whichever one you'd plucked the string on) and strike the same string (without having moved the volume pedal) ... if it is louder or has more presence than when both necks are on, you might want to consider this as a factor in deciding whether or not to keep both necks on or bank from one to the other as needed.

Another element to consider is this ... play one neck or the other with only that neck turned on. Then turn both necks on and play that same neck again ... if you hear any pedal noise coming through your amps or other mechanical noise being amplified while both necks are on, this could definitely be another factor in considering whether or not to bank back and forth as opposed to leaving both necks turned on.

As a general rule of thumb, my advice (whenever I've been asked) has always been that it's better in the long run to bank back & forth unless there is a need to have both necks on simultaneously ... but, then, it all goes back to personal preference. A lot of it really depends on the player's personal technique of playing and how the guitar itself reacts to the player's technique.

Hope this helps a little with your question about the bank switch and I apologize that I couldn't be more specific help with the other four switches.