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Topic: ZB custom changers |
John Turbeville
From:
Carlsbad, ca
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Posted 18 Jun 2011 8:21 pm |
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| hey can anyone tell me how well the late 60's zb custom changers work. are they easy to work on (im good with the sho-bud stuff)? do they stay in tune? any other comments?? |
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Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
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Posted 18 Jun 2011 8:34 pm
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They will stay in tune if adjusted properly. Not very user friendly in my opinion. I've wrestled with them enough now to not be intimidated by them though. Great sounding guitars. Took mine out again today with the Webb. Tone Heaven! 
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Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps |
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richard burton
From:
Britain
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Posted 18 Jun 2011 9:35 pm
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The changer works well for standard E9/C6 changes, but has difficulty handling anything out of the ordinary.
I put a wound sixth string (.022W) on my ZB, and had quite a game getting it to drop a full tone.
This is because all the elements of the finger are rivetted together, so extreme movements tend to make them run 'out of parallel'
They stay in tune great when the setup is complete, and sound good too, because the fingers bottom out on the endplate, which is totally different to most all-pull changers.
They're not easy to work on, it's very fiddly, with little room for manouvre. I made some thin spanners to get to the innards of mine
For pictures of my ZB, click here |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 18 Jun 2011 10:42 pm
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| John they are not easy to work on. Those of us who know how to work on them have little bag of tricks. The good news is once they are set up properly they pretty much stay that way. They have to be stabilized and the pulls balanced out though. I love Richard's springs! |
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Ken Byng
From:
Southampton, England
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Posted 19 Jun 2011 5:01 am
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The changer caps design is something that I wish other manufacturers had taken on board.
The changer does play a part in the distinctive ZB tone, as does the Emmons push pull' changer. If you know nothing about the mechanics of a steel guitar, it is best to let someone with experience of ZB's to set it up for you. The high E to F change for instance does require a modification of both the changer and the endplate.
I had 2 ZB's in the early 70's. They are among the most beautiful looking and sounding guitars around.
_________________
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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Bob Adams
From:
Scotland, UK
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Posted 19 Jun 2011 8:45 am
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They sure are the Biz! When they are set up right!
This was my last project, just recently finished! (This was one of Gordon's Ken! the one that was with Frank!)
And yes that 4th string E-F is arguably the most troublesome part of the changer setup.
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Ken Byng
From:
Southampton, England
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Posted 19 Jun 2011 10:15 am
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That's a great job Bob. I must get you to do one of my guitars sometime. 
So many ZB players in the UK got themselves in a pickle once they started messing around with the undercarriage of their guitars. Stripped threads on the crossbars were very common. The chief importer in the UK at that time, Eric Snowball, would regularly carry out mods on guitars that came over as standard initially with 8 pedals and 2 levers.
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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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Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
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Posted 19 Jun 2011 10:29 am
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I would like to see a ZB under carraige upgrade, maybe something like a Kline assembly that works on the same principle as the ZB.(Balanced pulls stopping at the endplate). Might just do it myself someday.
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Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 21 Jun 2011 10:08 am
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The Kline was definitely an improvement over the ZB, but still a little tricky to balance. I love both of those guitars. My biggest headache on the ZB was the "turnbuckle" (the hex piece that the rod sections screw in to) on the rod. Learned many a new swear word working on those.
Those are some mighty fine looking ZB's showing up on the recent posts.
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 55 years and still counting. |
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