| Author |
Topic: Fender Dual-Pro String spacing |
Rick Stratton
From:
Tujunga, California, USA
|
Posted 9 Sep 2011 3:13 pm |
|
I've been playing my 52' Fender Dual-pro 8 for the last couple years now, and love the sound!
One improvement the Stringmasters (that came later) have,
is the seperate nut assembly. On mine, the nut is part of the tuning keys assembly. You can't really change the string spacing on them. There's a larger gap between the 4th & 5th string.
Playing on the 1st fret of either neck is pretty tricky due to uneven grooves worn over the years.
Has anyone here ever tried to improve this problem somehow?
One time, I put a piece of threaded brass in the "trough"
and strung over that (kinda like early Tele saddles).
I was able to make the spacing more even, but the angle of the high and low strings was pretty extreme. It sounded OK, but felt a little funny being raised-up even that little bit. I'm able to adjust spacing at the bridge, which does help my right hand.
I thought about posting a pic, but anyone familiar with these guitars know what I'm talking about.
No way to replace these nuts!
Anyone have this problem too, or any bright ideas?
Live with it and stop whining?
Looking forward to any ideas or comments.
Thanks! |
|
|
|
Twayn Williams
From:
Portland, OR
|
Posted 9 Sep 2011 3:42 pm
|
|
I know the issue, but I've resolved to treat it as one of the quirks of the guitars that you just learn to live with 
What you might try is to push the 4th & 5th string towards each other after they cross over the nut, but NOT raise the break angle. As an experiment, use a strong twist tie on the 2 strings just past the nut and see if you can get 'em to be closer together. I'll see if I can't give it a whirl myself when I get home from work.
_________________
Primitive Utility Steel |
|
|
|
Dave Mayes
From:
Oakland, Ca.
|
Posted 9 Sep 2011 5:48 pm
|
|
| When I had one I use to wind the 4th string on the 5th tuner and wind the 5th string on the the 4th tuner. The 4th and 5th strings then become a little bit closer than parallel together, but less together than they were apart if you don't make the switch. |
|
|
|
Gene Warner
From:
Texas, USA
|
Posted 9 Sep 2011 5:54 pm
|
|
I have a stringmaster double 8 myself, so I can't check all the details involved in improving your situation, by looking at mine. I will however find some good pics of your steel, and see if I can recommend some sort of a fix for you.
I have improved bridge, and/or nut problems on other steels, so it may be doable.
What I have done on the past is to cut a new part from 1/8th inch brass, fold it, and notch it to the desired spacing. It's the mounting thing that has to be figured out. It may be possible to remove the screws from the end of the tuner tray, and slide the foot of the new nut under the tray, and tighten it back down with the screws.
It would be a tiny bit higher than the original nut, and the thickness of the brass closer to the bridge, but it would be pretty close to the same.
Gene Warner
repairman |
|
|
|
Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
|
Posted 9 Sep 2011 9:31 pm
|
|
| Gene Warner wrote: |
What I have done on the past is to cut a new part from 1/8th inch brass, fold it, and notch it to the desired spacing...
Gene Warner
repairman |
Can you tell us what device you use to fold the brass? Or is that one of those things that if you told us you'd have to kill us...? 
Thanks!
Steve Ahola
_________________
www.blueguitar.org
Recordings on electric guitar:
http://www.box.net/blue-diamonds
http://www.box.net/the-culprits |
|
|
|
Rick Stratton
From:
Tujunga, California, USA
|
Posted 10 Sep 2011 7:57 am
|
|
Thanks for the replies everyone.
There doesn't seem to be a clear-cut solution for this one.
I've often thought it might be possible to, somehow, "weld" the notches shut and re-cut them in a more even spacing.
I lack any experience in this area, so it's just a guess! |
|
|
|
Gene Warner
From:
Texas, USA
|
Posted 10 Sep 2011 6:38 pm
|
|
You can fold brass sheet of that thickness pretty easily. My method is low tech, cause that's all I got, but it works. I am definitely old school!
If you have access to a medium sized bench vise, you can clamp one part or the other (upright or the foot of the nut) in the vise using leather pads to avoid scratching the brass. Clamp it tightly, in such a way that the line you want to fold it on, is about the thickness of the brass, above the top of the vise jaw.
Then using a rubber mallet, using medium strength blows, strike at different points along the part that is outside the vise, and just fold it over until you reach what you feel is about a right angle. You can true it up from there pretty easily, with a mallet on a flat anvil (some vises have one of those built in. Hand filing, sandpaper, and finally steel wool, will give you a pretty decent nut.
I have used the same technique to make a double folded "U" shaped bridge, with the side being used for the bridge, being taller than the side used for the tailpiece. You can drill holes through the tailpiece side, for anchoring the strings.
Gene Warner
repairman |
|
|
|
Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
|
|
|
|
Gene Warner
From:
Texas, USA
|
Posted 11 Sep 2011 9:18 pm
|
|
No Steve, haven't found much to help me on that job in my local Harbor Freight, but I do get goodies there. If you have a close friend that works in a sheet metal shop, he has access to tools that could do that job perfectly, in about 10 seconds.
Gene Warner
repairman |
|
|
|
Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
|
Posted 11 Sep 2011 10:17 pm
|
|
| Gene Warner wrote: |
If you have a close friend that works in a sheet metal shop, he has access to tools that could do that job perfectly, in about 10 seconds.
|
Yes, I know- I worked in a sheet metal shop for 9+ years as an HVAC service tech and manager. I kinda got spoiled since they could bend me anything I needed (I could do the simple stuff myself). They did some heavy duty fabricating for the refineries in the area so they had some pretty big equipment. Then the new owner sold off all of the equipment, closed the sheet metal shop and focused on the high profit margin selling heating and AC equipment to residential customers.
_________________
www.blueguitar.org
Recordings on electric guitar:
http://www.box.net/blue-diamonds
http://www.box.net/the-culprits |
|
|
|
