Vintage Marlen Refurb HELP!

Tim Mech · Post by **Tim Mech** » 12 Aug 2015 6:10 pm

Ned, thanks for the pictures and info.
That Marlen looks gorgeous.
Love the approach and I'll take some of your tips to heart and see where I can incorporate upgrades or mods to get my steel playing as well as possible.

Ned McIntosh · Post by **Ned McIntosh** » 12 Aug 2015 9:53 pm

Hi Tim,

Lowering and raising the Es:-

The E-strings must both raise and lower, and tune to E. To raise them, a rod passes through a hole in the changer-finger and goes to a bellcrank on a cross-rod activated by a pedal. Simple. The raised note is tuned at the KEYHEAD.

To get the note to stay at the open note (E) and to lower to E flat, a second rod is needed - a tension-rod.
One end attaches under the cabinet with a spring (adjustable for tension), the other end passes through another hole in the changer-finger and is threaded to accept the usual hex-nut for tuning. The hex-nut tunes the open note (E). Here's a photo of the E9th tension-rods and springs attached to their bracket under the cabinet (drilling the holes in the ends of those rods for the springs to hook into was not a lot of fun!):-

In the Emmons setup, left knee right lowers the Es. So two bellcranks need to be used, with stop-collars which are locked onto the tension-rods with set-screws and tabs which fit into the bellcrank and stop the tension-rods rotating (very important, you'll see why later).
When the bellcranks move, they push against the stop-collars and overcome (or release)the tension of the springs, allowing the note to lower to E flat (hence the term "pull-release"). The changer-finger comes up against a stop-screw set in the endplate right behind the changer. This stop-screw is adjusted to tune the LOWERED note. Here's a photo of the bellcranks, tension-rods with the stop-collars in place. Note the stop-collars have little tabs that fit between the sides of the bellcranks:-

On my steel, the area under the cross-rod for the knee-lever was too crowded, so I used a cross-rod much closer to the changer, with two bellcranks as above. But I had to reverse the direction of movement of those bellcranks compared to the movement of the bellcrank on the knee-lever cross-rod. How did I manage this?
I added a third bellcrank on the cross-rod, and ran a sloping (and stiffer) pull-rod between from the left knee right bellcrank to the third bellcrank, attaching it at the opposite end of the bellcrank. That way the rotation of the cross-rods was reversed, causing the two bellcranks to push against the stop-collars and cause the two notes to lower.
Here's a photo of the three bellcranks and you can see the sloping pull-rod in the foreground connecting back to the left knee right bellcrank (which is not in the photo).

Here's a shot of the entire E-lower system with the principle areas circled in red:-

Now, having got the raise sorted out, you can start setting up the E to E flat lowers. The stop-collars must be pushed far enough for the lower to take place and be tunable at the endplate with the stop-screws. But - and this is very important - they must not move so far that the tabs pop out of the bellcranks when the lower is released. Why?

Simple! The tabs stop the tension-rod rotating when you tune the open note with the plastic hex-nut on the end of the tension rod through the window in the endplate. If the tension-rod rotates, the nut doesn't advance or retreat on the thread, and the open-note won't tune.

This is all basic mechanical engineering; "the devil is in the detail". First, choose string-gauges typically used for the Es on pedal-steel.
Tune the Es roughly using the tuning-keys. Next, activate the raise and tune the F-note at the keyhead. Then activate the lower and tune the E flat at the end-plate. Release the lower and use the plastic hex-nut to tune the open note.
Chances are you'll find the stop-collars have popped their tabs out of the bellcranks. You need to adjust their position and repeat the whole tuning procedure until the entire mechanism works correctly.

This will be time consuming because adjusting one thing affects everything else. Changing the initial spring-tension on the tension-rods will affect the raise and lower, as well as the open-note. Setting one of these steels up is a matter of thinking logically, anaylsing the problem and working out what the fix is. You might get lucky and have it set up in an hour or so - or it may take a couple of days work.

Change one thing at a time, and see if that solves the problem. The good thing about pull-release steels is once they are properly set up, they stay that way for years (unless you inadvertantly change string-gauges!). Resist the temptation to bend a rod, especially a long rod, unless it is absolutely necessary because bends can flex and cause a "mushy" feel. Bends in short rods are far less of a problem as the short rod is inherently stiffer. Straight pulls and pushes work best.

Okay, here are some more photos which may help (and some more "porn" for Lane Gray!). First, the view "up from Downunder":-

and here's a shot showing plenty of gleaming aluminium and stainless steel:-

Here's a view of the E9th changer (on the left) showing how the other two lowers can be achieved (the right knee-lever moving right, the lever is visible at the right) using simple push-rods with "feel-springs" because the rods are very short (and stiff):-

On my Marlen I also lower my low G# to F# with right knee left, and raise it from G# to A on pedal 2. The lower is achieved using exactly the same mechanism as the E raise and lower.

Hope this helps.

(If this raise and lower system is too complex, Richard Burton has a system using a single rod which achieves both. Might give it a try myself one day.)

Chris Sattler · Post by **Chris Sattler** » 13 Aug 2015 12:49 am

Hi Ned. Great work. I had no idea you could do this sort of thing.

Scott Duckworth · Post by **Scott Duckworth** » 13 Aug 2015 3:06 am

Main thing is go slow, and if a roadblock appears, stop and think it through. And if you can't figure it out, we're here, ask.

Ned McIntosh · Post by **Ned McIntosh** » 13 Aug 2015 3:17 am

G'day Chris,

I wouldn't like to make a habit of it, and making all the small parts was time-consuming, but these old Marlens are well worth the effort.
It's a case of balancing string-tension against spring-tension, and then manipulating both to achieve raises and lowers. Mechanically they are simplicity itself, and every part of the changer is visible and accessible.

The Marlen cabinets have a well-deserved reputation for beauty.

Tim Mech · Post by **Tim Mech** » 13 Aug 2015 4:23 am

Ned McIntosh.
Can't tell you how much your photos and words are helping me understand the Marlen pull-release.
It's amazing what can be done and you've done it!
So inspiring.
I'm flying home today from tour and my steel should be arriving by the weekend.
I'll absolutely be in the shop next week to start working on my steel.

I will ask questions whenever I reach an impasse and let you know when I make some headway.

Thank you all.

Edward Rhea · Post by **Edward Rhea** » 13 Aug 2015 5:13 pm

Ned , thanks for such details about the Marlen. You did a SUPER NICE job on yours! I wish I had known about this guitar two years ago! You've inspired me to get busy on mine.

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 15 Aug 2015 6:30 am

wow, the best looking Marlen mechanism I have ever seen... I have two coming, and was thinking about adding some stuff

Bobby Burns · Post by **Bobby Burns** » 15 Aug 2015 6:40 am

Very nice Damir! How do you keep coming up with so many cool steels? I love those older ones with the curly heads.

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 15 Aug 2015 6:50 am

Bobby, one is actually beautiful blue lacquer, but you can't see it in the picture, that one has 10 pedals and 4 knee levers, the older one has only 1 knee lever, but a ton of vintage personality...

Bobby Burns · Post by **Bobby Burns** » 15 Aug 2015 6:53 am

Sadly, personality is what's missing in a lot of modern steels!

Bobby Burns · Post by **Bobby Burns** » 15 Aug 2015 6:54 am

Ten pedals? how many feet did that guy have?

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 15 Aug 2015 6:57 am

yeap, that one is a monster...

Ned McIntosh · Post by **Ned McIntosh** » 16 Aug 2015 11:12 pm

String 4 (the high E) on the E9th neck has the most pulls and is the hardest to set up on a pull-release steel. I have a few more things to say on that, but first some general observations which may be helpful before you start work on your refurbishment, maintenance etc:-

The Changer-Finger:-

It looks deceptively simple, doesnâ€™t it, that single finger of aluminium? It will have either four holes (early models) or six holes (later ones) drilled through it, plus the pin for the ball-end of the string and, of course, the hole for the axle. (By the way, I number the holes from 1 to 4, hole 1 being the hole closest to the axle.)

The finger is aluminium and the axle is steelâ€¦plenty of potential for galling and wear in old, well-used instruments. Being such a simple changer, it can be readily disassembled and the axle inspected for galling or wear - ditto the inside surface of the axle-hole in the finger.

A worn axle can be replaced if you can source the correct size and grade of steel, or simply rotate the old axle around 180 degrees to present the un-worn side to the bearing-surface of the finger. (This is often done on old Emmons push-pull changers showing wear on the axle.) Any galling should be removed with crocus-paper or fine emery, and the axle polished.

Have you ever had a close look at the holes in the changer-finger? They are not quite as simple as they seem. For a start, they are not â€œstraight-throughâ€ holes. At the rear of the finger, each hole has a counterbored sectionâ€¦not a countersink, but a shallow counterbore, and this means there is a "step" in the hole. This is done presumably to reduce the amount of metal in the finger in contact with the rods for minimising friction.

â€œBinding and friction are the arch-enemy of the pull-release system.â€ (say this every time you start working on your steel, okay)

Because of this step, it is vital that no part of the threaded-end of a rod ever goes into the hole in the changer-finger at any stage of operation! If it does, the thread can catch on the step and this will destroy accuracy and repeatability of the raise or the lower. (Voice of experience!)

It is also vital that the rods that raise strings have enough slack in them to permit the finger to move backwards to the stop-screw so the lowers can be tuned properly an any string with both a raise and a lower. It is identical to a push-pull in that respect, but the changer is much simpler and everything is visible.

Here is a photo of the fingers at the endplate showing the counterbore and the tuning-nuts for raises, the stop-screws (top of photo) for tuning lowers, and the stop-collars on rods which raise only (I replaced the scruffy tuning-nuts with new ones after this photo was taken):-

Now, let's get on with string 4:-

i)The longest pull is the E to F# on pedal 3. It is the last pull to be installed for string 4, but the first pull to set up.
ii)As a rule, all the tension-rods, stop-collars, tension-springs and tuning-nuts need to be installed into the cabinet first before adding pulls. (Tension-rods for any string that needs them are hard to get at after the pull-rods are installed.)
iii)String 4 requires three rods - the tension-rod (closest to the cabinet), the E to F raise-rod for the knee-lever (install this next) and then the E to F# rod from pedal 3 (which is installed last).

This was the way I approached it because it meant all the raises and lowers could be tuned at either end of the guitar where you can see what you are doing.

However, since we have a rod that pulls E to F# via pedal 3, there exists a possibility of adding the E to F pull from the knee-lever to that existing rod, using a simple stop-collar on the rod which the knee-lever bellcrank pushes against and achieves the E to F raise.
This would require the knee-lever raise to be tuned under the guitar using a stop-screw that stopped the knee-lever moving once the stop-collar on the rod was in the correct position. It therefore requires the knee-lever bellcrank to be able to operate on the E to F# pull-rod - which may or may no tbe applicable to your steel. (I think this is the way Richard Burton in the UK would arrange things, because it is a simpler system using fewer parts which is good engineering practice.)

Referring back to the photo above, string 4 has three of the four holes occupied, as follows:-
hole 1 is unoccupied,
hole 2 is the tuning-nut on the tension-rod and it tunes the open E note,
hole 3 is the tuning-nut for the E to F raise on the knee-lever, and
hole 4 has the pull-rod for the E to F# raise on pedal 3, and because that is tuned at the keyhead the rod has a stop-collar instead of a tuning-nut.

Another thing that helps is when pedal 3 is activated for the E to F# raise, make sure the changer-finger is pulled all the way forward and contacts the frame of the changer. Like tuning a push-pull, reach under the guitar and push the finger all the way until it stops, and tune the F# note at the keyhead. Then, make sure the pedal 3 pull-rod is set up to do this when it is pressed.
With the F# tuned, release the finger. Activate the E to E flat lower via the knee-lever, and tune the note at the endplate using the stop-screw.
Now you should have plenty of slack-space in the E to F# pull-rod at back of the finger.

Now activate the E to F knee-lever, and tune it with the tuning-nut on the E to F pull-rod. (Make sure the knee-lever has enough travel to accomplish this raise.)

Release the E to F knee-lever and check there is enough slack for the E to E flat lower to still take place. If you have enough knee-lever travel the slack will be there.

Then - and only then - tune the open E with the tuning nut on the tension-rod.

Think youâ€™ve finished with string 4? Not so! Go back through all the raises and lowers again and double check they all work. Fine-tune them as requiredâ€¦remembering that changing one will affect all the others slightly until they are all â€œtrueâ€. Then - and only then - will you have achieved the balance between string-tension on one hand and spring-tension on the other. This may take some time, but it can be done.

Remember, once set up, these old steels rarely go out of tune, just like a push-pull. But it has to be set up right in the first place or else "all bets are off!"

If the string refuses to behave, change it! A new string will often fix tuning-problems on a pull-release (or any steel, for that matter) which was behaving well and starts misbehaving.

That pretty much covers string 4 on the E9th neck. Due to the numbers of changes, it is by far the most demanding - and potentially most frustrating - to set up.

Moving on, there is a pull on pedal 1 and 3 which is identical - the B to C# on string 5. This one is a snack to engineer and set up, but I have some advice and a photo or two which may assist.

I used a single pull-rod for this raise on both pedals, and ran it through Delrin guides set in each bellcrank, then used stop-collars which each bellcrank pushes against to achieve the raise. To soften the feel of the pedals and get a nice "finish" to the pull, I added a "feel-spring" to the stop-collars for each pedal. The photos below show this mechanism as I have it at the moment:-

The red circles show the Delrin rod-guides, feel-springs, stop-collars and small washers which give a very smooth feel to both pedals on this pull.

To set this up, start by pressing pedal 3 and tuning it at the keyhead. Pedal 3 tends to have the longest throw so it's the one to set up initially for this raise. You can do this initially with the guitar upside-down, but put it upright for tuning. The pull-rods hang slightly differently right-side up as compared to upside-down - and even this can make a difference to tuning and setting up!

Once pedal 3 is tuned, turn the steel upside-down and activate both pedals 1 and 3 (you might need a spare set of hands for this). Now set the stop-collar on the pedal 1 bellcrank so it and the stop collar on pedal 3 bellcrank contact their respective bellcranks simultaneously. There, that's done! (If you have added feel-springs, you may need to make tiny adjustments to the stop-collars to achieve good tuning, but the feel of the pedals is well worth the effort.)

Here's another photo of the B to C# pull on pedals 1 and 3, with red boxes around the bellcranks to show the Delrin rod-guides, washers, feel-springs and stop-collars.

Well, that's about all for this post. Hope this is helping you guys who are about to attack your old Marlens. Keep the rods straight wherever you can and if you have to bend a rod make sure it is a short rod only. Here's a shot of the undercarriage pretty much in full showing how she looks today.

I just spent some time playing this old lady (it is set up at home, supposedly as my practice-steel but I haven't used it for some months now) and the tone and feel are just beautiful. Since I normally play a Carter, a Mullen or a Williams, I have been well and truly spoiled as far as feel and tone go. I had forgotten how good the Marlen pull-release was in both respects.

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 17 Aug 2015 3:12 am

Ned, I'm curious: my Marlen (and the push-pulls) use one raise rod on 4, with a half-tone tuner on the F lever.
I can see pluses and minuses to each approach.
Why choose the extra rod over two pulls on the same rod?
Again, that's just gorgeous work.

Ned McIntosh · Post by **Ned McIntosh** » 17 Aug 2015 3:47 am

Hi Lane,

That's a very good question actually. The more I think about it, I'm sure I used the "two-rod" approach so I could tune everything at either end of the guitar; single raises at the keyhead, dual raises at the keyhead and the endplate window.

String 4 on the classic E9 is the only string that has these unique requirements, so the single-rod approach would be technically superior - and easier to set up as well.

The single-rod approach is also far better engineering, and the half-stop raise for the knee-lever is easy enough to organise. I'm pretty sure this is how Richard Burton in the UK has his Marlen rigged, and the fewer components involved the more rugged and repeatable the system should be. Richard tunes his knee-levers under the guitar, so he must be using the single-rod approach. It is "elegant" whereas my approach is more "British Museum".

I looked under my steel and the knee-lever bellcrank could indeed be positioned to operate on the single-rod which does the E to F# raise, using a stop-collar pretty much identical to the way I rigged the B to C# pull.

It's an option I might try in the future, especially if my current system starts to misbehave. At the moment the steel is playing beautifully as is and the old saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it" has some merit.

I also forgot to mention one very useful thing I'd like to pass on to anyone doing a refurbishment, on any steel, not just these old Marlens:-

If you remove the bellcranks, it is well worth drilling and tapping a second set-screw hole on the opposite side so the bellcrank is locked to the cross-rod in two places rather than just one. Anything you can do to prevent bellcranks getting loose on a shaft is time well-spent!

It's just amazing to think what is happening underneath these steels when they look so simple on the top.

Steve Waltz · Post by **Steve Waltz** » 17 Aug 2015 11:03 am

I'm rebuilding my sho bud perm. Remember that many guitars do not have the back casting open so you don't have the option of tuning some things through the end plate. This requires more tuning under the guitar and you need to plan out where to put those so you can get at them while sitting there. ( thread the rods for tuning behind pullers) Personally I wouldn't want to drill out an end plate on an old guitar since it can look strange or the old handles are in the way. Also, multi holed pullers offer some additional adjustment like the sho bud fingertip types but can bind more than those used in this post.

Tim Mech · Post by **Tim Mech** » 19 Aug 2015 10:34 am

Machine heads are pooched, waiting for replacements.
The cleaning begins.

Scott Duckworth · Post by **Scott Duckworth** » 19 Aug 2015 12:31 pm

Mother's polish will clean up the keyheads. I used a black paint pen (Walmart) to repaint the black areas.

Tim Mech · Post by **Tim Mech** » 19 Aug 2015 5:58 pm

Here is the issue with the actual machine heads.
Looks like string tension caused the split shafts to collapse and on a couple, actually break.

Tim Mech · Post by **Tim Mech** » 19 Aug 2015 6:01 pm

How were these "wheels" installed? Press fit?
Do I lubricate these with anything or anything special after I clean them?

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 19 Aug 2015 6:55 pm

ned, that's a clean machine!

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 19 Aug 2015 11:05 pm

It's just a manual snug fit.
I'd use two small wide screwdrivers, one to protect the keyhead, and the other to pry them up.
To lube after cleaning, either light machine oil or the Triflow spray.

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 19 Aug 2015 11:53 pm

Tim, I was told in a PM by a guy who knows his onions that they are kinda pressed in there, to reinstall, you'll need a wood block and a hammer.
Mine must have been monkeyed with, because a couple of thumbs got the job done.

Scott Duckworth · Post by **Scott Duckworth** » 20 Aug 2015 3:43 am

Tim, squirt Naptha (lighter fluid) in and around the rollers, use a soft toothbrush, and clean them that way. Dry them, and let them air dry. When you put it the guitar back together, use only a very small amount of light oil, and make sure the move freely.

Don't take them out.