Sho~Bud Professional - Changer Maintenance

[Graham Adeson]

Hi all - I recently purchase an old D10 8x3 from a local seller (first pedal steel) and have spent some time this weekend cleaning it up and getting ready to play. So far, I've destrung and cleaned out the fretboard, saddle, tuners, etc. Now I hope to get started on the underside of this beast

So far, I've been working my way from the pedals/levers up. What I've noticed is that some of the pedals/levers are functional and others aren't (surprise). Having isolated and tested the mechanics of the pedals/levers, pedal rods, pedal stops and cross bars, they all function as expected and aren't the cause of the stiffness. The issues start to arise with the pull rods and the changers. Since the pull rods aren't mechanic themselves, I believe the changer is likely the issue.

Does anyone have any advice on how to take this apart and evaluate what's going wrong with the changer? Or any ways to test whether things are functioning as they should? I'm comfortable with taking things apart and understanding the mechanics, but totally understand if this is a job better suited for a veteran. If that's the case, I'll take recommendations on any Bay Area technicians



Including pictures here if that helps:

[Dan Behringer]

If you have any mechanical inclination at all you should be able to do the job. Just take into consideration that the first time you do this, it’s probably going to take four times as long as you thought. LoL! The main thing is to get in your head how it all works before you attempt put it back together, and one by one assemble every piece and make sure they all work as they should.
Here’s a pic that I think shows how it will all fit together.

[Dave Campbell]

if a change is not functioning then the most likely culprit is a loose tuning barrel, or maybe one that has been detuned.

taking the whole thing apart is an endeavour, but it isn't hard if you tag all the rods and write down their functions. on mine i measured the collar position from the tip of the road, just to give me something to go on when it all went back together.

i think that a familiarity with the functions of all the pedals and levers would be very helpful in this process, and also some experience with how the stops react to normal tuning. following that, you'll really want to have a look underneath and make sure you understand how it works. for this reason i'd suggest trying to get playing on it and fix the problems as you go. once everything is up and running, you'll have everything figured out and will be able to take everything apart to clean the changer and tackle any problems that it may have.

[Dave Campbell]

i'd add that it can't hurt to lube the changer up first, either with motor oil or tri flow. this'll loosen it up a bit and prevent any more wear from happening.

[Dan Beller-McKenna]

I agree with Dave. In my experience, the barrels are the key to problems in this system. Other areas might need attention for fine tuning issues, but if a change is not working at all, a barrel is probably not functioning as it should. (Of course, the changer fingers can also be a problem, but from the limited view you've given, these don't look especially dirty, so my hunch is that they are not a problem.)

Check each barrel.

• Make sure the piece with the spring around it can screw in and out of the larger part (the "barrel").
  Make sure that the barrel is firmly screwed down to the pull rod.
  Make sure the tangent of the spring is going though the tiny hole in the lip of the screw-in part of the barrel so that it can catch on its rack.

Also, in general, make sure each pedal and knee pull has enough length to activate the barrel fully, so that it is reaching and pushing the rack
I'd start with these steps.

[Mark McCornack]

....Also concerning the barrels, it’s recommended that they are CLEAN and able to turn smoothly where the threads interface. However, it’s also recommended NOT to lubricate this part with anyrhing! Clean is good though.
Mark

[Ian Worley]

Graham - it's sometimes hard to offer good advice on fixing a problem without a clear understanding of what the actual problem is. That's sometimes hard to suss out in a thread like this. People offer advice and explain stuff that makes perfect sense to those of us familiar with these guitars, but you may have no idea what they're actually talking about, or how to explain the actual problem effectively. These things are simple machines. It's generally very easy to identify and rectify issues once you know what everything is supposed to do.

If you take it to someone who knows what they're doing they will have it up and running correctly in no time. There are quite a few folks around the Bay who could help, Tom Bradshaw in Walnut Creek, or Kerry Johnson south bay come to mind. You can find them on the forum. I know the guitar came from Sacramento, I probably should have offered before, but if you're up this way again I'd be happy to give you a hand too.

If you have a few hours to spare it would be a good start to completely disassemble, clean, lubricate and reassemble the guitar first. Assuming everything is intact, it's then just a matter of making adjustments to get it fully functional again. Take a lot of pictures, label things and keep the parts well separated, it's a 3-4 hour job (and kind of fun). Take the strings and springs off first, the rest is intuitive.

[Jim Kennedy]

I don't have a Bud of your vintage. Mine is an early 80's pro 1 3&2 double raise, double lower. When I got mine I played it a little and then completely disassembled and cleaned and lubed it.Take plenty of pictures, don't rush. I had a couple raises that were not going back to pitch. While not abused, the guitar was well played. The rivets in 2 of the fingers were worn out and the fingers were binding. I opted to replace all of the fingers. At a glance the fingers looked good. The damage was not apparent until I took the changer apart.

I am not familiar with the rack and barrel changer, but like mine, it appears you can't see the pivot points unless you dismantle it. Don't be afraid to go at it unless you are totally non-mechanical. By the time you are done you will have a good working knowledge of your guitar. Future problems will not be daunting, just something to figure out. And you can always get help right here.

[Ian Worley]

It's also worth mentioning that the dull plating on some of those rusted steel parts looks like cadmium, which is nasty and toxic. Be careful if you're scraping any of that off, do it outside and wear gloves and a respirator.