Help with Sho Bud Maverick Knee Lever

[Gunnar Schmitz]

• First time Steel Player here. Have been trying to set up an early 70's Sho Bud Maverick to learn on and the knee lever has been giving me some grief. After sourcing some parts to attach the lever assembly to the changers, I am now running into an issue where the lever does not drive the changers to actually lower the strings. Instead of pushing the changers forward, the rods just slack downwards and do nothing. Do I need different rods? Any advice is helpful - I've been having a hard time sourcing quality info on this lever.
  
  
  Here is a photo for reference:
  
  

[johnnyb]

Did you back the tuning screws out at the endplate to let the drop happen?

[Eric Dahlhoff]

The Maverick knee lever is designed to lower strings #2 & #8.
Tune both strings without the knee lever. #2 = D# #8 = E
Push the knee lever & use the end plate screws to tune #2 = D #8 = Eb
Hope that makes sense

[Barry Coker]

This is a Pull/Release mechanisum strings 2 & 8 are held to pitch with a spring (Looks like it is on the knee leaver) the Release comes when you engauge the knee overrides the spring tention and alows the changer finger to to rotate and lower the string. The rods from the knee leaver to the changer hold the strings to pitch they do not push the changer fingers. The tuning screws are the stop fot the lower.

Good luck
Barry

[Ian Worley]

What others have said more or less answers the question but it's kind of scattered, this pic might help. The tuning process for the raises on the pedals is similar, engage the pedals one at a time and adjust the pedal stop screw (if there is one) and plastic ball sockets at the cross shafts so that the affected fingers make firm contact with the wood in the body opening when the pedal is engaged. The earliest Mavericks didn't have adjustable pedal stop screws, yours looks like like one those. If it does have pedal stop screws you'll to re-adjust them to engage at the same point so that you're not putting unnecessary pressure on the fingers and pull rods. Tune the raised notes on those strings at the key head with the pedal engaged, then release the pedal and tune the open note with the stop screw in the end plate. Repeat for each pedal. Once complete, adjust the individual pedal heights to your preference with the threaded ball joints on the pedal rods. Hope this helps.

[Eric Dahlhoff]

Well done Ian !