GFI Ultra problem with B pedal/LR 6th string split

[Michael J Pfeifer]

Richard,


Thank you and Jon Light for sharing very helpful information.

It turns out I once knew about overtuning and undertuning but simply forgot about it back in the 1970s and never labeled it as such. In his book, Pedal Steel Guitar, which I purchased when it first became available back in the 1970s, Winnie Winston discusses the issues of over and undertuning but does not label it as such. When troubleshooting, I automatically visually check to see if the fingers appear to be even but have never gone beyond that. The reason is that I never know which string requires the longest travel, nor do I know where to obtain such information. My understanding is that the string requiring the longest travel needs to be tuned first. True or false? This could very well be the reason I've had technical problems so many times. Since the issue I'm having was corrected at the factory in February, I hesitate to adjust pedal stops or set screws. And experience tells me that doing so opens a can of worms that would become completely out of control.

[Michael J Pfeifer]

Richard,


Thank you, and Jon Light.

It turns out I knew about overtuning and undertuning back in the 1970s but simply forgot about it. In his book,Pedal Steel Guitar, which I purchased back in the 1970s, Winnie Winston addresses this issue. When troubleshooting, I visually inspect the changer automatically to see if fingers appear to be even but don't go beyond that. The reason is that I don't know which string requires the longest travel and have never obtained that information. As I understand it, the string requiring the longest needs to be tuned first. True or false? Since the issue I'm having was corrected at the factory in February, I hesitate to change pedal stops or set screws. And experience tells me that doing so will open another can of worms that could become completely out of control.

[Michael J Pfeifer]

Ian,
Thank you.

Mr. Schleindlin,

I look forward to hearing from you.

[D. Scheindlin]

Michael, today’s going to be too busy and tomorrow I’m working all day. In any case I’m not sure what other helpful info I could impart beyond what’s in this thread. I think you should reinstall the split rod, follow the directions herein to set up the split, starting with backing out the tuning nuts, retuning open strings then retuning raised and lowers. You might be overthinking things… you should not need to mess with any stops or set screws. Tune 1 and 2 then follow the instructions in the diagram or that many have already mentioned here.

Alternatively, I think the suggestion to find someone local who can put their hands on it and show you what they’re doing would be a great way to go.

[Michael J Pfeifer]

Mr Schiendlin,


Thank you.    There is no need to call. Let me see if I have this right so far: First, make sure pedal B and RL knee are tuning properly. I do that by backing off all rods and making sure there is slack at the changer for all.


Do I begin tuning rods in any particular order? Don't I need to determine which string requires the longest travel, and shouldn't I tune that one first, or is this not true? Answer these questions, and I should be able to fix it without further assistance.

[D. Scheindlin]

If you follow the steps that others have provided in this thread, you are going in the right order. But for good measure I’d start by backing off the string 1 and 2 tuning rods, tuning those strings open and then tuning the 1 and 2 raises with RKL engaged. Then just move on to the steps others have provided (or consult this diagram: https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... d3c172f0c1) but back off the tuning nuts first so you can take over tuning out of the equation.

[Michael J Pfeifer]

Mr Scheindlin.

That's what I thought. I need a day or two to absorb all that fellow steel players have generously shared with me.

Thank you

[Michael Hill]

I had the opposite experience.

I bought a GFI Ultra from Billy Cooper about 5 years ago. A while after my purchase, I asked them about the tunable split on the 6th string. Billy Cooper knew exactly what I needed. They sent out the parts and instructions on how to install it.

[Michael J Pfeifer]

Hi, Michael.

Interestingly, Billy's split is different from GFI's. I was with Billy in his workshop this past February when we came to this conclusion. I plan on reinstalling the GFI split in a day or so.

[Michael J Pfeifer]

Hi, Forumites.


I bought this used guitar from Billy C a handful of years ago. A closer look at the undercarriage tells me it's a very old guitar. I see oxidation and dried-up grease in the changer. All pulls appear to have slack at the endplate. Pedal B works on its own. The RL knee works on its own. One after the other, in any order, the pedal returns flat. The knee returns sharp. the same problem that neither Billy nor I could figure out back in February. Otherwise, I'm happy with the guitar. I've decided to send it back to the factory. Thank you all for helping me with this problem. The next time you are in New York, contact me. We'll go for coffee. Ciao for now.