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Topic: Fesseden Single Neck-Knee Lever Question |
Todd Herring
From:
Florida, USA
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Posted 17 Jun 2007 3:31 pm |
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I have a fesseden 5 knee lever and the levers are hard to pull. I played a sho bud the other day and it was like butter! Maybe it was because of it being broke in? I have oiled everything there is to oil. The Fesseden is about 2 years old. I'm a little scared of adjusting stuff under there. Anybody else have this. When I use some of the knee levers, the whole steel guitar moves. To me, that isn't right.
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My Setup:
Fesseden E9th
Hilton Optical Volume Pedal
Peavey Nashville 1000
Pod XT with foot control
Peterson Strobe Flip
Roc-N-Soc Throne With Backrest
http://www.actionrecordingstudio.com/toddbio.html |
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Chris LeDrew
From:
Canada
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Posted 17 Jun 2007 4:53 pm
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Deleted 'cause I got it backwards. 
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Jackson Steel Guitars
Web: www.chrisledrew.com
Last edited by Chris LeDrew on 17 Jun 2007 6:20 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Dean Parks
From:
Sherman Oaks, California, USA
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Posted 17 Jun 2007 5:23 pm
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Chris, I think that's backward... for easier pulls (requiring longer throws), move the pull rod to a slot CLOSER to the body.
You should be able to make the Fessy very smooth and easy. It's one of the easiest to adjust. |
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Chris LeDrew
From:
Canada
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Posted 17 Jun 2007 6:19 pm
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Thanks for the correction, Dean. I did get it backwards. Sorry, Todd. I've deleted my above post so there's no confusion.
What do I know, anyway? I only have two-hole pullers on my steel. Not much choice there.
_________________
Jackson Steel Guitars
Web: www.chrisledrew.com |
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Dan Beller-McKenna
From:
Durham, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 17 Jun 2007 6:26 pm
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(Huh,
I would have also thought the closer to the body of the guitar, the stiffer the pull. ??)
Todd: My Fessy is about six months old and has always had very smooth pulls on the knee levers-- firm, but not hard to pull. If the whole guitar is moving when you engage the knee levers something is wrong, probably more than just adjusting where the rods are. I would give Jerry a call and see if he can help you out. Almost sounds to me like some sort of binding is going on, something is catching on something else. Is it all the knee levers? Was this guitar new when you bought it? If used, maybe the previous owner can give you some info. Also, who many pulls are on each knee lever?
Hope you can get it straightened out.
Dan
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Durham, NH
dbmCk mUSIC |
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Mike Wheeler
From:
Delaware, Ohio, USA
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Posted 18 Jun 2007 4:19 am
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Hi Todd,
If the pedals are easy and smooth, then I'd agree with Dan, that someone has changed the rodding for the knees, and has them on the wrong bellcrank slots, and also, possibly in the wrong changer holes.
The combination of bellcrank position and changer position can have a very profound impact on the feel of the knees and pedals.
Being in Florida, you should be able to find someone reasonably near-by who knows how to set them up correctly. I think your guitar is fine...just poorly set up. Fessys are very good guitars.
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Best regards,
Mike |
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Brint Hannay
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 18 Jun 2007 8:25 am
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Because of the deletion above, it may be unclear as the thread now reads which holes or slots are being referred to.
ON THE BELL CRANK a hole (slot) closer to the body will make the pull easier, but longer.
ON THE CHANGER a hole farther from the body will make the pull easier, but longer.
Incidentally, I've never owned a Fessenden, but I borrowed one for a week, and found you have to watch out for popping the pull rods out of the bell crank slots. I think my tuning wrench for the nylon changer tuning nuts may have been the wrong size, so in trying to fit the wrench over the nut I once wound up pushing the finger in a bit, and the pull rod came out of its slot and hung up on the back of the bell crank between slots. Since this could potentially happen even with the right wrench, for example when tuning in haste on a gig, if I had a Fessy I would keep a list of the bell crank slots for each pull rod handy, just in case, so as not to have to remember which slot they were in if they came out.
EDIT: Or, better idea, mark the slot with a Sharpie. (Should have thought of that in the first place!)
Last edited by Brint Hannay on 18 Jun 2007 11:52 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Steve English
From:
Baja, Arizona
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Posted 18 Jun 2007 11:30 am
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The last Fessy I purchased had a similar situation. I found the screws that adjust the springs underneath the changer were tighten so much that there were almost no threads showing. Upon loosening the tension on the springs, the guitar played beautifully, and the strings returned to pitch perfectly.
Hope yours is as simple a fix! Great guitars!!
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Always remember you're unique..... Just like everyone else |
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