The Steel Guitar Forum

I have to completely disassemble my GFI with a broken end piece to have it repaired. Is there anything I need to watch out for? I plan to make photos and mark each piece as I remove it noting the position and connection. Any advice here will help!

Thanks,
Darrell Hodges

Why not contact GFI or Bobby Seymore and order a new right endplate for the GFI? just my thoughts, it would be worth paying the price for a new endplate, and I am sure Gene Fields would send you one.

I have already spoke with Gene and he says that my guitar is unrepairable. He says that the frames have changed over the years and this one is obsolete. I really don't understand why I should scrap the whole thing. Its just a crack in the end plate. That's why I am attempting this feat.

Thanks
Darrell

Darrell, You can't take to many pictures. Get a good digital camera that has "close up" capabiliteis, and take pictures of every position with several angles, and go section by section all through your undercarrage. Take pics of your endplate tuners so you can see what holes the rods go through. As completely as you can, document every detail you can think of. Then load the pics onto your computer for future reference. Down the road, you will be glad you did.

Gene Fields might be your best friend for advice.

Darrell,

As long as you remember, "Pictures are great, yet can also be very deceiving at times." How deceiving depends on the angle of the camera, as there is no depth perception in many otherwise great shots.

Take lots of pictures, and above all else, Make notes "On Paper" as to where each rod goes, and in what bell crank hole, etc.

If you're mechanically inclined, and understand exactly how it all works, it should be no problem getting it back in great working order.

First make sure you have to remove everything before doing it and then finding out too late that you didn't have to take it all off.

I can see where the springs would have to be removed from the casting, but that's as far as I can tell you from the viewpoint.

Good luck and hope it all works out for ya.

Don

I can't see from the pix, but are the changer pillow blocks somehow mounted to the end plate?

If not, maybe you could just loosen all the strings and unhook all the return springs and slip the end-plate off w/o the major changer disassembly......In the worst case scenario, (having to pull out the changer), you could probably get by with just de-rodding the guitar, while leaving all the pedal, knee lever and bell cranks in place.

Pix are great, but chart out all your changes. I use a system where the pull rod for each change, has a code based on both the 1] the changer hole and 2] the bell crank position. On my ShoBud triple raise/double lower.....starting with the holes closest to the body: I name each changer position A through E. (A,B,C = raises and D,E are lowers). My Bell cranks are 1 - 4.

e.g. My 5th string B --> C# pullrod is at the 2nd changer hole and 3rd bellcrank hole from the body or "B-3".

After reassembling the changer and endplate, determining which rod go to which pedal or knee lever is obvious by its length. your chart will give you a road map for re-rodding each individual change

Hey Tony, You may not believe this but I have just charted out the rods and their positions using string locations 1-10 and holes abc for raises and cd for lowers. I just may be on the right track for a change. The changer pillow block or "stops" as I was calling them are mounted to the end plate. So far I have removed the strings and springs on the C7 neck. Next I will remove the rods charting and marking as I go.

That guitar is repairable, Talk to somebody else, somebody can make an endplate for you,, talk to somebody like ricky davis or see about repairing that plate, it can be welded most likely, search out a good metal worker, dont fall into the, [ gotta finance a new steel] trap!

Darrell, Tony gave you good advice and it sounds like you took it and will be fine. Just don't take anything apart that doesn't necessarily need it. Someone can probably heliarc weld that endplate, you can then put some wrinkle paint on it and it will be good enough.
Good luck!

Darrell, your steel "IS MOST DEFINITELY REPAIRABLE."

Even if what you have "End Plate" can't be repaired, due to the material in it.

I'm quite certain there are folks who can make up a new end plate, if the need arrises.

Take your time, it will all work out for you.

Don

What Tony said.

Bill

UPDATE!!!!

As I began to disassemble the guitar, I realized that the top is not connected by screws only the sides. I was able to pry back the mica enough to get to the four side screws and noticed that the plate moved. I didn't even have to derod or anything. Just removed the 22 screws that held the stop plates and return springs along with the nut on the plug socket an viola...I have the end plate in may hand. Praise the Lord!!! It sure was nice to have the moral support that all of you gave me!!!!

Now all I have to do is find a machine shop to braise or weld. Pat Comeau told me about a new product HTS-2000 that seems to have advantage over heliarc. Has anyone heard of this being used? Here is a website:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-cv3R4f ... re=related

Thanks Again
Darrell

NEW UPDATE,

I'm back in the saddle again!! I had the end piece welded yesterday and he also built up behind the plate for extra support. I had it pinted and reassembled last night and restrung by midnight. I found some texture paint at Lowe's that matched perfectly. I even baked it on in the oven.

It took me longer today to tune it properly than the assembly did. Nevertheless I am driving my family nuts again with some old fashioned twang!!

Yee Haaaaa!
Darrell Hodges

Glad you got her fixed bro, now you're all set to play again.
YeeHaah.....

Congrats! Please post some pixs of the end result.

How did it break? Was it dropped, or normal wear?


PS

"I have already spoke with Gene and he says that my guitar is unrepairable"

That's sad.

I purchased a new GFI that was delivered this January. Less than three months later, at the TSGA show they were raving about their new stainless steel fingers.
I was told retrofitting mine was not possible.
Now I wonder ....

Way to go Darrell...


Replacement parts not available???Not a good thing..

Upgrade not available???? not a good thing.

$.02

Hello again forumites,

Sorry I haven't replied...I've been busy getting caught up on the practicing that I missed while my horn was broken. Here is a couple of pics for anyone that is interested. Notice the penny in the hole where the switch once was. Now my guitar may not be worth two cents but I do know it's worth one!!!!!Thanks again for the help and comments.

Looks good to me!!!

Thanks Bill,

I'm just glad to be back making noise again.

Darrell Hodges

Just curious, how did that crack? That had to be a hell of a whack!

Hello AJ

It wasn't a hard hit at all. I was carrying my guitar to a jam (completely assembled). When I was taking it out of the back seat of my pickup, the wind blew the door into the leg that did not have pedals forcing it outward. I was sick over it.

Darrell Hodges

Darrell,
Sorta reminds me of the time I set up my guitar at a gig, stepped on the A pedal to check the tuning. It broke with no way to repair on site. Tuned 3&6, played that nite with only the B pedal.That was a long nite!!!

BF

Bill,

Now thats what I call talent!!!!

dh

HI Gang
I have a Sho-Bud Pro 1 3 plus 3 and my left knee lever is too far to the right, When I have a foot pedal down I cant reach the knee lever, It looks like someone added it because it is shaped like an upside-down question mark, how much trouble would it be to move the pedal about 6 in to the left, any help will be appreciated, Thanks Paul

Paul,
Things are seldom as simple as they sound...but...if there is nothing in the way of where you need the lever to be, move everything to that spot, then it should be as simple as making the right length connecting rod for that lever. If you have a digital camera, take pictures before you start, and write down measurements, also post a picture here.

Bill