The Steel Guitar Forum

Magnum Changer fingers?
Just had a Magnum Pro Select in for repair with bent changer fingers, my first with this problem. Nice guitar; is this a one off problem, or have any of you out there in PSGland encountered this problem?
See picture
Dave at Wiggins Guitars.

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I know I'm amuffin when it comes to computers, give a welder, lathe or oscilloscope and I'm okay! Sorry the picture did not up-load. Try again!

Here are David's pictures...

I see the trouble, you only had 2 bottles of wine, just kidding. I've seen this before on an Emmons and was caused by foot slipping off pedal which caused the changer to bend, not for sure was same place on changer but similar.What strings were the bent changers on?---Henry

I was wondering how one could bend a changer finger- actually those are the changer scissors- they articulate with the changer finger.

Hi everybody !
Thanks Rick for that. I keep saying I need a nanny, I'm now offering £20 a week, perhaps you'll take the job Henry, that was No6 string G# on the B pedal, but all the fingers, except No1, had a slight curve just by the notch at the rivet. The notch is what engineers would call a stress raiser. Jim, it is this weakness at this point that has allowed the bending. I asked the question of you'all, simply because I can't see this as being an isolated case.
Thanks to all for your feed-back.David.

Your point is well taken, David, however I've not heard of it before.

Thanks Jim, you being Stateside and many more of these sold near to you, then I would have expected some of you to have seen it before. Perhaps my customer is a soccer player, you know, very heavy feet.I will wait to see if they start to come in for attention. Most all guitars are in their mid thirties when the get to me, old Emmons, MSA and the Sho-Bud's. This was a shock at just 5years old.
Thanks for your reply.
Best wishes David.

This happened on my 2002 Carter D-10 first string 6 months ago...I bought 2 scissors so I'd have a spare..A piece of loose metal had gotten in the case and had gotten between finger and scissor(lowest point when carrying in the case!)Js

David,

I just installed those quad/double scissors on one of my D-10 Carters, that I removed from another Carter, and none were bent.

By looking at your pictures, I'd say there were two things possible, that could cause that. One, being if the rivet was too loose, allowing the scissor to cock during the pull, or someone tried prying on the one half of the scissor (in an attempt) to remove the rivet instead of drilling out the top section of the rivet.

Just my two cents worth on it.

I'll try to find the pictures of the ones I changed to look over, and possibly post a picture.....

PS: The metal is pretty soft, so you should be able to simply bend it back in place.

And yes! As John said, a piece of metal or anything that had gotten down inside, could do that as well.

It just goes to show you. They are machines and things happen.

Hi John,You might have something there. I figured that appart from it being weak in design, Maybe something stopped the alloy finger from rotating on the shaft, no oil,or a foreign body between the alloy finger and the plate, not a lot of room there!
Don,all the rivets were tight and the bending happened whilst it was being played. The player complained that the steel would not stay in tune, sixth string "hazzy". When examined, I pointed out that the heel on the string anchor, was cocked backwards, like flattening, all the time.After stripping, thats what I found.But it sounds like it's not the BIG problem I expected it to be,you lads would have been full of stories, but NO!.Thanks & very best to all, David.

Dave, speak to Al Brisco, he is doing all the Carter repair work , if anybody has encountered this he is the man to tell you.

Foot slipping off pedal
Sometimes only takes once and you get a bent changer

i fell off my seat once and bent my little finger.