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Topic: Tuning P/P and Pull Release |
Ray Anderson
From:
Jenkins, Kentucky USA
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Posted 7 Jun 2011 6:54 pm |
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Does P/P and Pull Release differ in method of tuning proceedure, and what is the difference in these 2 set ups. How do you distinguish between the two? I'm green on this subject but need to learn. The closest place for help on this would be Bobbe Seymour( about 7 hours away) or Billy Cooper( about 8 hours away) so I'm pretty much on my own, if I don't learn , I won't get to play. Just that simple. Very mechanically inclined, thats what I do for a living. Any help will be appreciated.  |
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richard burton
From:
Britain
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Posted 7 Jun 2011 9:11 pm
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Pull-release steels all work on the same principle, but vary quite a bit in where the tuners are located.
It seems that a very old pull-release steel will have some of the tuners underneath the steel, whilst the more recent models have nylon tuners at the endplate.
If you could post some clear photos of your steel (endplate, changer fingers, bellcranks etc) I could tell you the tuning procedure.
My Marlen, made in 1966, has a couple of places underside where the tuning is done, and I have to have a think about it before I touch anything, as it's very easy to get the tuning sequence wrong, and end up in total confusion 
Push-pulls are a bit simpler to tune, with the exception of the 4th string on E9, which has the semitone raise tuned under the steel.
You have shown some indisticnt photos of your steel in another thread, which is why I think you have a pull-release, not a push-pull, but the photos are not clear enough to work out the exact tuning procedure. |
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Ray Anderson
From:
Jenkins, Kentucky USA
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Posted 8 Jun 2011 4:45 pm P/P Pull Release
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Hey Richard, here's some pics of the undercarriage see if you can make sense of it.I hope you are a patient man, but I'm not overly dumb, I follow instructions pretty good; just ask my wife. Thanks for the help. BTW, Tom bradshaw is sending parts to finish my LKL to raise my E's. I am 1 rod and 1 bellcrank shy. But I can still study the tuning proceedure. 
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richard burton
From:
Britain
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Posted 9 Jun 2011 12:18 am
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OK,
I think that I'm starting to understand it now, it's a bit different to other pull-releases that I have seen, and I could be completely wrong in how I see it
It looks like the raise travel is governed (but not tuned) at the endplate using the bottom row of screws (when the steel is in its normal playing position)
The top row of screws govern the lowers.
The middle position of a string that is both raised and lowered is set by adjusting the 'at rest' position of its knee lever.
I can see the screw that does that adjustment on the RKR, but I can't see anything on the LKR.
So, I think that, once the bottom row of screws have been set, controlling the raise travel of the finger, they are not touched again, but as I say, I could be completely off-beam.
Tuning procedure would be (for a string that is only raised):
Press and hold the pedal to raise the string, and tune it to its raised pitch at the keyhead.
Release the pedal, and tune it to its lower note at the upper row of screws in the endplate.
To tune a string that only lowers eg the second string:
Make sure that the spring that holds the string in its raised position is strong enough to hold it there, and tune the string to its highest pitch at the keyhead.
Activate the knee lever to lower the string, and tune it to its lowest pitch using the top row of screws in the endplate.
To tune a string that is both raised and lowered eg the fourth string:
Press the C pedal and tune the 4th string to its highest pitch (F#) at the keyhead.
Release the pedal and activate LKR to lower the string, and tune it to its lowest note (Eb) using the screw in the upper row at the endplate.
Release the lever, and look for an adjusting mechanism somewhere near that lever. This adjuster is used to tune the centre position note (E).
I can't see that adjuster in your photos, so my advice on tuning this steel could be completely wrong, look closely at the mechanism before you adjust anything. |
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Ray Anderson
From:
Jenkins, Kentucky USA
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Posted 9 Jun 2011 2:07 pm P/P Pull Release
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| Hey Richard thanks for the comeback, I believe that you are correct in your assumption of tuning method. I believe that there are thumb grip tuning screws at the levers but I'll check to make certain. My question is this, should all the pull rods have slack while nothing is applied i.e pedals or levers? Is that the best place to start? If they are tight do I loosen the allen screws to the top of the changer to get this slack? I have never messed with this guitars tuning since I bought it, but it does have a tuning or detuning issue when I try to play it. BTW what is your take on this by what you have seen, P/P or Pull Release? Ray |
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richard burton
From:
Britain
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Posted 9 Jun 2011 11:39 pm
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It's pull-release, albeit a bit different than my Marlen.
When you press a pedal (to raise a string) can you see if any screws in the bottom row of holes at the endplate move?
If not, then my analysis is wrong.
You will need slack in any raise rod where the string is both raised and lowered. This slack is to allow the changer finger to move backwards, to achieve the lower note.
The rods that do the lowering should automatically be tight, because they are holding the changer finger in the mid-position by spring tension.
In a finger that is only raised, and not lowered, there should only be a minimal amount of slack in the raise rod when the finger is 'at rest' ie in the open position |
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