What am I Getting? ...Update #2...the work is finished...

[Mike Chapman]

Bear with me...I'm a newbie. I've been lurking on the forum for a few weeks. My kids gave me a steel guitar and lessons for Christmas..and I am pretty excited about it. I haven't seen the guitar yet. My Son-in-law is bringing it to Texas, later this month. He says there are no markings on the guitar, and he sent me a couple pictures. I thought a forumite might recognize the features from the pictures and tell me what I am getting. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of the underside.

Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated.

Mike

[Bill Moore]

It's a BMI with an Emmons fretboard. It probably has at least 2 knee levers, maybe 3 or 4. It's an excellent guitar to start with. Good luck.

[Jerry Roller]

Mike, you really need to put a BMI fretboard on it. The Emmons fretboard is 24 1/4" scale and BMI is 24 1/8" scale. The frets will be slightly off.
Jerry

[chris ivey]

great steel though....learn to turn it upside down in the case.

[Mike Chapman]

...learn to turn it upside down in the case.

Yep, after lurking on the forum and seeing all the guitars in their cases upside down, I was a little surprised when I received the pictures showing it in the case right side up.

Having it in the case upside down would make it a lot easier to attach the legs.

When I get the guitar, it'll be pampered and treated right...and gently tucked in UPSIDE DOWN.

[chris ivey]

good job mike....your an official forumite now!

[Ben Feher]

I know exactly what you got! You got LUCKY!

Actually, its not luck. Its being a cool enough parent so that you raised kids that buy you a pedal steel for chrismas.

Guess this puts the "lap vs pedal" question to bed. Pedal steel has a tough learning curve, but lessons will help a lot with that. Have fun and enjoy it!

[Bill Ford]

Mike, When you change strings, don't change them like the last owner did. Do a search on string changing, some good tips on the subject. Don't pull the through, and let them scrape on the finish, cut to length, bend a 90deg with just enough to barely stick through the tuner peg, then wind em up. Welcome to the world of PSG.

Bill

[Mike Chapman]

First, thank you to the forum members that responded to my initial inquiry...you got me pointed the right direction.

Now that I have had a chance to examine the guitar, I found that I have a bit of a project...but I am having a blast learning about PSG's!!!

It is a BMI S-10, Serial number 1195. It has a double-raise, double lower changer; and, as best I can tell, it must have originally been set up with three pedals and three knee levers.

The cross bars are in place for the pedals and knee levers (RKR, RKL, and LKL), but the knee levers are not connected to the changer, and only five pull rods connected the pedals to the changer.

It almost seems like someone had cannibalized this guitar for parts.

Being a hobby machinist (used to be a machinist in Weirton, WV, 35+ years ago) I'll be making bellcranks, pull rods, and an LKR lever, to make this baby like new.

The Emmons fretboard that was on the guitar looked like it had been whittled on to make it fit the BMI neck, but the fretboard was installed more than a quarter-inch too far toward the changer,and was angled off centerline. I'll be ordering a new fretboard from BMI.

I'll be looking for lots of advice...

[Bobby Bowman]

Mike,
Where in Texas are you?
I'm in Cypress (west side of Houston)
BB

[Mike Chapman]

Bobby, I live in Fort Worth. I'll see if I can update my profile to show that.

[Justin Griffith]

If you can get to the Austin area, I'd be glad to help you put it together. Let me know if I can help.

[Justin Griffith]

If you can get to the Austin area, I'd be glad to help you put it together. Let me know if I can help.

[Mike Chapman]

As I mentioned in a previous post, this guitar appeared to have been cannibalized for parts...

I made new bellcranks, pull rods, new stainless-steel springs for the changer, and the LKR lever assembly. I took the PSG all apart...cleaned the individual pieces, assembled everything, setting it up for an Emmons copedent, but had a tough time getting the individual finger springs set to the correct tension.

Then, I went to the Texas Steel Guitar Association Jamboree...saw all those pretty, new PSG's that had individually adjustable spring tensioners, and I knew that was the answer to my problem...

Here are the pictures of my BMI S-10:

New BMI decals...



Replaced the Emmons fretboard with a BMI fretboard...



New aluminum bellcranks...and stainless-steel pull rods...



Added LKR lever...



Individually adjustable spring tensioners...



...showing the bracket...



I sure have learned a lot about steel guitars during this process...and had a LOT of fun doing it!

The PSG looks pretty good...and sounds good, too!

[Kevin Hatton]

Beautiful job Mike. You have a fully functional personalized guitar now, and you know what went into it. It's goods to understand how the guitar functions mechanically to make sure that it is in regulation. This BMI will serve you well now.

[George McCann]

What a great looking instrument. I'm always envious of machinest's knowledge and skill. Your first steel guitar and you know it backwards and forwards. Now you can set up your own steel repair shop.

[Ned McIntosh]

Mike, praise from Kevin Hatton constitutes a real "seal of approval" on your diligent work.

I too have spent many hours making small parts to update an old Marlen pull-release steel and give it new life. There is no better way to learn the mechanics of your steel than to re-do part or all of it. I think what you have achieved is just magnificent.

Now you have a "keeper" and that glorious BMI will give you decades of pleasure.