The Steel Guitar Forum

I am looking at a fender 400 that is for sale near me. Just wondering how much work it would be to set it up with new cables? My buddy is a welder and has his own business and he can pretty much make anything where metal is concerned. I play lap steel in c6 right now and was thinking of having it tuned to c6. What set up would you guys have for the pedals. Also, would it be worth putting a roller bridge on it? I've heard some string breakage stories and that fixed it. I'm not concerned about keeping it original. I plan on playing it.

Does it need new cables? I still have the originals and mine works fine but you can repair or replace as needed.

I always advise beginners against buying fixer-uppers. If it doesn't have the original cables, pass on it - something better will come along. Many of the older Fenders have been retrofitted with roller nuts and bridges, and they were standard on all Fenders after 1963, but I don't consider them mandatory since I played one for 8 or 9 years that didn't have them!

I'm with Donny. If you're a newbie, buy a Stage One or similar. See the thread "Miller Custom" for an abbreviated tale similar.
You want to learn to PLAY a guitar, not learn to REBUILD a guitar. The two skills aren't really similar.

I'd have to agree with the warnings above if your goal is to make an immediate transition from lap to pedal steel. You are likely to become frustrated if you have a significant project before you can get the Fender 400 undercarriage working.

If, on the other hand, you don't mind taking on a DIY project, the 400 is a great place to start. I purchased one in pieces some years ago and discovered that they are fairly easy to work on. If you (or your friend) are handy, you can make new cables from parts at your local hardware store: wire rope, cable ferrules, and pulleys. If you are missing pedal rods, Michael Yahl has them inexpensively: http://www.psgparts.com/Rod-Pedal-Fende ... 00-001.htm . Missing pedals or tuner pans are more difficult to replace if they are missing.

If the price is reasonable, you'll have a great 8-string Fender console steel (with slant-friendly 3/8" string spacing rather than a tighter, pedal steel spacing) until you can source or build missing parts.

If I am reading your question about replacing cables incorrectly, and the cables are there but are not on the right changer fingers for a C6 tuning, the answer is that changing your copedent on a Fender 400 takes less than an hour. They're great for tinkering.

If the present cables are in good shape, not to worry about them. A 400 can be changed in a matter of minutes to do whatever it is you want it to do. FWIW I recently finished my own 400 project and tuned it to a Eb rather than an E. This is not relevant to your situation where you had mentioned using a C6th setup. But if string breakage becomes an issue, de-tune to B6th.
PRR

I retained both the solid nut AND the solid bridge and have yet to break a string. Rollers are nice, but not necessary. The "solids" will give you better tone and longer sustain.
PRR