sho-bud cabinet drop...HELP

Jordan Shapiro · From: Echo Park, California, USA

I have a very beautiful Sho-Bud Pro 1 (s-10). I bought it from Duane Dunard, who was a pleasure to do business with.
The guitar is in good condition and has been rebuilt underneath and has an upgraded changer (triple raise dbl lower) on it. All was well,( i've only been playing about a year), until i hit the studio for the first time and realized that I wasnt hitting all the notes right on pitch. (A rather deflating discovery). as i was checking and rechecking my tuning, I noticed that when my A+B pedals were pressed, other strings wre going a few cents flat especially the high E 4th string which really messes up a bunch of my playing 'cause i play mostly on the higher strings.(tone and picking wise I have a harder time getting a good tight snap out of those lower strings). Practice, practice.......
So, anybody out there know how to do anything to cut down the drop? I was thinking of fixing some steel plates that run the length of the guitar on the sides of the undercarriage to keep the wood from flexing any, but........... oh I dont know!
help?
any advice on keeping a guitar in tune(mine seems to out real easy) would be greatly appreciated also.
-Just tryin' ta' keep the dream alive here in Los Angeles-
Jordan

Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

Jordan, make sure the tail plate screws and end plate screws are real tight. Call Duanne Marrs if that doesn't help. He has a mechanical retrofit with a body re-inforcer that will eliminate your problem. His number is 615-868-5344.

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Jordan,

Didn't you know that you can "tweak" the bar and "cure" all cabinet drop?

Seriously I was being facetious. It is interesting to note HOW many times the subject of "cabinet drop" appears on this forum. To hear some tell it, there is little or NO problem. But in reading this board for going on 7 yrs now, I can tell you that there are many players who are UNable to "tweak" the strings back in tune; AND it bothers them (I included!).

I have never owned a Sho-Bud, but I have owned and played enough PSG's to KNOW that so-called "cabinet drop" IS a problem for MORE than just a few players. I hope you will find a cure for it soon.

Incidently, I just received a Fax from Mitsuo Fujii of Excel Guitar co. In it he has come up with a mod to stop cabinet drop on my Excel. And I can't tell you how excited I am to have him send it to me. Several recent buyers of Excel's have it on their new guitars. (it was not available when I purchased mine) And according to one of them,

"The cabinet drop is ZERO! using a tuner as a test".

If this mod makes mine Zero, I am going to be one mighty pleased player. Because I can't stand cabinet drop, regardless of the cause. Apparently I am not alone, since this is now two manufacturers that have come up with mods to solve this problem, ie, Emmons and Excel. I suspect there will be others in the future.

God bless them for doing this. And may Jesus bring you joy always,

carl

richard burton · From: Britain

Jordan, try this:
Tune your 4th string to E while pressing pedals A and B. When you release the pedals, the 4th string will now be sharp. You may find that it will now play acceptably, as sharp always sounds better than flat (IMHO).

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

I have a Pro-1.
It sounds great and I love to play it!
I'd tune my E's just sharp of 440 open or just flat of 440 with A+B.
Season with vibrato.

But truth be told, I turned my Pro-1 into a 3x2 B6th tuning which is all half tone raises or lowers except for one change (the P7 raise). The hardware of that time can handle this copedant alot better IMHO.

Some random ideas...
There are likely several other things (instruments) in the big picture of the audio spectrum such that a tuner won't help.
Let your ear be your guide!

For your studio project, I'd play along with the track several times and tweak the open and lever/pedal tuning to the track untill you have it right, then record.
You may have to do this for each song.
(For that matter, you only have to tweak the pedal/lever combos you plan to use on any given song.)

Make notes of what sounds "In Tune" and reference that to your tuner for future reference.

Jeff Peterson · From: Nashville, TN USA

If you have that much change in tuning...it's not that whole hard maple body 'flexing' as is the popular myth. My suggestion would be to change the changer fingers to the aluminum(new) with the pin string assembly. The fit from your fingers to changer axle should be really close to minimize movement in the changer itself. This is not a big deal to change...but..the tolerance between the changer axle and fingers should be minimal. The slightest slop there can result in a 4 to 6 cent drop when pedals are engaged.

Ricky Davis · From: Bertram, Texas USA

Jeff is yet again> Awesomely Correct...and some sound advice there.
...another couple of things I can suggest...is....turn the Axle over...as worn spots happen from years of those fingers pulling on the axle.
Also...for your 24" scale ShoBud(which is the scale I exclusively play); your string guages make a difference on the balanced tension pull on those fingers.
I've tried about ever guaging one can ...on the 24" scale pedal steels and I believe I have the best string guages for the E9th 24" scale pedal steel that will give you the best balance/tension throughout your tuning.

Ricky

[This message was edited by Ricky Davis on 22 February 2003 at 02:02 PM.]

Jeff Peterson · From: Nashville, TN USA

Awesomely? Gee, thanks.
I've found that the ShoBud's with the least cab-drop problem are the ones that, with strings off, you cannot push the changer axle out easily. You need to tap them out...sometimes you really need to whack 'em, and these guitars are pretty darn stable. The string guages you,Ricky, list are pretty standard...brand is up to the player..as to availability and cost per. There is a simple formula for buying.....stainless last longer(keep 'em clean/wipe often), and nickel sound good quick and 'settle in', stabilize kinda' quicker. I change strings very freqently, so I use nickel. If you're on a budget, stainless may be best. I'll tell you right now, go with a brand and make that has the best deal price-wise. Overpaying for strings makes no sense at all, seeing as most are made by the same maker. Have trouble figuring it out? Whatever strings have the best/cheapest price are probably made by a certain maker. More expensive 'boutique/special' strings may be made by another. You need to do your research, some companies will have neat packaging and charge more for the same string as a cheaper company. I know what I like, but they may not work for you. If you see me, I'll be happy to tell you. More expensive strings are just that.......more expensive.

[This message was edited by Jeff Peterson on 23 February 2003 at 08:07 PM.]

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