The Steel Guitar Forum

Im sure all of us have had our days with problems with our beloved instruments, but yesterday was an all time bonner for me
I sat down at my beloved Carter ready for some serious practice for a show comming up. After about a minute of playing I herd a soft Clank from the end changer. I put my hand on the changer & engagued the A&B pedals & there it was CLANK! What was it? an old ball from a broken string? a sticking changer? After turning the steel up side down & observing the changer while pushing the pedals down I found nothing binding, no old ball ends, nothing loose on the changer & no CLANK! So it was on with practice. Then the damn CLANK! was back worse than ever when I used any of the pedals. It had to be a pull rod or cross rod binding somewhere so under the steel I went with a flashlight laying on my back & pushing the pedals with my hand. I could feel the clank in the pedals so I checked them out for somthing NOTHING!If I pushed the pedals very slowley there was nothing, but if I pushed them hard I could feel & hear a CLANK! but couldnt see anything wrong with the pull rods or cross shafts. I was now near my breaking point!!! I sat back on my seat and pumped the pedals as fast as I could & hard & there it was CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! What the *^%$# was it!
Finaly I laid my ear on the changer & hit the pedals & there it was comming from the changer, LOUD! & CLEAR! but what?
I got the flashlight & magnifying glass & carefully observed the changer NOTHING!!but that &^%$ CLANK comming from the changer end By now I was really pi$$ed ready to adjust the Carter with a chainsaw!!practice time was all but gone now & then I spoted the problem. How stupid could I have been. It took me 3 seconds to fix the problem.
Im too embarrased to tell ya all what it was.
Can anyone guess?

Knee lever not swung down into position?

Wrong string guage on the 10th String??

You left the tuning wrench on the nylon nut?

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Billy Easton
Casa Grande, AZ
Southwestern Steel Guitar Association

A pedal rod was not hooked onto the proper spot on the guitar?

Bell crank hooked to a real bell?

String broken?

There was a little-tiny elf sitting on the end of one of your return springs with a great big clank-hammer?

I think it's actually "Ring, ring, ring, went the trolley" instead of "clank-clank'?

(:
lc

Pedal board not clamped tight to the legs? An unfastened belt buckle hitting a firearm concealed in your pants? Your earring hitting the aluminum neck? A faulty hearing aid? The ice cream man likes your practicing?

#1 pedal rod in #3 slot, # 3 rod where 2 should be?......Well, come on now..WHAT???
You are Killin' me......

What Billy E. said. Tuning wrench on nylon nut.

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Martin W. Emmons LG III 3/5 Peavy 1000

Just a few more replys & Ill tell yall what it was.

Termites in your Pac-a-Seat?
(This is sort of like the "puzzlah" on Car Talk; maybe it should be a regular feature!)
chas

It has to be one of theese:
Your mobile phone was too close to your amp when you recieved a message?
Your long lost wrist-watch was stuck between two changer fingers?
A ladybug nesting in the return springs?

Uffe

Dropped fingerpick in it while in the case.
Or spare change.

If the noise was "RAP, RAP" rather than "CLANK, CLANK" I would think it was a roll of wRAPPING paper.

Ooh, I just love mysteries, don't you?

BCT = Body Clank Technology???

The spare bar in the bar holder,attached to the leg?
Or your pittbull rabbit with the iron neckless tried to make love to your steelguitar?

Frank, that was a classic! (ROTFLMAO)

Now, if Rick was a cowboy, I'd say it was his spurs! (I played a few gigs years ago with boots and spurs.)

Volume Pedal hitting the pedal bar?
JE:-)>

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Emmons D10 8/4 P/P -75'
Fessenden SD-10 3/5
Session 400
Nashville 400
Bandit 112

Bad U-joint?

Maybe it was your pager vibrating up against your guitar. Stranger things have happened..

Wiggling pin out of the wobbling shaft! Clank Clank Clank- We have a winner!