The Steel Guitar Forum

I removed the old chipped, black paint from inside the key head and replaced the Grovers with Sperzels:

Looks good!!!!!!!!!

Why would you do that?

Thanks, Billy!

Erv Niehaus wrote:Why would you do that?

Because I like Sperzels more than Grovers, and I dislike old chipped, black paint.

Cameron,
Whenever I re-do an Emmons keyhead, I sand down the old paint and give it a fresh coat of flat black.
Do those Sperzels fit right on without any modification?

I like the appearance more without the paint and consider it an improvement. I had to drill new holes for the mounting pins on the Sperzels.

Out curiosity, do they make Sperzels anymore with a shiny nickel finish? I have shiny ones on a JCH.

i'm with erv this time. don't sperzels have a tendency to get really stiff?

Sperzel does make them in all chrome. I chose the satin finish because I like the appearance in contrast with the shiny key head. I've had several sets of Sperzels and never experienced stiffness. They can be disassembled to clean and lube as well, but I've never had to do that.

The original Sperzels on my Emmons SKH have become extremely stiff and difficult to turn. Factor in that due to the shorter key head design clearance between tuner buttons is minimal at best, fine tuning can present a challenge. Anyone knowledgeable on how to dissemble them for service?

David Nugent wrote:Anyone knowledgeable on how to dissemble them for service?

Before disassembling, check the screw on top of the tuner button, because if it is too tight, the tuner may be totally seized. If you determine you need to take it apart to service it, remove the screw on top of the tuner button, then separate all the parts as shown above.

Erv Niehaus wrote:Why would you do that?

Why wouldn't you? I always thought the paint inside looked sorta dopey...kinda like "We're going to paint over that so no one will know we used a cheap casting and were too lazy to polish or machine it."

One thing I can say for sure... Emmons did not use cheap casings on anything. It's like any other industry, polishing the inside is not easy and would cost and add more cost to the consumer for the product.

Erv Niehaus wrote:Why would you do that?

Because... he could.

Charlie,
There's a difference between could and would.
I could jump off a cliff, but would I? No way!!!

I could say maybe you should, but you'd know I was only kidding.

If I ever decide to sell it, I will throw in an entire can of flat black Rust-Oleum for free. That's a $3.98 value - for free! If one of the Sperzels has suffered irreparable damage, I'll buy a new one for under $6.00 and throw that in too.

Swap out the tuners too?

Erv, I would throw in the Grovers for free too, but they make really cool cuff links!

One thing about buying something is that you can do whatever you want to with it. It belongs to the owner and not the community of enthusiasts. People go ape whenever something is re-finished, a screw is replaced out of sequence or something is other than stock, no matter the fact that it may look and/or perform way better. I speak from having experienced such scoldings.

I applaud Cameron for doing whatever makes his guitar suit him and I think it looks very nice.

It must have been quite a job to remove all that paint what with all the recesses, bends and curves.

I will add that it doesn't take much to scratch the paint inside the keyhead. I don't know if they're powder coated or just painted, but just a stray sharp string end will mark the paint. Another thing is some players have a habit of laying the bar inside the keyhead. The back end edge of the bar bumping against the painted surface will also chip it.

Good job Cameron, I'd like to see how it all looks in a wide shot of the entire guitar.

Cameron,
You're a good sport!
Bless your heart.
Erv

Hopefully the discussion benefits someone, but you don't want to know how I got the paint off. I also removed the metal pickup mounting plate and mounted BL-710's directly to the body which had a dramatic positive tonal result for me. Experimenting is fun if you are willing to take the risk. I'll post some pics soon.

Dave Diehl wrote:One thing I can say for sure... Emmons did not use cheap casings on anything. It's like any other industry, polishing the inside is not easy and would cost and add more cost to the consumer for the product.

Sorry Dave, but castings are cheap, cheaper by far than machining from solid stock - and that's why castings were (and are) used in many applications. Anyone who tells you otherwise is simply giving you false information.

not only cheap, but remember the italian fiasco a few years back when an emmons or two were delivered with terrilble pitted endplate castings?
so i guess it partly depends on the era of the steels.

Cameron Parsons wrote:Hopefully the discussion benefits someone, but you don't want to know how I got the paint off. I also removed the metal pickup mounting plate and mounted BL-710's directly to the body which had a dramatic positive tonal result for me. Experimenting is fun if you are willing to take the risk. I'll post some pics soon.

An Emmons pickup mounted directly to the cabinet and not to the necks is not a new thing. Emmons did it that way before the neck mount. Buddy Emmons did not like it.

Painting the inside of the keyed is one of the features Emmons borrowed from Bigsby.