| Author |
Topic: Replacing cables with rods on a Fender |
Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
|
Posted 9 May 2005 7:09 am |
|
Just wondering if anyone has done this and if so how well it works. I love the sound of the guitar and even with a stationary roller nut and bridge the thing returns to pitch real nice. The pedals are a bit mushy and require more muscle.
DZ |
|
|
|
Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
|
Posted 9 May 2005 8:20 am
|
|
Dave-I read about that Fender you scored on the other thread. If you run across any more really hot deals to get me into a pedal steel shoot me an e-mail!!!
------------------
Mark
|
|
|
|
Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
|
Posted 9 May 2005 10:36 am
|
|
| This has been done. The late Ed Naylor did some. Lot of work. Not really worth it in my opinion on the Fenders with only a single raise/lower changer. You can get the cables adjusted pretty good it you just work at it. |
|
|
|
Dave Van Allen
From:
Souderton, PA , US , Earth
|
Posted 9 May 2005 3:05 pm
|
|
you can put a Porsche engine in a volkwagen but it still has vw suspension... maybe it's analogous, I dunno.
I gotta ask: Why do humans persist in wishing to make cool old things into something they are not?
I'd let the cool old thing be what it is and adapt myself to it... do the things with it it can do well and find another tool to do another task... appreciate it for what it is, do not corrupt it attempting to make it what it can never be...
my $.02 |
|
|
|
Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
|
Posted 9 May 2005 4:34 pm
|
|
Thanks for your $.02.
I guess I should have specified in the original post that the guitar is already corrupted and no one I checked with so far has any parts available. It's been refinished(with a brush), it's missing parts and has a bunch of holes drilled underneath and has some crosshafts and bellcranks for knee levers that are not part of the original design, but the price was right. If it was anywhere close to the original condition I wouldn't have posted this-or maybe I would just for fun. Seeing things close up like that make me think "what if?" and there isn't a better place that I can think of to ask, but the forum.
I doubt I'll ever get around to doing it because I'm so darn busy.
Did you give the same $.02 to all the guys that couldn't adapt and had the Mars retro fit done to all those cool old ShoBuds?  [This message was edited by Dave Zirbel on 09 May 2005 at 05:46 PM.] |
|
|
|
Dave Van Allen
From:
Souderton, PA , US , Earth
|
Posted 9 May 2005 6:14 pm
|
|
you're right. It's your property and you can do with it as you wish. It was more of a rhetorical question, and it happened to be your post that triggered my ill considered response.
P-L-E-A-S-E Don't take it personally.
And if I was in the same frame of mind as when I posted my above response I might well try to put Duane Marrs out of work... sometimes I am a parodoxical combinaton of progressive and luddite. Maybe I need to check my meds...
 |
|
|
|
Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
|
Posted 9 May 2005 7:24 pm
|
|
I didn't really take it too personal. In fact we share the same opinion because like I said, if it were close to original I wouldn't consider changing.
I guess I was looking more for input from someone that has done a conversion or seen it up close and played one, rather than one's opinion.
Judging by the amount of replies to this post,(or the lack thereof) you may share a common opinion with most players who didn't even bother checking out this thread. 
No worries, mate! And if I ever talk about adding a cable mechanism to my '69 ZB D-10, PLEASE give me your $.02 worth.
Have a good evening-DZ |
|
|
|
Jay Fagerlie
From:
Lotus, California, USA
|
Posted 10 May 2005 6:58 am
|
|
Don't let this happen to you:
 |
|
|
|
Roger Edgington
From:
San Antonio, Texas USA
|
Posted 10 May 2005 7:15 am
|
|
Dave, It's probably been done befor, but I don't know that you would gain much. I've had several Fenders and they work well if you keep the cables a little loose. There isn't much depth on the bottom and the cables lay pretty flat and are easy to change around.
Jay, What is it? I thought my permanent Sho-Bud was a little rough. This thing could give you night mares. Now I'm really curious what the top looks like and how it plays. |
|
|
|
Jay Fagerlie
From:
Lotus, California, USA
|
Posted 10 May 2005 7:33 am
|
|
Hey Roger,
That is a Fender 400 that belongs to a friend of mine in the Bay Area. He has so many things on there, including a bunch of knee levers, a vertical or two and even a wrist lever!
I've heard him play it a few times and the thing sounds great, and plays in tune very well. I played it a little bit, pretty much over my head at the time, but he really gets some sweet stuff out of it.
If I remember correctly he tunes to A6th. He plays really lush chord-melody stuff.
Jay |
|
|
|
Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
|
Posted 10 May 2005 8:53 am
|
|
| Jay. That is a great pic!!!! |
|
|
|
Billy Wilson
From:
El Cerrito, California, USA
|
Posted 10 May 2005 9:55 am
|
|
| Dave, Tom Bradshaw switched out the cables for rods in an old Sierra that Lee Jeffries has. I don't know if he could do the same for a Fender. Billy |
|
|
|
Roger Edgington
From:
San Antonio, Texas USA
|
Posted 10 May 2005 2:59 pm
|
|
| Jay, Now I see the Fender sunburst and black metal frame. The 400 had a very solid frame and all pull changer. I put a knee lever on mine but used the cable method. |
|
|
|
Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
|
Posted 10 May 2005 5:27 pm
|
|
Holy crap, what a butcher-job!
Sure, you can do the whole conversion, but it's a lot of work! Also, keep in mind the cables are actually the best asset of this guitar because they let you make changes so easily. Changing the guitar over to all rods (unless you make all the parts yourself) will cost a good sum of money, and time as well, and you probably won't enhance the value of the guitar any by doing it.
I wouldn't tell you not to do it, but I thought I'd give you my take on it, anyway. |
|
|
|
Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
|
Posted 10 May 2005 5:45 pm
|
|
If I were to ever do the conversion, believe me, it wouldn't look like that. I have plenty of parts to do it already so I'm not worried about cost, and I'm not concerned with enhancing the value because there are no parts available. I just want a good sounding and functional guitar, not that I don't have some already. Do you think the pedal action would improve?
Because my spare time is limited I'll probably end up using the cables for the 3 pedals and finish the knee lever project that a previous owner already started.
Thanks for your input everyone.
Jay-I love that picture! |
|
|
|
Russ Tkac
|
Posted 10 May 2005 6:13 pm
|
|
I'd love to hear "lush chord melody" on that Fender 400! Any MP3s? If that can sound good...I have no excuse!
Russ
|
|
|
|
Jerry Heath
From:
Harrah, Oklahoma, USA
|
Posted 10 May 2005 6:26 pm
|
|
This can be done. My first pedal steel was a Fender 400 that someone had tried to convert to rods. I ended up replacing everything. It helped that my Dad is a machinist. We designed and made the under carriage in a couple of weekends. My .02 cents.... If it ain't broke, don't fix it. It's too much trouble setting the thing up.
------------------
Jerry Heath
Sierra Sessions U-12
Nashville 400
Sessions 400
Profex II
|
|
|
|
HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
|
Posted 10 May 2005 6:42 pm
|
|
| Man! That's like Grand Central Station under there! |
|
|
|
Russ Tkac
|
Posted 11 May 2005 5:09 am
|
|
Dave this is what you should do:
Buy this from Gruhn. They might even give you a deal to move it. 
http://www.gruhn.com/photo/EU2565.jpg
Take the parts you need off the 400; 4 pedals, cables, pickup etc. Sell the remaining parts to the guys that can't find them and get some of your money back. Buy a little white paint and before long.....we'll be calling you "Sneaky Dave!"
Russ
[This message was edited by Russ Tkac on 11 May 2005 at 06:10 AM.] [This message was edited by Russ Tkac on 11 May 2005 at 06:12 AM.] |
|
|
|
Jay Ganz
From:
Out Behind The Barn
|
Posted 11 May 2005 5:39 am
|
|
The Fender 400 I used on my mp3 page was
already converted to all rods when I got it,
and I added some knees levers to it.
It plays great!
------------------
My Steel MP3's
|
|
|
|
Russ Tkac
|
|
|
|
Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
|
Posted 13 May 2005 5:11 pm
|
|
| Quote: |
| Do you think the pedal action would improve? |
Yes. If done correctly, it would probably be equal to anything out there. The changer was simplicity itself...pure genius. |
|
|
|
Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
|
|
|
|
Fred Glave
From:
McHenry, Illinois, USA
|
Posted 14 May 2005 6:07 am
|
|
| I saw a post with pictures here on the Forum from a guy who custom made knee levers for his old Fender. I think it was a 1000 or a 2000. It had rods and it was done very nicely, and it looked primo. I think that the cables are what makes the Fenders so versatile, but adding the knee levers with rods and nice mechanics seemed to look like the way to go. |
|
|
|
Jay Fagerlie
From:
Lotus, California, USA
|
|
|
|
