The Steel Guitar Forum

One of my guitar legs is slipping and will not hold. Can I repair it or should I just buy a new one?

thanks,
Drew

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<font size=1>Drew Howard - website - Fessenden D-10 8/8, Fessenden SD-12 5/5 (Ext E9), Magnatone S-8, N400's, BOSS RV-3</font>

Drew, I would suggest you screw the clutch collar off and pull the small dia. tubing out of the larger one, determine the correct length of wood dowel rod or PVC pipe needed and insert that rod inside the large tubing so the inside one can't slip in. I do this on all legs that I don't have to change the adjustment on.
Jerry

The usual cause of the slipping is due to poor formation of the threads (probably was threaded too fast, causing a dip in the threads, therefore only two or three threads catch and hold. These eventually strip) Parts are available to replace the stripped one. The dowel trick is a quick fix if you don't have to adjust the leg.
Or there's always duct tape . Seriously I duct taped one of mine once to keep the guitar out of my lap for the night. Wasn't very pretty though.

An even quicker, cheaper fix than the dowel on the inside is a little piece of 1" PVC pipe on the outside, above the rubber tip. Mine are about 1.5" long.

Drew, Take it apart and wipe it down so it is completely void of any oil. This worked for me once. Worth a try.

Drew,Scotty's in St. Louis has clutch kits for repairing steel legs. Might just need an 0 ring.<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Patrick Carlson on 05 October 2005 at 07:55 PM.]</p></FONT>

Drew, if you take it apart, and have some fiddle rosin, powder some up and put it in the clutch, might work.

Drew,
Try pulling off those weird collar/washer/ring things that fit around the leg inserts and turning them over and then put them back on upside down.

Bob

I had this problem, and all i did was put a jublee clip under the ajuster,no more problems,and it don`t show up if you have the clip ajuster at the rear of the leg.and it can still be ajusted for height if req.

Jimmy.

Jimmy, what is a jublee clip?
Jerry

Did you unscrew it and look for broken parts?

Jerry, a jubilee clip is a music video by the Gold City Quartet!

Jerry I cant help it if i cant spell ha! ha!,but are you kidding when you say you don`t know what a jubilee clip is?they are used on cars to clamp the hoses to the rads ect,they come in all sizes,and work great on slipping steel guitar legs,

Jimmy.

Oh yeah. One of those things we call hose clamps.

http://www.tooled-up.com/static/JubileeHoseClips.asp

Most (but not all) google hits on 'jubilee clip' are UK websites. First time I've heard the term. Glad to learn it.

C'mon Bobby Tuttle, Jubilee clips in England, and Hayride clips in Shreveport, LA.

Seems like a lot of good suggestions here. Thanks folks.
Phred

Thanks Jimmy for the explanation on the Jubilee Clip. Man, I sure learn a lot of valuable info on this great Forum!
Jerry

Two nations separated by a common language....

RR

Drew,

Lots of good remedies here, and here is another.

I had the same problem with my old Sho~Bud. I drilled a small hole in the leg, just under the chrome collar and put a roll pin in there. You could also use a small sheet metal screw. It is hidden by the collar, totally unnoticeable.

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John Drury
NTSGA #3

John;
Where did you get that idea? I do that to (3)-legs on my PSG’s and leave only the rear-leg at the keyhead end for my adjustment. After my guitar is adjusted to the correct height, I drill a 1/16” hole just under the bottom~end of the Clutch and insert a roll/‘spring’~pin leaving about 1/8” sticking out of the extension~tube. That way you also don't need to do any more than to snug up the clutch lightly.

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“Big John” Bechtel
’04 SD–10 Black Derby w/3 & 5 & Pad
’65 Re-Issue Fender Twin–Reverb Custom™ 15” Eminence
web site

I stopped the legs on my old MSA Classic from slipping by replacing the ferrules that are supposed to do the gripping of the inner tube. I used 1/2 in. brass ferrules that are made for rigid copper tubing compression fittings. I made one cut thru each ferrule with a hacksaw allowing them to flex easily. I can lean on the guitar as much as I want and it never slips.

If your front legs are set longer than standard you can use dowels inside, sheet metal screws, hose clamps, etc. But what I use are inline couplings for rigid copper tubing. Each one is one inch long and they're a perfect fit over the small tube. You just have to file off the little bumps on the inside and slip them on. Then the coupling rests on the pedal bar and the collar on the leg rests on the coupling.