The Steel Guitar Forum

I've been having a problem for a while with my all-pull d10 emmons legrande II. Initially I thought it might be some other part of the signal chain, so I've swapped cables, amps, volume pedal, and it still is happening.

Doesn't matter what setting the bank selector switch is set to, periodically in the middle of playing the sound will change dramatically: it gets quieter, and much fuzzier (less clarity, less string separation, muddy muddy sound) for seconds at a time, before cutting back in full force out of nowhere.

I really don't have a good sense of how the electrical connections work in this thing, so any advice would be helpful...

A few points to note: while I haven't bypassed the tone control (it is still possible to turn it on, though I keep it switched off... I haven't wired around it), it is set pretty much wide open, so there's not much difference between tone control on and off; the solder joints look solid, but it's hard to tell what they're supposed to be doing.

I love the guitar, and I'd rather not have to buy a backup axe so I can have this one looked at, so any help would be a huge bonus for me here...

Feel free to either chime in here, or drop me an email.

Thanks for the advice in advance...

It seems as though there are only 3 variables left (if you've bypassed the volume pedal)- pickup,tone control(s), and output jack. I'd clean the output jack with fine sandpaper on a pencil and wire the pickup directly to the output jack for starters, bypassing all controls. It is unlikely but not impossible that the pickup has gone south as it usually is not an on again/off again deal. I have seen output jacks simply not conduct properly and have replaced more than a few so bypassing it would also be in order. Feel free to call me- 760-754-2120- it's gotta be fiaxable w/o to much hassle. Jim<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Jim Palenscar on 13 April 2006 at 08:09 AM.]</p></FONT>

Nicholas - I had the same problem with my Mullen many years ago. I got my son to tap and squeeze on the bobbin of the pickup, while I picked the strings. If he held tension on the pickup just right, the sound was great. If he let go, the muddiness would come back. Dixie Mullen built me a new pickup and that corrected the problem.



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Lee, from South Texas
Down On The Rio Grande

Mullen U-12, Excel 8-string Frypan, Evans FET-500, Fender Steel King

Thanks for the tips...

Jim: I haven't bypassed the volume pedal, but it's happening with all three that I've used, (Sho-Bud floor, Goodrich LDR, Hilton), and with different cables and different amp.

If it's the pickups, wouldn't it only happen on one neck?

Is the output jack something that would happen off and on, or would it be almost constant...?

Lee: Since the change happens kind of spontaneously, and then goes away, and since it's both necks, it seems like it wouldn't be the pickups doing this.

Could this be a bad solder joint elsewhere in the wiring?

I was unfortunate enough to own an Emmons PP bolt-on. I had no end of trouble with the neck selector switch. The contacts are open to ambient air, are made with cheap contact brass, and get very dirty. I had the symtoms that you describe. When this happens, wiggle the selector. Since I changed to a Sierra Session, I have no problem since the selector switches are sealed.

I have experienced the same symtoms on my Lashly LeGrande. I definately feel that it is in the neck selector switch. I can cycle the switch to all three positions several times and the problem goe's away.