| Subject: | [RESOGUIT-L] Re: new member | | Date: | Sunday, February 18, 2007 09:20:35 (EST) | | From: | DeweySlideWell <DeweySlideWell @...com>
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This is an *old* bit I wrote a good while back, to help others
working on their Dobros. It is the way I do it, and just my
own opinions, but I think every little bit helps.
Good luck,
D - S - W
******
My name is Gary...
(Hi, Gary!!)
My name is Gary and I am a Resoholic. In addition to being a
Resoholic, I am a long time member of the GPAC.For those of
you who do not know, the Glue And Pray Club is made up of
Members who have chosen to BUILD their own Resophonic
Guitar. Not for commercial purposes, but for their own pleasure
and satisfaction. However, I wish to address the Members on
another subject today. The subject of Imported Resophonic
Guitars. Most of us aspire to owning a Scheerhorn,or a Beard,
De Neve,or Taylor or other custom made guitar. Not every one
can afford such an instrument. It is to these Members I wish to
speak, in particular to those who may have or might possibly
soon get yourself a Regal, or a Johnson or other imported guitar.
I find that I for one love these guitars as much as any others. Just
because they are "cheap" does not mean they cannot sound good
and be a lot of fun to play, even with the original cones and spiders
they come with.
However,we sometimes find that we need to do a bit of work to
get our guitars sounding as they should.Here are a few tips to
ease the process.
Easy Disassembly:
(1) Lay the guitar as is, strung up and more or less in tune, on a
flat surface, face up.(the kitchen table with a towel spread on it
works fine...)
(2) Take Masking tape and go around the neck at the nut, strings
and all, about three times.(If you are worried about the tape
marring the finish, turn the tape up-side-down.) This tape will
hold the strings in place on the nut while you work.
(3)Put another piece of Masking tape across the tailpiece where
the strings enter it. This will keep them where they belong.
(4) Now, take the tension off all the strings, just til they are slack.
One of those speed tuning cranks helps here.
(5) Take out all the coverplate screws followed by taking out
the tailpiece screw.
(6) Lift the strings, the tailpiece, and the coverplate off as a
single unit and place them behind the guitar, out of the way as
far as the string slack allows.....
(7) You should be able to lift the cone and spider right on out.
....always remember to place a piece of masking tape on the
cone to mark top-dead-center so you can put it back the same
as it came out. Same is true of the spider..mark it so you can
tell which end is which.
NOW, do whatever job you need to do,cone,inserts,spider
whatever.
(8)Re-assemble the guitar in reverse order of how she came
apart. Most guitars have some extra room for the cone to shift
back and forth a bit (if yours doesn't, don't worry too much about it).
Once the coverplate is put back on, you can probably insert a
small screw driver through the hole in the coverplate and down
into the screws hole in the center of the spider bridge. You can
then gently move the cone up-down-right-left to locate the center
of its "house".Once you have it there, tighten the third string enough
to hold it in place, then do the fourth string, the second, then the
first. Then go to the Bass side and do the fifth and the sixth. Only
go to about half-pitch or so the first pass, then finish tuning to pitch.
Reminder: Never remove all the tension from all the strings unless
you are going to disassemble the guitar. Change strings one at
a time when putting new strings on so the cone does not move
on you.
Cone and Spider :
Sometimes the cone can be damaged in shipping. This is not
necessarily a death sentence.
Take out the cone and take off the spider. Turn the cone upside
down on a flat surface...a towel on the kitchen table works here,
too. You can reshape the angles of the rolls and ridges with a
wooden tool...a pop-cycle stick fits pretty darn good. You can
use a piece of wooden dowel, a wooden spoon, or make
yourself a tool to suit your needs. Just try to restore the shape
as best you can,doing it in several stages...a little at a time. If
need be, turn the cone over and work on the other side too. If you
do it in small increments, you will be surprised at how well it
can turn out.
The cone needs to sit as level as possible in its hole, so the lip
may need to be tweaked a bit.I just use my eye and my judgment.
A little leveling of the shelf where the cone sits in the guitar may
be in order...A round disc of wood the right diameter with
sandpaper on one side is ideal, but a small wooden block
(a couple inches long) with sandpaper rapped around it can
work OK too.
The spider must be level to the cone as well....this can be a
weak point in the imported guitars.
To check it, install the spider onto the cone and use paper
"feeler gauges" to see if each leg is sitting on the cone equally.
( I just cut a sheet of note book paper into strips one inch wide
and three inches long and see if they will slide beneath the legs.)
It is very important that you mark the spider and cone so as to put
the spider back on the same way each time. I scratch a small
arrow on the front middle leg of my spider, and a corresponding
mark on the outer lip of the cone.
Tighten the center screw just a bit...DO NOT OVER-TIGHTEN
this screw EVER!!
I always start with the front center leg of my spider and proceed
counter clockwise around. If I find that my feeler gauge will pass
beneath a leg, I mark that leg with a bit of masking tape. After I
go all the way around the spider, I try and get an overview of the
situation.
You have two options available to correct your problems here.
(1.) File away the legs that are NOT marked by your tape, or
(2.) Bend down the legs that ARE marked.
If you find that there is not a great deal of difference in the legs,
then a little judicious filing of the legs that are contacting the cone
can correct the problem. This is how I do it:
Any legs that are too high must be adjusted by filing down the
OTHER legs. Use Masking tape to mark the cone so you always
put the spider
back on the same way. Use masking tape to mark the legs that the
feeler gauge will pass beneath. You need to file away a bit of the
feet of the legs that are NOT marked, since they are lower than the
others.(Don't get the good ones and bad ones mixed up!!!) Do a
SMALL bit to each leg that needs it and then recheck. Pretend each
time you reassemble the cone and spider that you never saw this
thing before in your life...remove all the tape and start over from
scratch. It helps keep things fresh in your mind that way. Easy does it.
Do not be afraid to put it together and take it apart five or six times.
It does not have to be PERFECT, but it needs to be close.
Now, if perchance there is a big difference in one or more legs,
I have found a couple of spiders that had just one leg which was
hiked way up for some reason or other. The way I handle big
differences is to bend the offending leg or legs.
Now, these spiders are cast Aluminum and they WILL break...so
I came up with a way to reduce that possibility.
You take a piece of HARDWOOD one-by-four about six inches
long. On one of the inch wide edges, you start back about two
inches from the corner and cut away the wood gradually out to
the edge till you have cut away a *radiused*slope ,going from
nothing at the start to about one-eighth inch deep at the corner.
Now,you have a radiused corner (so to speak) with a nice curved
surface to lay your offending spider leg on. I just lay my spider lag
on the block, hold it in place with my hand and hit the leg with a
good heavy mallet. Since the surface is gradually curved, it puts
a gradual curve to the leg as well. I have not broken any using this
method as of yet.
If you have a leg that is bent down too much already, just turn it over
and bend it back the other way.
Once you get close like this, then you can finish off by filing as needed.
Your Inserts.
There are three points we need to consider here:
(1.) The inserts need to be a snug fit in the slot in the Spider bridge.
(2.) The inserts need to be as tall as will prudently fit under the
handrest of the coverplate.(This is for easy playing as much as
anything) and thinner towards the top.
(3.)The strings must be level to each other once you have cut the
slots in the inserts.
I like plain Hard Maple for my inserts. Good wood is where you
find it...you can order some from some of the available sources, or
make your own. Old furniture is a real good source for insert material.
( I was in Walmart the other week and saw a pack of three mouse
traps on the counter. One of those traps was made from a piece
of wonderful Hard Maple....it would have made a fine violin bridge..)
To remove the old inserts :
With the spider in hand, I take a very small screw driver and put it at
the base of one insert, using the screw hole as access. I then use the
other insert as a leverage point and pry out the first one. I then lay the
first one back across the empty slot so as to use IT for a leverage
point and pry out the other one.
You can also try pliers or other methods as you see fit...just don't
damage your spider.
I try to make my new inserts fit as snug as I can force into the slots,
without damaging the wood.
I make my inserts tall as possible, checking by putting the spider
on the cone, placing the assembly back in the guitar and laying the
coverplate in place. Make sure the two inserts are level to each other.
I like to sand my inserts to the right thickness by using a piece of
one-by-four with 280 grit sandpaper on one side. I hold the block
still and scoot the inserts back and forth on it, making sure I keep
them level and even.
I like to space my strings 7/16th inch apart, but that is up to you.
I make myself a little jig from a thin piece of wood. I put two notches
in my jig, 7/16th inches apart. I start in the middle and work my way
out, usually going third string, fourth string, then second string then
first. I then go over to the Bass side and do fifth then sixth. Up to you.
(I change strings from the middle out also...just seems like a good
idea to me...)
I like to use a tiny triangle file for my notches, except for the first
and second strings. I just use a knife cut for these. I angle the notches
upwards from the tail piece. I also thin out the inserts in the upper
third of their body. Some insist that you must use a round file. Some
just saw out the notch with an old string.
Your Nut:
Many import guitars have a nut made from something other than
bone. This is not so bad, but I like bone better. Some guitars
sound really good with a Brass nut. I also like the nut to
be a little taller than most stock ones are. I want just a bit of a drop
in string height from inserts to nut, however. If the original nut is all
you got, just make sure the slots are level and use it.However,I think
a bone nut is one of the things that is really worth the effort. (You can
order a bone nut blank from several different places...Bev King has
them,Paul Beard has them...)
To remove your old nut:
(1.) Take the strings all the way out of the tuners. Look and see if the
old nut is glued in place. If it is, use a knife to cut the glue line so you
won't tear any finish loose.
(2.) Take a small hammer and tap the old nut from the fret board side.
It should come loose after a couple of good taps.
(3.) Take your new nut stock and see how it fits where the old nut
used to be. Sometimes, you will need to clean out the slot with a file
or a knife blade. Be careful not to remove any more material than you
have to. Mark your new nut stock to the right length and cut it off if need
be. A hack saw can work, or a Motto Tool if you have one.(Bone stinks
when you cut it, don't it?)
(4.) Mark and cut the new string slots. I like to thin the upper third of my
nut a bit,just like my inserts. It is easier to cut good slots, and can give
"brighter" sound.
I use a jig just like I did on my inserts, only not as wide a spacing of
course. Your spacing depends on your neck width. You can "cheat" a
bit if the neck is too narrow to suit you...just flare the nut out a little
wider
at the top. My "standard" spacing at the nut is a touch over 5/16ths of
an inch.
I make myself a jig with two notches that far apart, mark the middle of
the nut and work from the middle out towards each side, just like with the
inserts.
I angle the slots upwards from the tuner side. I make sure that I do
not leave any sharp edges on the fret board side (this can break the
strings when you try and tune...)
One other potential problem you may have to deal with...some original
nuts are thicker than standard. No big deal. Just remove the old nut like
described, clean out the slot of any glue, then put the new nut in place.
If the old nut was too thick, the slot has a gap on the tuner side which
must be filled. I just glue in a thin piece of wood, while the new nut is
right in place where it should be. If you do it right, then you are
guaranteed a good fit. I once again use my old reliable POP-CYCLE
stick here. Many times it is just the right thickness. I cut a thin strip off
(trying to leave it about half too wide and too long for ease of handling).
I apply my wood glue and press it into place. With the new nut still in
place, I usually let it dry overnight, but three or four hours will do if you
are careful.
Once it is dry, I use a sharp knife to trim away the excess while the
new nut is still in place. Once that is done, you can do a little judicious
sanding if you need to (I usually trim it close enough so that sanding is not
needed).
Remove the nut (it should come out without TOO much effort...)then
a few passes with a black or brown felt tip marker will render the repair
almost invisible. You can add a slight layer of finish over it if you like...I
sometimes use a bit of Krazy Glue for the finish here...)
A little light buffing with some 0000 grade steel wool and you are
good to go.
A final note about your string slots:
Once all the slots are cut and the guitar is back together and strung
up, you can check to see if the strings are level by placing the bar
across all the strings as near to the hand rest as possible and strumming
across all the strings on the side toward the headstock.Any strings out
of level should be apparent from the results. You can then loosen just the
offending string and work on the slot from the tailpiece side of the handrest
if you have a small enough triangle file. This works well for me.
You repeat the process til you are happy with the results. I find it is
orth the trouble even if I have to remove the coverplate to get at it...you
will be glad you did it once you get it right.
Go to the nut and do the same thing. Place your bar about a quarter
inch from the nut and strum all the strings. Loosen any that need to be
adjusted and use the triangle file to deepen the slots as needed...just
do it a LITTLE at a time. Much easier to do it three times to get a good
result rather than one time and do too much.
All this is not as hard as it sounds and I find it to be a good part of the
fun of owning a Resophonic Guitar.
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