Some photos of the Integrated tuner/changer and the interchangeable bridge rod may be seen at:
http://s75.photobucket.com/albums/i287/ ... 20CHANGER/
The integrated tuner/changer and simple bridge
-
ed packard
- Posts: 76
- Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:54 am
- Location: SHOW LOW AZ USA
Re: The integrated tuner/changer and simple bridge
Ed I really like the design of your keyless tuner with one concern. After changing the strings a few dozen times or so do you foresee the need to dress the or even replace the finger itself from whatever damage done to it by the actual motion of the string being "dragged", for lack of a better term, across the radius during the process of initially bringing the string up to pitch and of course normal everyday tuning and tweaking?
-
ed packard
- Posts: 76
- Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:54 am
- Location: SHOW LOW AZ USA
Re: The integrated tuner/changer and simple bridge
LP;
Good observation! Dragging/sawing will take place during stringing, and rolling will take place during changer activation. The shallow angle of the string crossing the finger helps minimize the effect. The effect is worse on 6061 aluminum fingers. A harder aluminum can be used. either aluminum can be hard anodized for added surface toughness. Stainless steel fingers would be better still. My first preference would be Zirconia. I settled for 6061 because that is what Sierra had available.
The marking on the BEAST fingers is not as bad as on the fingers of my other Sierra's which have the same changer fingers, and on the players right. I actually took a piece of hard material and caused a slight dent in the finger where the string crosses by rolling on the top of the plain strings at the finger. The wound strings have another issue as the winding can make a track...again less than because the downward string pressure is less as the angle is made more shallow.
Putting the changer on the players left removes moving elements from the pickup area (microphonics). It also puts the source of the G# "sizzle" behind the bar hand. The small dia (3/16") rod for the bridge seems to be "sizzle" proof.
In short, the plain 6061 aluminum finger will always tend to mark. None of the marking on my instruments cause any noticeable sonic effects so I won't use the emery cloth and polish till they do.
Edp
Good observation! Dragging/sawing will take place during stringing, and rolling will take place during changer activation. The shallow angle of the string crossing the finger helps minimize the effect. The effect is worse on 6061 aluminum fingers. A harder aluminum can be used. either aluminum can be hard anodized for added surface toughness. Stainless steel fingers would be better still. My first preference would be Zirconia. I settled for 6061 because that is what Sierra had available.
The marking on the BEAST fingers is not as bad as on the fingers of my other Sierra's which have the same changer fingers, and on the players right. I actually took a piece of hard material and caused a slight dent in the finger where the string crosses by rolling on the top of the plain strings at the finger. The wound strings have another issue as the winding can make a track...again less than because the downward string pressure is less as the angle is made more shallow.
Putting the changer on the players left removes moving elements from the pickup area (microphonics). It also puts the source of the G# "sizzle" behind the bar hand. The small dia (3/16") rod for the bridge seems to be "sizzle" proof.
In short, the plain 6061 aluminum finger will always tend to mark. None of the marking on my instruments cause any noticeable sonic effects so I won't use the emery cloth and polish till they do.
Edp
-
pastor bruce kiser
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:24 pm
Re: The integrated tuner/changer and simple bridge
wow! beatiful job!
i'm working on a similar setup on a side project i call magnapedal.
a lap steel i'm converting to pedals just because.mine will have
regular keys but the bridge will be six bearings on a shaft recessed
into the body with fingers at the very end of the body to do the actual pulls.at least 2 levers and 2 pedals (a-b).i believe any evolutionary changes in steel guitar will be along these lines just
as the automobile has changed more inwardly than outwardly over time. keep at it -it's great!
pastor bruce
i'm working on a similar setup on a side project i call magnapedal.
a lap steel i'm converting to pedals just because.mine will have
regular keys but the bridge will be six bearings on a shaft recessed
into the body with fingers at the very end of the body to do the actual pulls.at least 2 levers and 2 pedals (a-b).i believe any evolutionary changes in steel guitar will be along these lines just
as the automobile has changed more inwardly than outwardly over time. keep at it -it's great!
pastor bruce
-
ed packard
- Posts: 76
- Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:54 am
- Location: SHOW LOW AZ USA
Re: The integrated tuner/changer and simple bridge
PBK; Thanks for the nice words. Credits for the BEAST are in order:
Protyping and design are mine.
Machining and detail design are by Don Christensen.
Assembly and detailing are by Tom Baker.
Pickups are by Danny Shields, and DiMarzio.
Afterthought edit = pickups are slide in slide out tapped...standard Sierra approach for many years.
Design compromises were controlled by expediency = what was readily available:
Finger materials and existing designs by Sierra.
I designed and prototyped the tuner arms so that they could be added to the changer without removing it from the existing PST 13 series instrument. This is the reason for the attachment screws at the bottom of the arm. Ideally the arms would be mounted on an axle in the changer mechanism = changer redesign.
There is no neck block...just a cavity between two rails with a drop in etched glass fret board. the cavity is available for adding circuitry as needed.
Someday, when I find the right size LCD screen for the fret board, it will/may replace the etched glass one, and be computer/tablet driven.
The setup/tuning/coped is the same as the C69 4x5 shown in another thread, but with the 30"scale equivalent of C6 or B6, complete with lock.
The next design will replace the mechanics of changer and rods with electronics to change pitch et al via ped and lev non contact sensors, and individual string semiconductor pickup(s). These have been fabricated and are shown in the thread on "pickups and sensors". The first DSP module has been chosen and coding the functions has begun.
Long journey ahead!
Protyping and design are mine.
Machining and detail design are by Don Christensen.
Assembly and detailing are by Tom Baker.
Pickups are by Danny Shields, and DiMarzio.
Afterthought edit = pickups are slide in slide out tapped...standard Sierra approach for many years.
Design compromises were controlled by expediency = what was readily available:
Finger materials and existing designs by Sierra.
I designed and prototyped the tuner arms so that they could be added to the changer without removing it from the existing PST 13 series instrument. This is the reason for the attachment screws at the bottom of the arm. Ideally the arms would be mounted on an axle in the changer mechanism = changer redesign.
There is no neck block...just a cavity between two rails with a drop in etched glass fret board. the cavity is available for adding circuitry as needed.
Someday, when I find the right size LCD screen for the fret board, it will/may replace the etched glass one, and be computer/tablet driven.
The setup/tuning/coped is the same as the C69 4x5 shown in another thread, but with the 30"scale equivalent of C6 or B6, complete with lock.
The next design will replace the mechanics of changer and rods with electronics to change pitch et al via ped and lev non contact sensors, and individual string semiconductor pickup(s). These have been fabricated and are shown in the thread on "pickups and sensors". The first DSP module has been chosen and coding the functions has begun.
Long journey ahead!