Hey guys, I am dreaming of building my own universal 12 string pedal steel guitar with 7 pedals and 5 knees, any suggestions on how to make the endplates such as opening size for pedal tunning end and the pedal changer, or any other advise on the layout of the guitar, or how to begin?
Steve B.
Universal 12 string pedal steel guitar
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louckswayne
- Posts: 203
- Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2011 9:54 pm
Re: Universal 12 string pedal steel guitar
Steve
You are asking the same question that i did when starting out! There are no dwgs.
that i know of. You are down to looking at pics. and asking questions! Most
common way is to design and build a changer, then make end plates to suite
and then make a cabinet to match the end plates.
Wayne
You are asking the same question that i did when starting out! There are no dwgs.
that i know of. You are down to looking at pics. and asking questions! Most
common way is to design and build a changer, then make end plates to suite
and then make a cabinet to match the end plates.
Wayne
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richard37066
- Posts: 517
- Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2010 11:44 am
- Location: Gallatin, Tennessee, USA
Re: Universal 12 string pedal steel guitar
Steve -
You're working on essentially the same thing that I've been tackling - off and on - for some time. Here are some suggestions - in no particular order - that you must consider.
• A spiral notebook or 3-ring binder in which to keep copious notes.
• Copedant. One that works FOR YOU.
• Scale length.
• String spacing.
• Parallel strings or diverging/converging string pattern.
• Height of strings above the neck.
• Changer design and dimensions.
• Tuning head design. "traditional" or "keyless"?
• Solid or "roller" nut. May be dictated by type of tuning head.
• Pedal spacing. (dictates crossrod spacing as well)
• Leg angle and length in end plates.
• Thickness and material of neck. (Wood or Aluminum?)
• Cabinet material. Solid wood or formica over a plywood? (die board?)
• S12 or SD12? Pros and cons to each.
• A pad of cross-section graph paper. 11"X17" pad will suffice. 1/4" squares. Gets you off and running before you commit to full-size drawings.
The above are just preliminary suggestions and the list is NOT complete! All can be found in discussions here on the Forum for recommendations and particulars. At some point, you're going to have to ask yourself how much can be done by you and how much are you going to have to "farm" out. Machine shop time is expensive.
You've no doubt discerned that there are some very fine craftsmen/designers here on the Forum. They will be here for you - en masse - after you've gotten your feet wet and run into problems with no immediate answers. There's the key - getting your feet wet. My best suggestion is to stick your nose into it and make as many decisions as is possible - then put things on paper for reference. It AIN'T gonna happen overnight - be patient!
My best of luck to you.
Richard
You're working on essentially the same thing that I've been tackling - off and on - for some time. Here are some suggestions - in no particular order - that you must consider.
• A spiral notebook or 3-ring binder in which to keep copious notes.
• Copedant. One that works FOR YOU.
• Scale length.
• String spacing.
• Parallel strings or diverging/converging string pattern.
• Height of strings above the neck.
• Changer design and dimensions.
• Tuning head design. "traditional" or "keyless"?
• Solid or "roller" nut. May be dictated by type of tuning head.
• Pedal spacing. (dictates crossrod spacing as well)
• Leg angle and length in end plates.
• Thickness and material of neck. (Wood or Aluminum?)
• Cabinet material. Solid wood or formica over a plywood? (die board?)
• S12 or SD12? Pros and cons to each.
• A pad of cross-section graph paper. 11"X17" pad will suffice. 1/4" squares. Gets you off and running before you commit to full-size drawings.
The above are just preliminary suggestions and the list is NOT complete! All can be found in discussions here on the Forum for recommendations and particulars. At some point, you're going to have to ask yourself how much can be done by you and how much are you going to have to "farm" out. Machine shop time is expensive.
You've no doubt discerned that there are some very fine craftsmen/designers here on the Forum. They will be here for you - en masse - after you've gotten your feet wet and run into problems with no immediate answers. There's the key - getting your feet wet. My best suggestion is to stick your nose into it and make as many decisions as is possible - then put things on paper for reference. It AIN'T gonna happen overnight - be patient!
My best of luck to you.
Richard