some pics of my first build

[Bent]

Richard, I saw that too, but if it is in fact a pull release...nothing wrong with that, right? You can attest to that fact

[joecam33]

Joe, I love the looks of that changer head. It oozes of solidity and stability. It is "bolt-on" in the truest sense of the word. Are they bolts that go through to the underside, with nuts on the other end?
You can never go wrong with oillite bushings. I know of only one builder who does this (Fulawka) and when is the last time we heard of trouble with his changers?
Your sense for detail and personal touches is super. Take for instance the countersunk bolts and the read paint inside the aluminum.
I would love to see a pic of one of the changer finger mechanism. The "roll-over as you call it, is usually called the changer finger. The plates attached to it(the ones with the holes for the rods) are called the raise bar and the lower bar respectively. The two put together is called the "scissors" (if it is built the conventional way with a rivet for them to pivot on) I think you might have some surprise in store for us here.

What is the thickness of the wood parts? (like the top deck and aprons) What type of wood did you use? phew! so many questions!

The pic of the changer...the fingers appear to be somewhat flat on top? I hope it is just my own eyes playing tricks on me....

The changer is bolted on with 1/4-20 stainless steel 1 1/4 long allen head bolts,the neck plate is drilled number 7 and then taped to 1/4-20,,,the wood is walnut and plained to 3/4 thickness,,,,,,the apron started out as a 1/4x8 alum. bar stock,,,,,,,the raise bars are stainless also,,,,that rivets to the changer finger,,,i peace ,,,,,,i will put some photos on of the parts i use,,,,like i said it's a simple changer that works well,,,,some people don't like this type but it was easy for me to build,,,the parts i was able to do at work on our terett press,,,,,the changer fingers were done on our water jet machine the parts i am showing you are not completed, i am also putting a pic. of what i call center pull pedals

[Allan]

I am confyuzzled, I don't see how it works. The changer I mean. Is it possible to post a drawing of the operation?
It looks so nice!!!!!

Regards, Allan.....

[Bent]

Joe, I like it more with every new pic. Just look at the pedal bar detail with the roundover on the edges where the pedals go on, lus the rounded bend on the end, and that nice red accent.

Now to your changer. I am a bit confused like Allan. At first glance it does look like a "pull-release" mechanism like burt and I discussed earlier.
Correct me if I'm wrong.

The finger parts are not done yet as we can see... a hole still needs to be drilled for the oilite bushing where the axle goes, as well as a hole in raise/lower bar for attachment to the finger.

You lucky man! You have access to water jet???
What is a terret press? Is that like a stamper thingy that stamps out the whole finger part in one fell swoop?

[bobby burns]

I've used a similar changer to add lowers to a maverick before. It hinges like an early sho-bud all-pull, like a fingertip and professional, but with fewer parts. A ZB changer works the same way. The bar raises at the top and lowers at the bottom. It would have return springs at the bottom like any other all-pull. The spring and the string tension will hold the bar against two points on the backside, where it will pivot to allow the finger to rotate to raise or lower the string. This design differs from a ZB or Fingertip in that it uses nylon tuners on the rods, instead of pulling against a solid stop, or adjustment screw, like the ZB and Fingertip do. I like this type of design a lot myself. It has fewer parts than a scissor type changer, and part of raise/lower bar is always in contact with a solid part of the guitar. I altered the maverick fingers to lower and raise by just adding a piece of aluminum angle and a return spring to the original raise only finger. As long as all the contact points are smooth and oiled, it should tune pretty good.

[joecam33]

[quote="Allan"]I am confyuzzled, I don't see how it works. The changer I mean. Is it possible to post a drawing of the operation?
It looks so nice!!!!!

Regards, Allan.....[/quote Hello Allen,,,,,,,,,,here is the drawing on my changer that you asked for,,,,it's a simple changer and works really well,,,,,the stop plate and guide plate are made from the same type of stainless as the fingers are made from,,,,,i have learned over the years if you use the same type of metal if it has to touch,,,,you will get a long life out of it because the wear foctor is tanken away,,,,,this changer is working real well in my guitar i just finished,,,it tuned up and plays good,,,,,,the trick is to get your stop plate located right,,,,,as you could see i did my fingers with 2 lowers and 3 raises to get more ajustment when i was setting my pulls and lowers,,,,,my bell crankes have extra holes also,,,,worked well,,,,,i did my rodding a little different than most,,,,,i made a bender at work to where i could get a nice tight 90 degree bend,,,,,i made nilon bushings for each rod where it slips through the bell cranks and secured it with a spring clip or hair pin clip some people call them,,,all in all it turned out pretty good for the first time,,,,,well gotta go for now,,,,,,talk to ya later,,,,,,Joe

[joecam33]

Joe, I like it more with every new pic. Just look at the pedal bar detail with the roundover on the edges where the pedals go on, lus the rounded bend on the end, and that nice red accent.

Now to your changer. I am a bit confused like Allan. At first glance it does look like a "pull-release" mechanism like burt and I discussed earlier.
Correct me if I'm wrong.

The finger parts are not done yet as we can see... a hole still needs to be drilled for the oilite bushing where the axle goes, as well as a hole in raise/lower bar for attachment to the finger.

You lucky man! You have access to water jet???
What is a terret press? Is that like a stamper thingy that stamps out the whole finger part in one fell swoop?

,,,,,,,Hey Bent,,,,,,the territt is a machine that nibbles that parts out very nice,,,,i put a pic. of my changer on so you all could see it and how it works,,,,very simple and easy built and it is working good on my new guitar,,,,,thanks to you and the other guys for all your coments,,,,it's means alot to because this being my first steel guitar,,,,here is a few more pics. after it's finshed,,,,,,,thanks again to all,,,,,by the way the legs look orange in that pics. but they are red,,,,lol,,,,,,,,talk to ya later,,,,,,Joe

[Allan]

Thanks for the drawing Joe, much appreciated.
Your system has a few similarities to a changer I designed now that I see how it works. (HERE - animation, 3rd post)

Your version is easier I think.

Regards, Allan.....

[joecam33]

i like that guitar , lots of aluminum very nice how much does it weigh i like them heavy myself , do you make your parts or buy them ?

I weighed the guitar 46lbs. I made all my parts,,,,,bought the G-L pick,,,fret board,,,machine heads and the quick release ball joints for my pedals the rest i hand built it,,,,,,thanks for the coments

[mac639]

Joe....I love the looks of this guitar. You're a super craftsman in my books. I'm just wondering something about the changer. I'm wondering what sort of result you'd get with a "split". The raise pulls it off the fixed stop. Then a lower at the same time.....I wonder if it would push the finger back to the fixed stop giving you the original note? This is a great and simple changer design. No big deal on the splits. Lots of sissors changers don't work that great on splits.....your design is probably just as good, maybe better.