The Steel Guitar Forum
Pedal Steel Archive
Cables versus rods (Page 2)
UBBFriend: Email This Page to Someone!
profile | join | preferences | help | search
Steel Guitar Strings Strings & instruction for lap steel, Hawaiian & pedal steel guitars http://SteelGuitarShopper.com |
Ray Price Shuffles Classic country shuffle styles for Band-in-a-Box, by BIAB guru Jim Baron. http://steelguitarmusic.com |
This Forum is CLOSED. |
|
|
The Steel Guitar Forum
Pedal Steel Archive
Cables versus rods (Page 2)
profile | join | preferences | help | search
|
| This topic is 2 pages long: 1 2 This topic was originally posted in this forum: Pedal Steel |
| Author | Topic: Cables versus rods |
|
Sage Member Posts: 525 |
posted 27 April 2001 10:53 PM
Carl, you respectfully raise a very good point. Cables are clearly not the preferred way, but they may yet be a viable way of getting the job done. The advantages I see are A) allowing the mechanism to be routed differently, which allows alternative configurations of cabinet construction. B) Lighter weight- this has two parts, 1) is the weight we all deal with when carrying the instrument and 2) is the "reciprocal mass" of the parts of the changer system. Just like sports cars have alloy wheels to reduce unsprung weight to facilitate better handling, so too a light changer system MIGHT result in a faster, more responsive action for guys who play really fast and pop the pedals really hard. It also MIGHT reduce wear on the the changer parts. My analogy to the fact that no one is using them anymore in new consruction is this- It's like the fuel cell. Designed in the 1800's, tried out in the 1950's (one even powered and Alis-Chalmers tractor then). Internal combustion still rules. In the next couple of years Large manufactuers will be powering part of their product line with fuel cells. What came around sometimes goes away and then comes back again, when needs change and the technology for meeting those needs changes as well. ------------------ |
|
Jack Stoner Sysop Posts: 8119 |
posted 28 April 2001 04:15 AM
Sage, I don't get any of your points. I played a Fender 2000 (purchased new in 1969) that was a cable system. I now have a Franklin D-10 that is all pull. The weight of the guitar, out of the case, is about 43lbs. The body is hard rock maple with aluminum necks. It has a very fast positive changer, very easy pedal/knee action with positive stops. With the exception of the changer axles and the legs virtually all of the metal parts are aircraft aluminum. I have two knee levers that "pull" (raise or lower) 4 strings with ease. Paul Franklin (Jr) has 6 changes on one of his pedals and even has a triple neck that is operated by the same pedals without undue pressure. I do not have to adjust the pedal raises or lowers everytime I set the steel up to play, as I had to do with the Fender 2000. In fact once the raises/lowers are adjusted for a new set of strings rarely is there any further raise/lower adjustment necessary, where the Fender - and primarily because of the changes in the cables and linkage - had to have raise or lower adjustments when it was set up and many times during a gig. Almost all the modern steels have the same characteristics as my Franklin (except some are heavier as they do not use as much aluminum for their metal parts). There are many potential ways of raising and lowering pitch of strings, cable is one of them and I don't doubt that it can be made to be much more precision than older cable systems but I don't see it as being commercially competitive (and that is the key - commercially competitive) with the modern all pull mechanisms. Someone, such as Bill, may be able to build a better cable system and for him it is a viable system. As the designer and builder a lot of the adjustments, intracacies, etc., are not a problem or concern and for his application it may be great. However, do not wake me up if cables ever make a return to the modern pedal steel. True some older technologies have been "reinvented" and modernized and put to practical use but I see future generations of pedal steels incorporating various electronic methods into the raising and lowering of string pitch. Eliminating or minimizing mechanical components should be the "new technology". The Emmons Push-Pull guitars are considerd by many as the "holy grail" of pedal steel guitar tone. Many refuse to give them up for the current all pull guitars because of "that" tone. Bobby Bowman developed, and built, the "B" guitar which was a new push-pull but didn't feel like a push-pull and had the easier playability of an all pull system. Obviously the B guitar sold so well that Bobby is on to a new guitar with a different approach to changer mechanisms (not cables). |
|
Bill Hankey Member Posts: 1680 |
posted 28 April 2001 04:32 AM
Carl, You asked why do they not use cables in the production of steel guitars today, (please excuse the paraphrastic tone ) and what they offer in terms of what the builders are seeking. I'll say that whoever has been jabbed in the finger tips by a needle point strand of cable either refused to learn to handle them properly, or swore off from their use from that moment on. The feeling of pain is much the same as getting swatted on top of the left hand, when that G Sharp string lashes out like the guards of bygone days at Newgate Prison. A plain .018 guitar string can deliver an equal amount of discomfort, if inadvertencies become habitual, and if it happens more than a few times, find a way to avoid the sharp tip while removing it from the instrument. I've been concentrating on a new concept for some time on breakage problems associated with the proverbial 3rd string break on the E9th neck. We are long overdue for "change for the better " category of thinkers to solve that simplistic riddle. I would be more inclined to climb aboard, and share the satisfaction that would be derived if I could be certain that all aspects of steel guitar performance capabilities have been cosidered. |
| This topic is 2 pages long: 1 2 All times are Pacific (US) | This is an ARCHIVED topic. You may not reply to it! |
Note: Messages not explicitly copyrighted are in the Public Domain.
Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46
Our mailing address is:
The Steel Guitar Forum
148 South Cloverdale Blvd.
Cloverdale, CA 95425 USA
Support the Forum