Lest there be no doubt, I am 100% in accord with BCT. It was used on the Emmons' P/P by its inherrent design; and IMO, THE reason for "that sound".

Carter guitars uses a very similar BCT scenario on some of their guitars. I want to go on record stating I am for this and believe its claims. At NO time have I ever had a problem with BCT as used on the Carter guitars.

Sorry John, if I caused you to think otherwise. Please reread the subject post and I believe you will see what I meant, even though I may not have made it clear.

I NOW see why John, and possibly others missperceived what I meant. Here is a quote at the beginning of my post,

"With much respect, I must take exception that BCT is not what it is said to be. Believe me gentleman, this be a fact."

This comment was made in rebuttal to the two previous posts on that thread. But taken alone it DOES appear that I meant BCT is not what it is said to be.

Again, so there be NO doubt. I believe in BCT. I believe with all my heart it contributes in a large way to the sound of an Emmons P/P. I also believe the claims Carter makes about it on their select guitars that use it.

There is also a missconception that needs to be corrected about BCT on the Emmons' P/P. It is NOT so much the raise fingers being pulled against the body that gives it that sound.

Rather, it is the fact that ALL the lower fingers are pulled HARD against the body by very strong springs. So even though one or more strings may be lowered, there is ALWAYS enough of them contacting the body to cause the strings to resonate thru the body and give it that unique sound.

carl

I did not know this. Thanks for bringing it to light.

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Just ask Bobbe

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There is also a missconception that needs to be corrected about BCT on the Emmons' P/P. It is NOT so much the raise fingers being pulled against the body that gives it that sound.

Rather, it is the fact that ALL the lower fingers are pulled HARD against the body by very strong springs. So even though one or more strings may be lowered, there is ALWAYS enough of them contacting the body to cause the strings to resonate thru the body and give it that unique sound.

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Correct me if I'm wrong.

I am sorry, but I have spent the last hour trying to find a pictorial or diagram (I know I have seen it) in the Carter website that would allow me to answer your question. But my attempts led to futility. I simply cannot find the diagram that I seem to recall I have seen showing the Carter changer using BCT.

I do not recall whether the raise or lower OR both fingers touched the cabinet in the non-pulled state. But I do know one or both did.

Now let me digress. On the Emmons' P/P, ALL lower fingers are pulled HARD against the cabinet when not being lowered. The raises are held by string tension against the these lower fingers.

For a long time I believed that "the sound" came from the raises being stopped by the cabinet that gave "that" sound. But one day it hit me. This simply does not equate. Since half raises and strings not being pulled STILL have the sound. So it had to be something else. It was then I realized about the lower fingers.

Now back to BCT on the Carter guitars. Either the raise or lower finger (or both) is held against the cabinet at rest. In any case the scenario is the same as the Emmons IMO. In other words, it is NOT what happens to the string when it is raised or lowered; rather it is the idle state of MOST all (or ALL) of the fingers touching the cabinet that is giving the sound.

So in this anology from where I sit, it is like the Emmons in concept. Although not necessarily physically the same.

In a word, it is the vibrations of the strings resonating thru the body that is the key. On a normal all-pull changer, the fingers float in essence unlike the P/P changer where they are held against the cabinet.

Somehow Bud Carter found a way to achieve this feature on an all-pull. A tip of my hat to Bud for this.

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I have spent the last hour trying to find a pictorial or diagram (I know I have seen it) in the Carter website that would allow me to answer your question.

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Although I wouldn't sign a legal statement on it, my opinion about only the raise fingers being held against the body is based on a telephone conversation I had with John Fabian a couple of years ago. I jotted down a few notes of what he was telling me, but I don't think I have them anymore. Like I say, maybe my memory has switched things around. Again, if John F. or anyone else wants to correct me, please do.

Here's an all-pull, scissors-type changer:

http://www.steelguitar.com/steelmap/maptop/changer.htm

And, linked from the same page, is a diagram of a push-pull:

http://www.steelguitar.com/steelmap/maptop/ppchangr.htm

Because in the push-pull the raise fingers are actually inside the lowers, it makes perfect sense that the lowers' contact at rest would be the big factor.

Like you say Carl, the scissors-style all-pull changer (which Bud Carter is responsible for in the first place) and the Emmons push-pull are two very different animals.

I feel like I'm way out on a limb here. I'm not an engineer, or expert steel mechanic at all.

David, almost everything I've read on here from people who have had the BCT upgrade suggests it's a dramatic improvement.

[This message was edited by Jeff A. Smith on 01 September 2003 at 06:34 PM.]

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Other guitars stop bar are mounted to the end plates next to the leg sockets so the vibrations are not being backfed into the body.

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We did it to keep any possible movenment of the endplates from affecting the at rest tuning of the changer, but it may have helped the sound as well.

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Jim Smith jimsmith94@comcast.net
-=Dekley D-12 10&12=-
-=Fessenden D-12 9&9=-
-=Emmons D-12 push pull 9&4 (soon to be 9&9)=-
Stereo Steel rig w/Boss GX-700
IVL SteelRider w/JV-880