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  Emmons p/p question

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Author Topic:   Emmons p/p question
D Schubert
Member

From: Columbia, MO, USA

posted 15 December 2003 11:10 AM     profile     
Can somebody describe (or post pictures) of the different types of p/p changers used over the years? I would like to be able to tell them apart.
Herb Steiner
Member

From: Cedar Valley, Travis County TX

posted 15 December 2003 11:14 AM     profile     
The changer has always been basically the same, it's the mounting system that has been changed over the years.

There's a website who's URL I've lost that has uses some close-ups of a few of my guitars showing each of the mounting types. Someone on the forum surely can post this for you.

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Bob Knight
Member

From: Bowling Green KY

posted 15 December 2003 11:38 AM     profile     
Try here.

www.melmusic.com/laceyj/guide_notes.html

D Schubert
Member

From: Columbia, MO, USA

posted 15 December 2003 12:40 PM     profile     
Thanks, guys! You can't beat this outfit for fast answers!
Bobby Bowman
Member

From: Cypress, Texas, USA

posted 15 December 2003 01:04 PM     profile     
Herb is pretty much "on the money". However, there is a difference in the length of the changer fingers for the outside neck vs the inside neck of 1/4 inch.....the outside being longer.
BB

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If you play 'em, play 'em good!
If you build 'em, build 'em good!

Herb Steiner
Member

From: Cedar Valley, Travis County TX

posted 15 December 2003 03:59 PM     profile     
Well, I'll agree with Bobby, but I don't agree that the length of the changer fingers... C6 and E9... being 1/4" different is a change in the design of the changer itself, since the length of the changer fingers have remained constant since late 1964.

HOWEVER...

Why I said the changer has "basically" stayed the same is that the very early guitars, like the first 10, had the tuning screw holes lower and closer together on the endplate, with the pickup jack between the two rows of holes, rather than above them. That means the first changer fingers had the tapped holes for the tuning screws in a different place.

I've owned Emmonses #7 and #8, and they both had this characteristic. I currently play #18, and that guitar has the screw holes in the traditional position.

Also, the original changers had holes for 1/2" axles. By guitar #23 (May 1965) the changers used 9/16" axles.

Mike Cass could speak more on this topic, but I think I have the basics.

This is SUPER trivia, but technically it is a change.

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Chris Lucker
Member

From: Los Angeles, California USA

posted 15 December 2003 04:29 PM     profile     
Herb,
Were the 1/2 inch axles made from valve stem shafts?
Did Emmons use cast fingers on your #7 or #8?
Were there spacers or washers between the fingers on #7 and #8?
Finally, when did the bulkheads or pillars or whatever you call the axle holders get closed-ended?
Thank you

[This message was edited by Chris Lucker on 15 December 2003 at 04:33 PM.]

Brad Sarno
Member

From: St. Louis, MO USA

posted 15 December 2003 11:25 PM     profile     
http://home.earthlink.net/%7Ebradsarno/66photos.html

Here's a look at a '66 bolt-on changer. This changer remained with the wood necked guitars after '66. When the changer was bolted directly onto the aluminum neck as these were, there were tuning issues relating to wood/aluminum expansion differences. This changer was short lived on a metal neck for that reason. But there was a sound like no other. That's the sound that the George L's E-66 pickup was modelled after. It's pretty great sounding. Very deep and rich. Ballsy. The guitar that is.

Brad Sarno

[This message was edited by Brad Sarno on 15 December 2003 at 11:26 PM.]

Herb Steiner
Member

From: Cedar Valley, Travis County TX

posted 16 December 2003 12:46 AM     profile     
Chris
1. I don't know what the axles are made from.

2. The raise fingers look like they are roughly machined.

3. On #8 there is one large spacer between the s.1 changer finger and the axle pillar. I no longer have #7.

4. On #8 the axles are exposed. On #18 the axles are concealed. Number 18 is a wraparound, while #8 is a woodneck bolt-on, as was #7.

One thing more. On the bolt-ons #7-8, the axle pillars mount flush to the top of the tailpiece section, while later bolt-ons have deeper mounting pillars that sit in a milled shelf at the rear of the tailpiece.

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[This message was edited by Herb Steiner on 16 December 2003 at 12:47 AM.]

Jay Ganz
Member

From: Out Behind The Barn

posted 16 December 2003 07:54 AM     profile     
`

[This message was edited by Jay Ganz on 05 January 2004 at 02:02 PM.]

Larry Moore
Member

From: Hampton, Ga. USA

posted 16 December 2003 09:30 AM     profile     
Herb,
I have a 67 PP D-10 S/N 1153-D, and the changer on the E-9th neck is appr. 1/4 longer than the C-6th neck.
The changer pull fingers are level on the bottom side. The difference is the E-9th neck being higher than the C-6th neck.
Mine looks just like the cut tail pic above Decal and all.
Larry
Chris Lucker
Member

From: Los Angeles, California USA

posted 16 December 2003 10:58 AM     profile     
Thank you for sharing your info, Herb.

One addition regarding finger length, the fingers on neckless Student Emmons guitars are even shorter than C6 fingers. One time I made the mistake of buying a junker Student guitar because I needed a C6 changer. Wooops.

Herb Steiner
Member

From: Cedar Valley, Travis County TX

posted 16 December 2003 11:15 AM     profile     
One more thing about the early-early guitars. The raise fingers only had one connecting hole for the pull rods. And the pull rods were connected to the fingers not by heavy wire, but by heavy springs.

Prices:
Twin 10 (8 pedals) $995, Single 10 (6 pedals)$595. Extra pedals were $72.50, and knee levers $69.50

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D Schubert
Member

From: Columbia, MO, USA

posted 16 December 2003 12:02 PM     profile     
Thanks again for all the informative responses, guys. Especially for those up-close nitty-gritty photos, Jay.
Jack Strayhorn
Member

From: Winston-Salem, NC

posted 17 December 2003 07:27 PM     profile     
Wrap arounds were the first guitars. The bolt on was in 66 and 67. The split neck design was from 68 until the end.
Rick Johnson
Member

From: Wheelwright, Ky USA

posted 18 December 2003 04:57 AM     profile     
My '75 P/P is a bolt on, wooden necks.
Jacks comment implies that the split tail
was implemented in 66/67 until the end
of production. How did I get a bolt on
neck in '75?

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Rick Johnson

Mike Sweeney
Member

From: Nashville,TN,USA

posted 18 December 2003 05:38 AM     profile     
Rick,

All wooden neck push-pulls use a bolt on changer.

Brendan Mitchell
Member

From: Melbourne Australia

posted 18 December 2003 07:32 PM     profile     
Sorry to digress but when did the fatback evolve to cuttail?
Brendan
Bobby Boggs
Member

From: Pendleton SC

posted 18 December 2003 10:37 PM     profile     
Brenden,The rear aprons where cut in 65. can't say for sure about 64.Then in 1970 they went with the fatback and then changed back to the Cut aprons but I can't remember the year.
Herb Steiner
Member

From: Cedar Valley, Travis County TX

posted 19 December 2003 06:41 AM     profile     
Rear aprons were cut in 1964.

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John Lacey
Member

From: Black Diamond, Alberta, Canada

posted 19 December 2003 08:55 AM     profile     
"Sorry to digress but when did the fatback evolve to cuttail?" You're talking about 2 different parts of the guitar. Fatback refers to the rear apron and cuttail refers to the rear portion of the neck, behind the changer.
Charlie McVay
Member

From: New Brighton, Pennsylvania, USA

posted 20 December 2003 08:14 AM     profile     
i just joined this forum and seen it for the 1st time about 2weeks ago.i own 6 p/ps and restored or rebuilt many of them.i have 2 with wooden necks.one is a 76 and the other is a 69 #1287.this is a split tail and not a bolt on.my 76 is a bolt on.the changers are made of 2024 aluminum the shaft is 1020-1040 steel and is 9/16 dia.the fatback started in 1970.i not disputing anything, just trying to help.my 69 used to belong to tommy dodd.
Charlie McVay
ps:hi Mike Cass!
C Dixon
Member

From: Duluth, GA USA

posted 20 December 2003 11:08 AM     profile     
MY '69 P/P was bought new in '69 and it had a full back (not routed out for the knees) often referred to as "fatback". Sometime after this, they began cutting out the bottom of the back.

carl

Brendan Mitchell
Member

From: Melbourne Australia

posted 20 December 2003 09:18 PM     profile     
Sorry ,my mistake about cuttail.I was referring to the cut out on the rear apron.I have a Blackrock that has the cut out -74- I think and an aluminium S10 with the fatback that came to me with 6 pedals and 1 knee lever.
Regards Brendan

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