Sho Bud Super-Pro era Changer Question

[Dan Beller-McKenna]

During the Super Pro era, Sho-Bud eventually began sending out guitars with a piece cut off of the second string finger(the "eyelet" that a raise spring could attach to, B below) to allow for enough range of motion from the lowering scissor plate (A below) to lower that string a whole step. Can anyone think of a reason not to do this on another finger (i.e., cut off that piece) that needed more lowering range and did not need a raise helper spring? I have a lot of extra super pro fingers, so I could afford to experiment.

[Ricky Davis]

Can anyone think of a reason not to do this on another finger (i.e., cut off that piece) that needed more lowering range and did not need a raise helper spring?

I can't think of a reason NOT TO. Only other string I think on the E9 neck that could use that more lowering room would be if you wanted to lower 3rd String G# to F#; Make sure to use a .012p...anything lighter will make the 3rd string out more so in unison or attempting to move with the 6th string G#.
Otherwise ; don't think anything else needs that much room to move on E9.
On C6th; it would be good if you want to lower middle G 5th string to F....on another lever; but leave it going to F# on ped.5.
Ricky

[Dan Beller-McKenna]

Thanks Ricky,. Actually, it's E9 string 10, and normally it would be fine, but:

as I posted about a while back, an issue arose on my 1982 Super Pro, on which the inside edge of the E9 endplate where the lower scissors rest, had formed grooves. The tenth string lower scissor was slipping into the groove--or not--without any consistency, causing tuning headaches as you could imagine. Tom Cass made a fix for me by fashioning an thin piece of harder aluminum to fit over the offending edge. This has worked beautifully to rectify the original issue. However, an anticipated side effect has become noticeable. By increasing the surface area of the stopping edge just a slight amount (i.e., by adding a thin piece of metal between the original edge and the lower scissor), the scissor has lost a tiny amount of range. This is an issue for me, since I lower E9 string 10 a whole step (I also raise it a whole-step). I don't think anything has changed since the fix a month or two ago, but I am noticing that I am absolutely not able to go any farther than that whole step before the raise finger pulls away and brings the pitch back upwards-- the opposite problem from the far more common lower finger pulling off its stop during a raise due to too little tension from the return spring. I don't like having no room to adjust.

I have exhausted all of the standard adjustments (string gauge; return-spring tension; pull rod location), and I have thoroughly examined the movement at the changer. Nothing is binding. It's the lowering scissor piece pushing on that eyelet extension. I think I'm gonna have a go at it with one of my extra fingers. I'll report back on the results.