The British Steelies Society

I struggled to change the strings for the first time on my newly-purchased Sho-Bud. Although I succeeded in the end, it was more by luck than judgement and with much removing of strings to start again.
What was I doing wrong?

Nick, you weren't doing anything wrong. Everything was quite normal, you just didn't know the fact that one needs 3 hands to change strings on a steel
With practice you will get better. You'll find a way to hold the string a bit tight so it don't slip out of the slot or off of the pin.

On my BenRom steels, I have made things a bit easier by drilling a hole thru the finger. That way, you just stick the end of the string into the hole, pull it out the other side, as demonstrated on these wooden finger models. Once you have done that, you leave that end be and concentrate on getting the string into the post hole of the tuner. Like McGyver used to say "Works for me".

Carter did a vid (was this John Fabian?)... may help

Thanks to all who replied! What a fantastic resource this is.
Bent - three hands was the easy bit, but I couldn't manage the torch and magnifying glass at the same time!(and the engineering suggestion would be completely beyond me).
Ken - I can't see if I've got a pin or a groove - all too tight and fiddly and dark down there (and I can't see even now how or why I got all the strings hooked up) - but I did in the end.
Allan - I shall watch the link with great interest (and learn)!
Now... in E9 tuning, with A+B pedals down and LKV engaged (B to Bb) I should (in theory) get major to minor. What I get is major to whiner - something like a quarter tone drop of the B string. On their own, each pedal/lever is right on the button. Is there another adjustment 'under the hood' I should be looking at - there is certainly a 'stopping screw' that stops the 'throw' of the lever but does this also affect the tuning (which as I said is ok on its own). The guitar is Sho-Bud 'on top' and Curnow rods and levers underneath.
In anticipation

yes you are correct, you should be getting a minor chord, some of the more technically gifted on here may be able to tell you why you are not achieving this, my Carter achieves this, but i would suggest you tune in the lkv with A +B pedals pressed and not on its own, as you are raising one string by two semi tones, and lowering by a semi tone at the same time, that must by its very nature cause certain stresses, maybe one for Mr Adams ? ? ?

Thanks Eddie

It is a tad difficult to diagnose by text, looking at it would tell me in short order but lets try remote!

Assuming you are getting B to Bb on the LKV when nothing else is engaged it would suggest that the lever stop (if fitted?) is correct.

So if the ½ note drop is not happening ie. the fe' note! (old money) check the A pedal rod positions at the bellcranks, move them to the highest position from the crossbar this will make them go way sharp so then release the nylon hex at the changer back on these to pitch the C#s accurately this should give a greater amount of free travel to allow the halfway note when the pedals are engaged.

If the A pedal pulls are too tight (short) there is no scope for the lowering lever to do it's job in achieving that partial raise as it is only allowing a sensation of the note, this issue is classic on push pulls you must guarantee the freedom of the lower pull before final setting of the raise collars. otherwise they won't go down on you! (for you! even)

But hey, why me!

Take it up with the man who built it, talk to JD and I'm sure he'll put you in touch! The master's hand 'n all that' !He will know where his own setup should be!

You will resolve it!! and it is a sweet playing and sounding steel I seem to recall from about 3mins of 'sweet memories' on it!!!

Enjoy!

Yeah, your quite right Bob, its not your remit to put right every problem on everyones steel, i worded it wrong, i was meaning to just ask your opinion on the stresses that the vertical lever must put on the undercarriage when used in conjunction with a pedal doing the opposite, Nick is saying [i think] that the lkv is dropping the note by half a tone perfectly, as it should, when used with no pedals, but when used with the a+b pedals its only dropping a quarter of a tone, so i guess it is kinda fighting with the B pedal, now i only tend to use the lkv to achieve the minor chord with A+B pressed, so that is how i tune it, i dont tune the lkv on its own, am i making sense? i know what i mean, might be explaining it badly