"Ask Bud!"

Question:

How do I adjust my return springs?

Answer:

If you believe you need to do this procedure, please make sure that the gauges and types of strings are correct for your guitar. For example, make sure that you have not substituted a wound string for a plain string and make sure the gauge is the correct gauge for each string. In other words, sometimes a person mixes up the 5th and 6th strings, etc.

There are basically 2 different methods you can use to adjust your springs, depending on the type of spring setup you have:

1. Your springs are adjustable by turning a screw (usually in the endplate); or
   
   
2. Your springs are "fixed" and you either will have to cut (shorten and increase tension) or stretch (loosen and decrease tension).

For steels with either method, before adjusting your springs, make sure your pedals and knee levers have some slack and that you have not adjusted the tuning nuts so tight that either the raise or lower finger (or both) have pulled away from the stop bar. With the guitar upside down, activate each pedal and knee lever Very Slowly ... especially when releasing the pedals and knee levers.

For pulls that raise, watch the end of the lower finger to make sure that they remain held against the stop bar. The raise finger should return Completely to rest against the stop bar.

For pulls that lower, watch the fingers to verify that the raising finger remains against the stop bar. The lowering finger should return Completely to rest against the stop bar.

The most frequent forms of failure are:

1. Inability of the spring to hold the lowering finger during a raise; and
   
   
2. Inability of the spring to return the lowering finger after a lower.

These 2 problems may not be discoverable except by the slow activation and release of the pull.

For a guitar with adjustable springs, you can proceed as follows:

1. Increase the spring tension 1 or 2 turns at a time.
   
   
2. Retest to see if the problem persists.
   
   
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 above until the problem disappears.

For guitars with "fixed" springs, you can proceed as follows:

1. Loosen and remove the string on the finger you are going to adjust (Yes, that's sTring, not spring!)
   
   
2. Remove the spring.
   
   
3. Cut 1 link off the spring.
   
   
4. Reattach spring.
   
   
5. Reattach string and tune to pitch.
   
   
6. Check to see if the problem has been fixed.
   
   
7. Repeat steps 1 through 6 until the problem disappears.

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