Rebuilding Mullen S12

[Bobby D. Jones]

I started rebuilding a Mullen S12 Jan. 1, 2026.
The first part went well. I cleaned/lubed pedal bar, Pedal rods. Removed the key head, Nut roller assembly, Cleaned and polished. Polished rollers.

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[Bobby D. Jones]

Today I started on under carriage. The pull rods are a disaster. I am thinking about making new rods. Less work than cleaning these rods.

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[Bobby D. Jones]

I removed the rods and found that the cross rods are bad too. The guitar has been around the ocean or store with some chemicals.

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[Dean Smith]

Looking good, Bobby....Following.

[Larry Jamieson]

Looking good so far. I'm curious... Is peanut butter a good cleaner or is it a lubricant? I'll keep track or your progress.

[Jerry Overstreet]

Your guitar, but those pull rods are just fine the way they are. They will operate as intended. I've owned several Mullen guitars and some of the pull rods all looked similar. I suppose it's the material oxidation on them and the cross shafts but it doesn't hurt a thing.

That said, if you want to replace them they will look better though.

[Dennis Detweiler]

Rub the metal parts with 400 wet/dry under the faucet to get the bulk off. I'm thinking, get a bench mount buffer and some buffing compound. You should be able to make the metal parts shine. Rub with oil for preservative.

[Bobby D. Jones]

This guitar came from near the Atlantic Ocean. I wonder if salty sea mist caused this problem.

I worked on the cross rods today, I used a wheel of steel wool with a plastic binder, It took the weird crud off.
The cross shafts, Pull rods, Little plates that the pull rod hooks into, Pedal stop brackets and changer bar stop plate are Cadmium plated. The cadmium and chemical reaction is the problem.
I think shinney stainless steel pull rods would give the under carriage a classier look.

[Bobby D. Jones]

Removed neck and changer. Removed all parts from underneath, Except 1 bar, It has the pickup wire run through a hole. Will clean it in place.
Removed all parts from cross shafts and cleaned them.
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When removing bell cranks or other parts from the hex shafts. (Remove set screw), Place wrench close to the parts base, Wiggle wrench parallel with the cross shaft to unseat and remove the part.
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Cleaning up the cadmium plated parts that are corroded. The changer stop plate needs its slots polished, For smooth changer movement.
Picked up enough 1/8" Stainless steel rod to make new rods for guitar.

[Sam Inglis]

Do you need to take precautions when cleaning cadmium plated items? The use of cadmium even in small quantities is pretty much outlawed in Europe owing to its toxicity.

[Bobby D. Jones]

Neck cleaned and polished, Ran many parts in walnut shell vibrator today. Cleaned lower return springs, And adjustment screws. Polished front apron cross rod plate. Cleaned up spacers for behind tuning nuts.
I have to check and replace a few screws and bolts. Found the slots in the changer stop plate, Have that cadmium crud in them. Need cleaned and polished, So the raise and lower bars will slide smooth in the slots.
The stop bar is on the top of list for tomorrow.

[Rich Cottle]

I agree with Jerry, corrosion is irrevilent ,
It is kinda ugly , just dont tell anybody , I wont

Stainless steel useally doesn't corrode , like brass it will sometimes tarnish , just use some kind of brass/Stainless steel tarnish remover.

[Bobby D. Jones]

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Down to making new stainless steel pull rods.
Installing bell cranks and pull rods.

[Jerry Overstreet]

Gonna be nice, bright and shiny. Quite an undertaking but very satisfying results I'll bet.

[Bobby D. Jones]

Hit a rock in the road of reassembling the guitar. The the pull rods have a 54 Number Drill through the rod for the hitch pin. There was so much crud, I could not see if it was a grove or hole.
If it was a grove I could cut the groves on lathe.
A 54 number drill is so small, My drill press chuck will not hold the bit. "And the plot thickens".

[Mickey Adams]

I have Mullen rods, and a ton of PRP hardware also...Where are you on this?

[Jerry Overstreet]

See if you can find a #54 bit with 1/4" hex shank for a power screwdriver. They're out there but I dunno if anything that small.

I've been through this before too. Trying to drill a hole that small in a stainless steel rod takes patience, a good bit, quill and after all that, the results can be disappointing.

[Dean Smith]

Looking good, Bobby...it's nice to see someone taking pride in their work.

I have made a few pull rods in the past for a change or two on Mullen guitars. When drilling the rod for the cotter pin, I usually create a small flat spot where the hole will be located. The flat spot reduces the chance of the drill bit walking off the part due to the small size.