My New Sho~Bud Keyheads

Alex McCollough · Post by **Alex McCollough** » 19 Feb 2008 3:39 pm

yeah, i've tried both of those.

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 19 Feb 2008 3:42 pm

John is extremely busy getting ready for Dallas. Be patient.

Bari Smith · Post by **Bari Smith** » 19 Feb 2008 4:04 pm

I received my "COOPED" LDG about a month ago(pics if ya do a search)and could not be happier with the outcome!I was priviledged to have several long conversations with Coop during the process and found him to be very smart and informed.What he is doing for the old Buds is amazing.Like was said before each Bud is a different animal,each one it's own entity,and each one has it's own faults.We are d.... lucky to have someone like Coop who's love for the instrument goes a step further than picks and strings!!!My 2 cents!

Leon Campbell · Post by **Leon Campbell** » 19 Feb 2008 4:46 pm

Hey John, That is beautiful, I will be needing one in the near furture. It looks perfect to me. I want to think you for the great work you do and for all the parts I've got from you. Your super fingers are
the best I've seen and used. I am looking forward to seeing you in Dallas. Thanks to you we can keep these
Sud-Buds playing and your parts does not change the
tone or sound. A big hats off to you John. Leon

Bill Ford · Post by **Bill Ford** » 19 Feb 2008 4:52 pm

re original versus Coop parts.
If you have an original unmodified Sho-Bud and wish to put it in a glass case for display only, by all means, do it.Don't put any of those shiny, perfectly machined parts that Mr. Coop makes on it

John Billings said>>it ain't remotely flat on the bottom!<< Exactly, why? because it's a cast part, and cast parts of that era were crappy at best. Besides, a machined part will polish much better than a cast part, you don't uncover holes like in a casting.

Oh, BTW,Mr.Coops parts are dimensionally identical ie they fit like they supposed to.

I'm through, just hate when someone makes this kind of improvement, and gets blasted.[$.05]

Edited to say..I'm certainly not knocking Sho-Bud, or anyone that owns one, I like them.

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 19 Feb 2008 5:19 pm

Bill, Shobud castings are really lousy. They have, at best, a very thin skin. Try to sand and buff out imperfections, or dents, and you may make things radically worse. As soon as you get by the very thin skin, you start getting into a huge amount of pinholes. Here's a pic I have posted before. Shobud shipped this part, but it's got a meteorite or something imbedded in it. I got a replacement from Coop.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 19 Feb 2008 5:37 pm

who is blasting mr. coops parts, bill? (read my posts) nobody is saying his stuff is 'crappy at best', as you do about sho-bud. i resent that you insinuate that i 'blast' anyone's work!

James Morehead · Post by **James Morehead** » 19 Feb 2008 6:20 pm

Ricky Davis wrote:James, your attention to explaining the many details of what Coop does; is admirable.
But it's like trying to explain algebra to a 3rd grader.
I'm a 3rd grader also when it comes to the massive calculations to what Coop does; to better a product.
Some will never understand it; but will speak out in ignorance; I'm certainly at fault for that too sometimes.
I've known many builders of steel guitars and they all are freakin' genious; but Ed Fulawka and John Coop to me; go over and beyond the attention to detail in superior craftsmanship; than I've ever seen.
Ricky

Yeah, I'm with ya Ricky. We know Coop makes these massive calculations. The Great thing about this fact, is we do not have to understand HOW he does it. It should be enough for us just to know that he DOES these calculations. The actual outcome of John's parts should erase all doubt about John's ability to get it done right. It has for me----a loooong time ago. It's nice to know we have someone like John, and as you mentioned Eddie Fulawka to take the burden off of us. All we have to do is concern our selves about PLAYIMG these parts/guitars, and I believe that is very great.

Kevin Mincke · Post by **Kevin Mincke** » 19 Feb 2008 6:28 pm

I only wish I could make something half as good as the repro parts Coop produces. I think it'd be a real fulfillment...especially for something that I'm sooo much into. Maybe theres a reason I didn't get a real high grade on my tin box in metal shop

but the effort was there

James Morehead · Post by **James Morehead** » 20 Feb 2008 6:21 am

chris ivey wrote: james, i never said anything about the spacing concerning the shafts of 5 and 6.

I apologize chris, I thought that was part of what you were critiquing. My bad.

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 20 Feb 2008 6:53 am

Ricky Davis wrote: I've known many builders of steel guitars and they all are freakin' genious; but Ed Fulawka and John Coop to me; go over and beyond the attention to detail in superior craftsmanship; than I've ever seen.
Ricky

Amen to that, Ricky. Mr.Coop's parts and workmanship speak for themselves. I have never met the man, but I know what kind of a person he is by just looking at one of his restorations.

The other builder you mention, Ed Fulawka, I have not only met in person, but I have been graciously allowed to look over his shoulder as he goes about creating his masterpieces. Afterwards I have had the great opportunity to sit down with the man and talk steel into the wee hours of the morning.

You mentioned genius, well I have seen one at work and can only hope that a wee bit rubbed off on me.

Al Terhune · Post by **Al Terhune** » 20 Feb 2008 7:36 am

Bill Ford wrote:I'm through, just hate when someone makes this kind of improvement, and gets blasted.[$.05]

I must have missed where Coop has been blasted...

In my thoughts and reflections, there's hardly been a nonplaying (well, I don't know how much Coop is able to play steel considering his workload) person on this forum who's had more praise than Coop, with Brad Sarno (a playing engineer) coming in a very close second.

Too, if you dish out criticism, you've got to be able to accept it, least you fall to being a hypocrite.

Bill Ford · Post by **Bill Ford** » 20 Feb 2008 8:59 am

John Coop said,
From this point on, the only people that will get my parts will be Ricky Davis and James Morehead.
Obviously my stuff does not size up. Coop

This is mostly what I based my "blasted" remark on.

As for my castings remark...ALL short run local foundry castings were "crappy" at best. The only way to get a good grade is lost wax, or pressure casting which , to my understanding is more costly than machining the type parts that Coop does.

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 20 Feb 2008 9:16 am

Bill, I have Shobuds from four eras of production. The castings on the '59 Madison Perm and the first-run Fingertip, seem to of higher quality than the castings from my '67 Shobud/Baldwin S-10. It might be that the quality went down when Shobud became allied with Baldwin, and had to produce vastly more guitars in a short time. Or maybe they changed the alloy? But the S-10 has lots of pinholes, and the "meteorite" shown above. Quality control seems to have gone down sharply. And it seems they never corrected design mistakes

James Morehead · Post by **James Morehead** » 20 Feb 2008 4:42 pm

John Billings wrote:John is extremely busy getting ready for Dallas. Be patient.

How right you are, John!! The Coopster is trying to drain the swamp with alligators up to his elbos.

If you can wait to see John at the show if your coming, or contact him AFTER the show, it would greatly be appreciated. You see, John is doing the work of about 6 guys, and there's only him. Next year, he may spring for a couple of clones, if he can get a package deal, that is.

Patience has it's rewards.

Mike Christensen · Post by **Mike Christensen** » 20 Feb 2008 5:45 pm

John has had a few short threads recently about the seemingly inherent problems with Sho-Bud guitars. I have a roundfront at his place now and a 76 LDG that may go next but I,m beginning to wonder. I,m to the point that I,m almost ashamed to tell anyone I have a Sho-Bud. Beginning to sound like the only good thing about them is the Sho-Bud sticker on the front.

James Morehead · Post by **James Morehead** » 20 Feb 2008 6:06 pm

Oh no, Mike, I'd be very proud to have a nice shobud or two, like yours. I LOVE my 'buds and the potential in them---they are loaded with Karisma!! They had plenty of problems, but as you well know, that ain't the end of the world. Kinda like a '57 chevy that needs work---plenty of karisma, but they ain't a Rolls Royce, either. These guitars have the tone and the look. John is just able to take them into a better dimension by solving some of these problems.

Carl Williams · Post by **Carl Williams** » 20 Feb 2008 6:08 pm

Hang on to her Mike...as you can see from the pic below, this '76 doesn't look too shabby...Now, it has had the following folks either work on it or restore it: Ricky Davis///Duane Marrs///A.J. Nelson///Mike Cass...last but not least...John Coop's custom parts built into it...I'm very proud to have had each one of these gentlemen work on my LDG...Coop's parts/craftsmanship were just icing on the cake! Hope to see you in Big D Coop...Carl
P.S. This LDG played just fine when I first bought it in '04 but like many others with older steels, I wanted it upgraded with a new color and better parts...the tone is Sho-Bud and satisfies my ears and that's what counts to me...

James Morehead · Post by **James Morehead** » 20 Feb 2008 6:14 pm

I looked the word gorgeous up in the dictionary, and there was was a picture of Carl's guitar!!

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 20 Feb 2008 8:02 pm

John: Are you going to be making a lot of these, and, if so, what are you going to do with the old ones you take off ?

Carl Williams · Post by **Carl Williams** » 21 Feb 2008 2:59 am

Appreciate the Comp James...I'm happy with it and I believe that's what it's all about...

Carl

Rick Johnson · Post by **Rick Johnson** » 21 Feb 2008 5:15 am

Coop
I don't own a Sho-Bud but if I did,
not only would your keyheads be on it
but your whole undercarriage work.

Its a much need improvement.

Rick

www.rickjohnsoncabs.com

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 21 Feb 2008 5:32 am

Alan Brookes wrote:John: Are you going to be making a lot of these, and, if so, what are you going to do with the old ones you take off ?

Skeet shooting?

Brian Henry · Post by **Brian Henry** » 21 Apr 2011 5:22 pm

John - What is the price of these new keyheads?

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My New Sho~Bud Keyheads

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re: Coops parts