How many 10 string Bigsby steels are known of.

Jay L. Taylor · Post by **Jay L. Taylor** » 3 Oct 2008 9:31 am

I remember seeing a list of compiled Bigsby steel guitars known to exist. Does anyone know how many of the 60 or so out their have 10 string necks. Just seems like an interesting question.

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 3 Oct 2008 10:09 am

Unless I'm mistaken, Bob White had the 1st 10-string pedal guitar, 10-10-8, with pedals on the 10's. There were three T-10 guitars, 2 were pedal and one was non-pedal wooden necks. I have the non-pedal and I have Maurice Anderson's S-10 pedal guitar.

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 3 Oct 2008 10:38 am

A fellow named Grady Lindler had a late 50's T10 with eight pedals, I have a picture of it but the guitar's been destroyed since. Bobbe owns the Dick Waring guitar which had two 10 string necks and one eight string and nine pedals, Bob White's guitar has 2x10's and single 8 with four pedals. Tom Morrell's ( which wasn't originally built for him ) is a T10 and didn't Bobbe used to own a T10 which was built for Whit ( taylor or something )? I don't have my list on this computer but Marian Hall had a doubleneck with at least one ten string neck. All in all, there's far more guitars than just 60 or so, we're probably talking about around hundred Bigsby steels.

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 3 Oct 2008 7:13 pm

Jody Carver's [(“Stolen”-“Mis-placed”)] Bigsby is a T–8.

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 3 Oct 2008 8:52 pm

Jay, Mike Bagwell's got a photo of Grady Lindler with his Bigsby. Grady told me that he couldn't play a lick of steel when he ordered it, but he knew he had three years to learn! Grady's a good swing fiddler, too, and a real fun guy to pick with, or just talk to.

Michael Brewer · Post by **Michael Brewer** » 4 Oct 2008 1:40 pm

Sometime in the middle 50's I took my foot pedal in to Paul for a new pot. He had an S-10 he was finishing up for Ernie Ball. I don't remember exactly but I believe there were 8 pedals. I was a stand up, no pedal player then and that was the first pedal steel I had seen. I thought that was the most beautiful guitar ever built.

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 6 Oct 2008 4:13 am

Two more guitars w/ ten string necks; didn't Paul Warnik used to own a quad with two 10's and two 8's. Not sure to whom it was built for. Also the legendary "world's largest pedal steel" that Mack Thomas had is a T10 with fifteen pedals.

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 6 Oct 2008 5:51 am

Jussi, please let us in on YOUR SECRET.

Let's face it. You're on the other side of the world and yet, you've managed to gather all of this INSIDE INFO' on Bigsby guitars.

How'd you do it?

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 6 Oct 2008 5:53 am

I'm a geek, that's all!!

Ben Jack · Post by **Ben Jack** » 6 Oct 2008 10:23 am

I own Bob's Bigsby if anyone has a specific question I can probably answer it.

Jay L. Taylor · Post by **Jay L. Taylor** » 6 Oct 2008 11:31 am

My Father once owned the Grady Lindler steel and I somehow ended up with two ten string pickups. I guess I am fishing for information to find out just how rare these things are.

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 6 Oct 2008 12:58 pm

Well, in a vintage guitar world, it don't get much rarer than a ten string Bigsby PU

And Ben, I myself, and I'm sure many others too are curious and would appreciate the tunings and set up Bob had on that guitar. I have the Joe Carson recordings with Bob on steel on which I believe he's playing an E13 with a whole tone pedal change on the fifth note, in other words, the familiar E9 change. I might be wrong too...

Bill Moore · Post by **Bill Moore** » 20 Oct 2008 5:14 am

Jussi, here is a picture of a ten string, I received this in a email. Do you recognize this guitar?

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 20 Oct 2008 5:19 am

Bill, no, in fact that guitar is totally news to me

These things keep poppin' up and prove that PA made way more instruments than has been estimated. Thanks for that picture Bill!!

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 20 Oct 2008 9:24 am

Whoa, there was more than one S-10 pedal Bigsby. Bill, do you know what the serial number is?

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 20 Oct 2008 9:33 am

My guess is that it's an early 60's guitar. The wood grain and lacquer tone resemble mine and few other early 60's guitars.

John Drury · Post by **John Drury** » 20 Oct 2008 9:44 am

Whats up with Reeces guitar? I have heard players joke about a Polish Loafer, but that actually looks like one!

Bill Moore · Post by **Bill Moore** » 20 Oct 2008 10:13 am

Chas, I know very little about Bigsbys, do you mean that it was thought that there was only one S-10 made, Reese's? I was told the guitar was built in August 1959.
I don't know the serial number. It looks to be in mint condition.

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 20 Oct 2008 2:16 pm

Whats up with Reeces guitar? I have heard players joke about a Polish Loafer, but that actually looks like one!

This was back when cables and phenolic aircraft cable pulleys were used for the undercarriage. Bigsby used to frequent Lockheed surplus. The pulleys needed a lot more real estate than the modern setups do. Normally, there would be an 8-string or 10-string neck without changers, in the front position.

Chas, I know very little about Bigsbys, do you mean that it was thought that there was only one S-10 made, Reese's?

Up until today, I had only heard of one, although Jussi, Lee Jeffries, Bobbe and others are far more informed than I am.

Bobby Boggs · Post by **Bobby Boggs** » 20 Oct 2008 8:12 pm

Jay, the 1st time I met your dad. He was playing the Bigsby. THis was the Grady Lindler guitar. I read it was destroyed. Anyone know how?? Fire? was it made into lap steels? Anyone know? Just curious.....bb

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 21 Oct 2008 7:39 am

I just was informed about an S-10 Bigsby that surfaced in Canada, originally owned by a steel player named Bruce Armstrong. Anyone know of him?

Fred Shannon · Post by **Fred Shannon** » 21 Oct 2008 8:07 am

I believe there is a S-10 in the Florida area. Not certain though

phred

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 21 Oct 2008 10:24 am

Marian Hall spoke of a double neck with a non-pedal 8 in back and a 10 on the front with 6 pedals. She told me that once she discovered that a 10 string E13 w/pedals would cover all she wanted to play,she took off the back neck and put a pad on there. So apparently she "loafed" before Lloyd. She appeared to play standing up but was sitting on a high stool so she could work the pedals and a volume pedal. That ax also had one of those maple skirts w/the same finish as the guitar that came all the way down to the pedal rack which was quite big because of the heigth of the guitar.I'm sure that instrument still exists but I don't know who ended up with it when she passed. There's a great article w/a lot of pix in the Sept 04 issue of Vintage Guitar and that guitar and her copedant is in there as well as a Bigsby D-8 she had previous to that. I spent time with her in the last couple years of her life but I never saw that guitar - just a picture of it.She was so stove up with arthritus and her hands were so twisted up I don't think she wanted to be around a guitar so I didn't push the issue of having her pull it out and set it up. We mostly just passed the time talking old times and listening to records - mostly Joaquin Murphey records. She had trouble getting around but her memory never failed her and she was articulate to the end.
At her home in Laguna Beach in 2004.

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 21 Oct 2008 11:38 am

Ok, Marian Hall, that guitar and those boots... HOT

Drew Howard · Post by **Drew Howard** » 21 Oct 2008 4:01 pm

Michael - that is too cool! = Drew

The Steel Guitar Forum

How many 10 string Bigsby steels are known of.

How many 10 string Bigsby steels are known of.

Okay Jussi............give us the rest of the story.......

Bob White's

Bigsby Ten string guitars