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Topic: Mystery McAuliffe Quad Steel |
Dana Duplan
From:
Ramona, CA
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Posted 2 Aug 2009 6:05 am |
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Just noticed this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYLJ-cyfY6A
Has some shots of what looks to be a custom ShoBud, modded Bigsby?
I don't recall seeing this guitar before. Does anyone know anything about it? The video doesn't mention if the steel is for sale (and where), or if it was just on display. |
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Jamie O'Connell
From:
Medford, Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 2 Aug 2009 8:29 am
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It's definitely Bigsby like construction and necks, but I am unsure about the pickups and fretboards?
There is a picture, in the new Bigsby book, of Leon playing a triple neck Bigsby with more standard features. It has "Take it away, Leon" engraved in the front panel.
--Jamie |
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Mitch Drumm
From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
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Posted 2 Aug 2009 9:52 am
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Here are a couple of pix for those who don't have the Bigsby book or can't access the video:
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Jamie O'Connell
From:
Medford, Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 2 Aug 2009 9:39 pm
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| On closer look those seem to be 9 string necks!? Similar to Bigsby design, but an extra flange coming out of the top? Bizarre! |
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Jussi Huhtakangas
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Posted 2 Aug 2009 10:41 pm
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Cool guitar, definately not a Bigsby, more like a Bud but don't think it's Sho Bud either. Too bad they didn't show the front of it.
Who's the guy messin' with Leon's Bigsby?  |
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Bobby Burns
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 3 Aug 2009 6:31 am
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| So, who owns this guitar now, and do they have any good pictures they can share? |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 3 Aug 2009 7:41 am
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Interesting that the name on the fretboard is spelled "McAuliff".
It looks like a very early Wright Quad to me. David Wright has some good photos on his web site that look similar, including this one with a young Barbara Mandrell:
Without more information from the current owner, it's impossible to say.
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Jussi Huhtakangas
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Posted 3 Aug 2009 9:55 am
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| I doubt it's a Wright Custom, looks too ShoBuddish to me, a Marlen could be a good guess but I've never seen headstocks like that on a Marlen. Then there were guys like Morrell and Shields building guitars in Tx around that time... maybe Maurice would know? |
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Scott Thomas
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Posted 3 Aug 2009 1:06 pm
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Seeing the front of that guitar, it just occurred to me that "Leon" is "Noel" spelled backwards. 
. . . and if you play Steel Guitar Rag backwards . . . nah. |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 4 Aug 2009 9:17 am
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I can't tell from the pic, even zooming in, but,,,, if the "changers"( I know on this guitar they're not changers) have "ducktails" then it just might be an early Shobud. Some of the earliest Perms had Ducktail changers, But the keyheads look strange too.
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 4 Aug 2009 10:47 am
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| I'm gonna say ShoBud. Finally looked at the video in freeze frame. The "changer"/pickup-bridge looks exactly like the ShoBud "Ducktail" changer with the "Ducktails ground off. And I imagine that was done so that the necks could be mounted closer together. All the component parts look the same. Remember, Shot would build just about anything at one time. Recall the ShoBud Autoharp? |
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Jussi Huhtakangas
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Posted 4 Aug 2009 11:40 am
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I agree John, it's very Budish, but still, some features are just way off, stuff that I've never seen in any other Bud. Then again, if it is a Sho Bud it's a very early one, so who knows... The two photos you posted btw, were originally taken by me, that's my old D9 Bud
For some reason however, this kind of reminds me of the recent youtube clip of grandpaw's ol' Bigsby double neck guitar...  |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 4 Aug 2009 12:37 pm
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| Jussi! I love that guitar! I archived the photos. There was a guitar on ebay a few years back, very much like it. Everybody on the Forum told me it was not a ShoBud, so I didn't bid. Then I found the pics of yours. Was I bummed! |
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Dana Duplan
From:
Ramona, CA
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Posted 4 Aug 2009 1:25 pm
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| I'm surprised no pictures of Leon playing this instrument have surfaced yet. Unless he never played it? But, we know he liked quads, and red, so it makes sense that it was his. |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 4 Aug 2009 1:28 pm
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| Dana, if you freeze frame the vid, you can also see that the fret markings spell out his name! |
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Bobby Burns
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 4 Aug 2009 3:49 pm
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| What about some of the Texas guys like Blankenship and Wheeler, ar some smaller maker like that? |
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 5 Aug 2009 6:28 am
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| It's an early 60s Sho-Bud. Bobbe Seymor gave me a 9-string sho-bud headstock exactly like that some years back that he had lying around when Chas Smith and I were trying to build Joaquin Murphey a 9-string pedal guitar. Chas ended up not using it and made the guitar from scratch. I mounted the headstock(which doesn't even have tuner holes drilled in it yet)to an aluminum plate and use it for an ashtray out in my shop. Someday I'll build a sho-bud lookin S-9 C6 on 3 legs using that keyhead when I come across the right piece of maple. |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 5 Aug 2009 6:39 am
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| MJ, I'm thinkin' more like 1957/58. Who knows???? |
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Jamie O'Connell
From:
Medford, Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 5 Aug 2009 5:35 pm
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| But the name on the necks are spelled wrong! Leon spelled his last name: McAuliffe. The necks display: McAuliff. |
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Dana Duplan
From:
Ramona, CA
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Posted 6 Aug 2009 6:48 am
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Leon also went by the alternate spelling later on:
Sorry for the small pic, but there were several solo albums realeased with the "McAuliff" spelling. |
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Marty Smith
From:
California
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Posted 6 Aug 2009 5:06 pm
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Who has that thing? I would like to buy it. Email me please.
Thanks
Marty Smith |
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Jamie O'Connell
From:
Medford, Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 7 Aug 2009 8:20 pm
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Artists?!
That's wild. Different name in later life...
--Jamie |
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