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Topic: Reworking a Pro II (should I try it ?) |
Bryan Staddon
From:
Buffalo,New York,
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Posted 22 Nov 2011 11:30 am |
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| Hi Friends, I have a sho-bud steel, The Pro II. on a sticker underneath the guitar it says Music City Mfg. Model # 6155, No.10794 That no is also stamped on the wood under the C6th neck tuners. Been playing for a few years and am starting to play gigs with it (am also a guitar player for 40 years and counting) I am a fairly competent tinkerer, and generally can fix anything if properly motivated. Anyway a few questions. Can I find out when this guitar was made and buy parts , and looking at it from underneath it looks kinda funky, some corrosion on all the metal parts and probably hasn't been lubed up in years, .(unlike its owner) I was thinking about taking it completely apart cleaning everything, lubing everything replacing some screws on the stops and maybe gettin some new legs Should I even attempt it . Will I go Crazy getting it back together Should i just hire a pro if i could even find one. i will say that right now it plays great. sounds great through a twin reverb, stays in tune mostly, but i suspect it can be improved, pedals are noisy and sorta sloppy but do function and tune properly let me know what you all think thanks. Bryan |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 22 Nov 2011 11:46 am
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| You need to take that Sho-Bud or send it to a qualified mechanic. Many guitars are messed up by tinkerers who do not know (think they know) what they are doing. I have seen this over and over again. New legs are available. Ricky Davis is working on Sho-Buds again and is working with James Moorhead with new Sho-Bud parts. There are also people available in the New England area to help you get your Sho-Bud back in top shape. Tommy Cass is one of them in Massachusetts. |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 22 Nov 2011 11:54 am
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| no you don't.sho-buds are pretty simple mechanically. just lube it up and make any necessary adjustments. they are by nature somewhat clanky in the pull train but that doesn't matter. legs are fairly expensive. clean up your old ones the best you can annd play it. that's a good steel. |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 22 Nov 2011 1:10 pm
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If you're the type of tinkerer who doesn't get fazed by things like rebuilding carburetors or a valve job, and doesn't have to, a couple weeks later, take a basket of parts to an expert, you probably could.
But there's a lot of parts down there, man.
If it's a D-10, leave one neck alone til the other's done and working right.
And expect to pay a premium if you have to take a basket o' parts to an expert
Then again I do all the wrenching on my 240Z
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 22 Nov 2011 1:16 pm
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| it's not that difficult. |
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Michael Yahl
From:
Troy, Texas!
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Posted 22 Nov 2011 1:31 pm
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Bryan,
It was built approximately 6/10/76.
_________________
"Don't fergit to kiss yer horse!"
'72 Sho-Bud Professional D10, (in pieces .....), '78 MSA Classic XL D10, '69 Emmons PP, Fender 2000
Peavey Session 500 BW, Crate Digital Modeling Amp
PSG PARTS
http://www.psgparts.com/ |
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Bryan Staddon
From:
Buffalo,New York,
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Posted 22 Nov 2011 1:34 pm To Kevin Hatton
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| Kevin I am actually in your area, we spoke once last year regarding this guitar but you seemed pretty busy at the time. If youre interested in taking on the job i would love you to do it. you came highly recommended by other users of this forum let me know Thank You bryan staddon |
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richard burton
From:
Britain
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Posted 22 Nov 2011 2:06 pm
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You say it plays great, sounds great, and mostly stays in tune, what the hell do you want to take it to bits for 
The most important thing is that if it sounds good, it is good, nobody can hear that the legs are tarnished and the endplates have lost a bit of their shine |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 22 Nov 2011 4:04 pm
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I overlooked that part. I agree with Richard. If it plays clunky but pulls AND RETURNS in tune, I wouldn't tear it down. I'd polish the endplates and play it with pride.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 22 Nov 2011 4:21 pm
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| Chris Ivey, the last time I checked you weren't a steel mechanic. Has something changed? Giving people people advise on here that steel guitar are EASY to work on is flat out wrong. People mess up steels all the time and then they wind up dumping them at a steel mechanics shop after the damage has been done. Your not qulified to make those statements. Fingers wear out as do other parts. There is a radical difference in working on a Sho-Bud rack and barrel vs. a Pro-II Custom. No amount of tinkering will fix a worn out part. That guitar is almost 40 years old! |
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Todd Brown
From:
W. Columbia , South Carolina
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Posted 22 Nov 2011 8:37 pm
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Hey Kev, it ain't rocket science. If the man says it plays good stay in tune, returns to pitch, Chances are, it could just stand a good cleaning.
Bryan, just do lots of prep, map out what your going to do. Make a rod chart, mark where the stops are set, and take lots and lots of pictures.
If you feel competent enough to do it, after some serious contemplation,then you should try. There's no black magic involved! Why spend nearly $500 for cleaning, setup and shipping both ways, for something you could do yourself. And in the process gain a lot of knowledge about how your steel works. Not to mention bonding with you instrument.  |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2011 5:55 am
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Bryan, sent you a PM.... bob
_________________
I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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James Morehead
From:
Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.
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Posted 23 Nov 2011 6:18 am
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Why do it, if it now plays well and stays in tune pretty good? Because it's pride of ownership. We can drive a car and do nothing to it, until the wheels fall off, or we can maintain it, occasionally wax the paint, change the oil, grease the front end, checking for worn parts, etc. So the same with your guitar. It's knowing your machine operates at optimum ability, and it's CLEAN. Sure you could probably play your guitar a few more years as it is, but the more you play it dirty and grungy, the faster parts take on more wear and tear.
Bryan, take lots of digital pics--you can't take too many. Every angle, close ones and some good ones of the whole under carriage. Take some of the changer end, for rod placement. If you get stuck, Brother Kevin is close by. There are some things that SEEM like the right thing to do, but are a disaster--let us help you over those hurdles. Also, you can contact me, and I will share with you the steps to do a pro job. Your era Pro II is a Custom, if it's a '77, and there are some parts that become "suspect" in that era of 'buds. Or Ricky Davis is as close as your UPS station------------------
If you have a schedule of gigs coming up, and you have a day job, expect a couple months to do the job right, so have a back up guitar. You ain't gonna do it in a weekend.
Most of all, enjoy your project. Don't cut corners, and you will experience much pride in your job well done. 
_________________
"Good judgement comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgement"~old cowboy proverb.
shobud@windstream.net |
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Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 23 Nov 2011 7:13 am
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I rebuilt my R&B D-10 with James' help and advice. It was about like rebuilding an old VW engine. Take your time and, yes, take lots of digital photos. Also, use the solvents, paints and lubricants that James recommends. For example, some bike chain lubes have wax in them. You don't want that on your changer fingers. I'm saying this about an R&B 'bud. A 77 Pro-II might be more difficult.
_________________
To write with a broken pencil is pointless. |
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Clete Ritta
From:
San Antonio, Texas
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Posted 23 Nov 2011 6:32 pm
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| Bryan Staddon wrote: |
| ...I am a fairly competent tinkerer, and generally can fix anything if properly motivated... |
I think you may be in tinker mode, which is what happened to me too. Comes a time when you want to know how the motor is built and tuned. Best advice is already above, if you do commit to a tear down, take plenty of pictures! Then get motivated, and hold on for the ride. Different models and brands of PSG each have their own set of peculiarities. There is no substitute for the experience gained right after you needed it. 
After adding a vertical lever kit on my Mullen successfully, I bought a used Fessy in parts and pieces, more as a building tutorial in learning how to tear down, clean, make a few new rods and reassemble a steel guitar. I am now familiar with this guitar! Meanwhile, any other undercarriage on any other model I have no experience with, I would still hesitate to make any change, especially if it works fine. Another word of caution, the more you tinker, the less you play. 
Clete |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 24 Nov 2011 10:13 am
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kevin..you're not qualified to tell me what i'm not qualified for!
40 years of working on my steels and those of friends, not to mention a logical mind, qualify me to say and do as i see fit.
charging for services does not an expert make! |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 24 Nov 2011 10:33 am
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| Pictures, labeled drawings, and also, wire markers can be very, very handy. |
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Ronnie Boettcher
From:
Brunswick Ohio, USA
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Posted 25 Nov 2011 7:43 am
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Believe Mike Yahl. It is most definately a 1976 Bud. My serial number is higher than that, and mine was made in the begining of 1977. I agree with the ones that say do your own work, if you have the tools, and the mechanical ability to persue it. It does not take a rocket engineer to perform surgery on a device that is made up of parts that are reasonably put together with common tools. But I do agree that if it plays good, just keep it lubed, and clean up the cosmetics. Even if you have to replace parts, its like working on a car or truck, you just do it. My two cents worth. Good luck
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Sho-Bud LDG, Martin D28, Ome trilogy 5 string banjo, Ibanez 4-string bass, dobro, fiddle, and a tubal cain. Life Member of AFM local 142 |
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