ZB Custom 11 String

Donald Anderson · Post by **Donald Anderson** » 11 May 2012 3:01 am

I have a ZB Custom 11 string, four pedals, 2 knees. I bought it off eBay and quickly realized that it was not ready to go and not the best path forward for me. So it sat. It has nice curly maple and a cool pad of some type of textured (like elephant skin) Naugahyde. For some reason, tuners are cheap enclosed type, not Kluson...possibly replaced. My favorite Virginia steel expert suggested I get something easier to work on. But this is a nice piece and deserves a good home. I do not know where to find the serial number...looked everywhere.

Any advice on price and viability of replacement/updated changers? Or, ZB restoration?

Don

mike nolan · Post by **mike nolan** » 11 May 2012 2:02 pm

More underside pics.... hard to tell what is going on from these. Nice looker though.

Ben Elder · Post by **Ben Elder** » 12 May 2012 9:08 am

B. Greg Jones (Ohio), Billy Knowles (NC) and Kevin Hatton (NY) are the SGF Grand Wizards of All Things ZB. Serial numbers, usually four digits (1001-11xx Scranton AR-made, '60s) and then, somewhat counterintuitively, 0001-up (Bakersfield, Phoenix, Texas late-60s into the 70s) are usually stamped into the underside of the frame near the input jack. That switch on yours is in kind of a bizarro position not likely to facilitate changer adjustment.

(Somebody might want to move this to the Pedal Steel category.)

Donald Anderson · Post by **Donald Anderson** » 13 May 2012 6:08 am

Thanks for the responses. Very helpful!

Here are some more pictures. I took a careful look near the input jack and cannot find a serial number. Happy to provide more photos if of interest to other ZB fans.

The guitar is not for sale at this time as I am in that fun research phase...I agree this post should be moved to Pedal Steel category.

Don

Donald Anderson · Post by **Donald Anderson** » 13 May 2012 6:13 am

Here are a couple more photos:

Ben Elder · Post by **Ben Elder** » 13 May 2012 7:50 am

You may have seen the giant ZB thread

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... sc&start=0

under Pedal Steels (makes the Encyclopedia Britannica look like a Burma-Shave rhyme), but the one bit of wisdom to take away from it would be: if you don't have specific ZB knowledge and experience, leave adjustment and refurbishment to the experts--the aforementioned Messrs. Jones, Knowles and Hatton. (Kevin Hatton may not be doing restorations as he manufactures a superb ZB reproduction--with a modern undercarriage design.)

Donald Anderson · Post by **Donald Anderson** » 13 May 2012 9:41 am

Thanks Ben. That massive thread got me interested in my forgotten ZB. And in finding the right expert and sensible solution to getting the guitar playable. I barely have time to do my day job properly.
Don

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 14 May 2012 1:09 pm

Hey Donald, how 'bout some "full frontal" shots of that baby, I'd love to see what it looks like on a "bandstand" audience view........JH in Va.

Donald Anderson · Post by **Donald Anderson** » 14 May 2012 6:41 pm

Stay tuned Jerry. I will set the guitar up this weekend. It is going to Billy Knowles in July, maybe for a Zane King tuning?
Don