SOLD - ZB Universal Serial #001 Rebuilt By Bradshaw - SOLD

[smike]

pristine zb universal on top, msa changer, completely custom underneath.

built by tom bradshaw (more description from him at the bottom of this post).

zb serial number #001.

custom ball-bearing nut-roller, 5 knee levers, half-stop on second string.

fun to play, but sitting unused due to court-ordered bass gig.

$2100 + shipping, although bay area road test and pickup much preferred.









FROM TOM, ABOUT BUILDING THE GUITAR:

A friend gave me an old ZB in payment for some work I had done on his regular guitar. It was a 'basket case', with most of the undercarriage having been removed. It had sat around my shop for a few years, until another friend saw it and put the pressure on it to build it up for him. Fortunately, the cabinet, neck, tuning key block, pickup and endplates were not damaged. I did have the cabinet and neck refinished, but did not disturb the original staining of the wood. These old ZBs had spectacular cabinetry.

I chose to install an MSA changer in it. That required the making of a much different changer holder that would accept thinner bridge (fulcrum/cam) pieces. I machined those, as well as a new bridge block. All hardware for the undercarriage was hand-made (when viewing the pictures, blow up the undercarriage to reveal the customized bellcranks). I also hand-crafted a ball-bearing nut roller (three, actually, before I got it right)... 28 pieces of metal, not counting the 12 hand-grooved rollers! (am I nuts, or what?!?)

Note the 'Rhodes strut' that runs the full length of the cabinet's underside, just behind the front apron. This is a 1" X 1/2" stainless steel bar that I secured to the cabinet at each end. I then rigged an expansion bolt under its middle and 'jacked' it out, creating considerable opposing stress on the cabinet. No detuning!

The guitar has a universal tuning on the guitar, ala Jeff Newman's creation. That includes 8 floor pedals (one more than Newman's copedent calls for), along with the standard 4 lateral and 1 vertical knee levers. The ZB sound was not affected by all these modernizing additions. It ended up playing better than I expect it would; in fact, 'smooth as silk' says the owner.

[Mike Perlowin]

I saw this guitar at Tom's house, just before he sold it. The pictures don't do it justice. It's truly a magnificent instrument.

If I had the bucks, I'd buy it myself.

[Andrew Waegel]

...and close by too. What's the scale length on this thing? It looks a little short but pics may be deceiving.

[Duncan Hodge]

Wow, truly a one of a kind.

[Ned McIntosh]

This is a genuine piece of steel-guitar history. Built by a Master and rebuilt by another. Whoever buys will become its custodian, rather than its owner. The value-for-money at this price is extraordinary!

[B. Greg Jones]

ZB guitars are 24" scale.

[Jim Cohen]

So, wait a minute, serial #001 doesn't really mean that this was the first ZB ever made, right? Is it just Tom Bradshaw's rebuilding serial #, or what?

[Geoff Marshall]

According to information on Tom Bradshaw's site the stamped serial No.001 references it as the first single 12 that Tom Brumley built.

[Ken Byng]

The work that goes into replacing the old ZB pulling system with a modern one is considerable. One of the guys in the UK called Ron Bennett who is a very good steel guitar manufacturer and mechanic did a similar job on a D10 over here, and would probably not wish to do any more as a result. Tommy Bradshaw has done a superb job on this guitar.

[B. Greg Jones]

ZB serial numbers were consecutive regardless if it was a S=12, D-10, etc. #001 would have been the 1st guitar that Tom Brumley built after the factory was moved to Bakersfield in 1969.

Greg

[James Quackenbush]

Don't mean to crimp this post but was wondering out loud .....Was the undercarriage the same on these old ZB's as the old Russlers ? .......My old Russlers hardware looked very similar to this one ....??????.......

Now onto this GORGEOUS pedal steel !!.....How much or how did the tone change on this steel using an MSA changer as opposed to the original ZB changer ? ...... I'm sure that the MSA changer is a LOT easier to work on ....Thanks , Jim

[Tom Bradshaw]

Regarding the serial number, I talked to Tom Brumley not long after I finished rebuilding the guitar. He believed this was the first single-12 he built, but said he felt the building of it began in Arizona and may have been completed in Bakersfield. He also felt that the serial number represented the first single-12 he was involved in building, not the first ZB he was involved in building. Apparently he was involved in building ZB guitars for a short time in Arizona before moving the operation to Bakersfield. But, if anyone has better information on these latter aspects of Tom's building of the ZB, please speak up. When I talked to Tom, I didn't consider that many more questions would be asked about this guitar or his building of ZB guitars.

I truly don't believe that installing an MSA changer in the guitar changed its tone. I've heard a lot of ZB guitars. This one sounded just like everyone I ever worked on after I replaced the changer and the undercarriage mechanics. Additionally, I have installed MSA changers in three Emmons' push/pull steels. Besides the changers, I replaced all the undercarriage with MSA hardware in all those guitars. That Emmons' great tone was still there when I was finished. I've always felt that 90% of a guitar's tone came from its pickup.

Here's another true story about tone:

A friend played on the old reworked Emmons' push/pull that I just described. The sound so impressed him that he immediately ordered a new Emmons LeGrande from then owner, Ron Lashley Sr. When he got the new guitar he said it didn't have the same sound as my refurbished Emmons. He brought his new LeGrand to my house and A/B'ed the two guitars. The old Emmons was far superior in sound to the new LeGrand. He begged me to swap the pickups from the old Emmons into his new Emmons. He wanted to find out if it was the pickups that was where the great sound originated. Reluctantly, I agreed.

He did all the replacement work and when done, said his new guitar sounded just like my old Emmons. He then talked me out of the pickups! Big mistake on my part.

The rest of the story: I told Ron Lashly Sr. about this. Two months later he advertised (in his regular news-print flyers) that he was bringing back the old "1725" (ohm) pickups as replacement pickups for anyone wanting the vintage sound of the earlier Emmons guitars!

I don't know how many he sold or whether his re-released pickup possessed the sound in the ones that my friend got away with. If anyone bought one of those pickups, maybe they can report whether the sound was better than what they had before replacing their old pickup. ...Tom

[James Quackenbush]

"I've always felt that 90% of a guitar's tone came from its pickup. "

Hi Tom ,
I can't say as I can agree with this statement, and respectfully disagree ...... The pickups IMHO do have a LOT to do with the tone , but 90% is a high estimate .....I couldn't possibly see how any pedal steel can sound like a PP just by adding a PP pickup in it .....There are far too many other attributes of a pedal steel that can change the timbre, the sustain , such as scale length , and other items that will make the tone what it is in various instruments ...... I've had Jerry Wallaces Truetones in a LOT of pedal steels , and the same pickup sounded different in each one of them .... Speaking of Push Pulls, Jerry's Truetones sounded the best I have ever heard them when mounted in a Push Pull !!.....A very close 2nd to the original Emmons pickups ...... Too many other variables besides the pickup, that make a pedal steel sound the way it does .....Again, this is only my opinion , and also respect your opinion .....Sincerely, Jim

[smike]

one-of-a-kind, totally together, full-featured, gorgeous instrument... don't you feel your 'want gene' getting triggered?

[smike]

bumpus maximus

[steve takacs]

Smike, is that an optical illusion or are the left knee levers shifted farther to the right than normal? If so, would that not make the guitar hard to play in terms of the first two pedals combined with the LKL and or LKR? Thanks, stevet

[smike]

steve -

tom built the guts of that guitar in the zb chassis... but had full control as the insides were totally removed before he started.

i find no difference in the way the zb feels compared to my msa, so i'm going to go with 'optical illusion' as my final answer!

oh... and don't forget the LKV!

[smike]

bump city!

[John McClung]

Bump for an amazing guitar...wish I could spring for it, Bruce! This is a great axe and a wonderful deal, y'all.

[Dave Zirbel]

email sent.

[ebb]

dave needs this and i support his addiction

[Dave Zirbel]

Thanks ebb!

ZBs and Fenders. I'll have a basement full pretty soon...

[Andrew Waegel]

+1 for Zirbel getting this guitar. I'll deliver it!

[John Groover McDuffie]

I need this too, but I apparently dithered too long!

[smike]

pleased to announce that dave does indeed have g.a.s. (guitar acquisition syndrome).

thanks to all who inquired and/or dithered!