1953 triple 8 Bigsby Value?

Brett Cookingham · Post by **Brett Cookingham** » 13 Jul 2003 11:32 pm

What is a '53 Triple 8 Bigsby worth? this one was made for "Buck Lee" 08-15-53 w/no Pedals

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 14 Jul 2003 6:11 am

Brett-I would be glad to give a ball park value estimation if I could see photos to help determine overall condition and originality-which are strong determining factors to Bigsby steel guitar value-A clean original unaltered one can be worth double or even triple what a beater(with utility value only)will bring-Certainly they are rare and as many that surface in nice shape I have seen an about equal number of wrecks- Also when factoring value of these I look for several things-Most importantly with these Bigsbys-because back in the day so many of the top players had them-Look for those with personality attachment to have the most value-(I am not familiar with the name "Buck Lee" and did not find him in Joe Goldmark's steel discography) Also consider that triple necks are by far the most commonly seen model-Most players would rather have a double neck-Also I give extra bonus value points for the following-wooden necks instead of metal,10 string necks instead of 8 string,and the "raised graphics" necks(1955 and earlier)instead of the later metal fretboards-Of course Bigsby did custom work and some other wierd things so that can effect value and outright appearance such as the grade of wood he used which varied-I have seen some with very "Plain Jane" looking maple and others with more Birdseye Curl and FiddleBack Flame than I have ever seen!

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 20 Jul 2003 8:22 am

I've seen many pics of this particular Bigsby, and it's in great condition. The original owner btw, is Lee Buck, not Buck Lee, the same person who also owned one of the original Standel 25L15 amps.

Mike Black · Post by **Mike Black** » 20 Jul 2003 11:17 am

?[This message was edited by Mike Black on 20 July 2003 at 12:23 PM.]

Bill Moore · Post by **Bill Moore** » 20 Jul 2003 11:44 am

On this web page: http://www.bigsbyguitars.com/history.html it says there were only 47 Bigsby steel guitars made. I know that Paul Warnik has built several new ones from original parts, what I'm wondering is how many of these guitars are in existance? How many can be accounted for? Just curious.

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Bill Moore...
my steel guitar web page

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 20 Jul 2003 3:00 pm

what is up with that Gretsch purchasing the best steel guitar companies?Sho~Bud and Bigsby are both bought by Gretsch.Why is that ,and that company doesn`t even make steel guitars so I don`t see a competition here.Whatever.

they just bought them to kill the production?

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chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 20 Jul 2003 4:16 pm

Bill, a little history of Allen Crocker, to go with the Paul Bigsby history:

http://www.go-offshore.com/crocker.htm

http://www.star-riders.org/starcruiser/volume1-2/crocker.html

Maybe we should make a list of how many Bigsby guitars we know about. Between Paul Warnik, Mike Black, Lee Jeffries, Bobbe and Mike Cass plus the other Forum members who have/had them. it could be pretty interesting.

they just bought them to kill the production?

They may have bought them to own the names, remember the dotcom feeding frenzy for names.....[This message was edited by chas smith on 20 July 2003 at 05:17 PM.]

Chris Scruggs · Post by **Chris Scruggs** » 20 Jul 2003 9:19 pm

On the site it says there are only 6 known replacement necks, but right now I can list seven:
Merle Travis had three, Carl Smith had one, Lefty Frizzell had one, Hank Thompson had one, and Martha Carson has one. There must be more. Can any body else name a guitarist with a Bigsby replacement neck?

Chris Scruggs · Post by **Chris Scruggs** » 20 Jul 2003 9:48 pm

Oh, and the reason Gretsch owns Sho-Bud and Bigsby.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but in the 1970's Gretsch was bought by the Baldwin piano company. Sho-Bud was also bought by Baldwin.
At this time, Sho-Bud was a big name. This, you must remember, was the time when Lloyd Green and Jimmy Day where selling ALOT of blue and green steel guitars

.

In the late eighties or early nineties, the Gretsch family bought back the company from Baldwin, and Sho-Bud just happened to come with the deal.

Baldwin was later bought by Gibson.

In 1966, an ailing Paul Bigsby sold his company to retired Gibson president Ted McCarty. Paul died two years later. In 1999, Ted McCarty sold the company to Gretsch. A likely pair, seeing as Gretsch Guitars are so closely identified with Bigsby tailpieces. Bigsby even had a specific tailpiece for Gretsch in the 60's.

That was how Sho-Bud and Bigsby came to be with Gretsch.

On January 1, 2003. Fender bought Gretsch, and Sho-Bud and Bigsby where in the deal.

Who would of thought in 1950, that Fender and Bigsby, the two big names in California for steel guitars and solid body guitars, would be te same company? And who would of thought in 1965, that Sho-Bud, who was quickly de-throwning Fender as the professional steel of choice, would be owned by Fender, and left to sit as a relic of the past, Untouched by it's new owner?

Oh well, maybe we'll see a Merle Travis, Speedy West, or Bud Isaacs signiture model in the Fender/Bigsby catalog in the future. Or maybe eventually an LDG reissue. I think this has the POTENTIAL to be a good thing.

I suppose only time will tell...

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 21 Jul 2003 12:16 am

I've compiled a list of Bigsby instruments I know of ( so far ) and the number of steels on the list is 64. The number doesn't include the ones I've only heard rumours of being somewhere out there and I'm sure there still are guitars we do not know about. The number of Bigsby standard guitars on the list is 20 and out of those, 5 are doublenecks, I'm sure there are few more of standard guitars too. Additional information to replacement necks; Hank Thompson had two and Smitty Smith had a Bigsby neck on his Martin D28 and I think I've seen one on Rose Maphis' guitar as well.
Some of Bigsby instruments were also "recycled" already in the 40's and 50s, like i.e. Lefty Nason's steel went to Dusty Stewart and Merle Travis' hollowbody went to Jack Parsons. The first solidbody guitar to feature the famous Bigsby scroll headstock was actually built for George Cross ( or Croft, I've seen both spellings ), Merle's guitar did not originally had a scroll on the headstock, nor did it have a cutaway, it was altered to its' famous appearance shortly after it was built. One picture exists where the guitar can be seen in its' original design. The person who introduced Travis to Paul Bigsby was Joaquin Murphy, who already had a Bigsby steel before Merle ever asked Bigsby to build him a guitar.
Bigsby quit building instruments in -63, at least that's what he states in a letter to a customer, dated in March -63. He was still of course selling guitar parts and volume pedals until he sold the business to Ted McCarthy. [This message was edited by Jussi Huhtakangas on 22 July 2003 at 12:47 AM.]

Ben Jack · Post by **Ben Jack** » 21 Jul 2003 2:33 pm

I have a 1951 triple neck.

Mike Black · Post by **Mike Black** » 21 Jul 2003 4:39 pm

Bill, Thanks for the link to the new web site. We've been waiting for it. The history page, complete with Hollywoodisms, states it's from the up coming book "The Guitars of Paul Bigsby". Could it be the Book actually might be happening?
I'm pretty sure the T8 Brett asks about is Lee Buck's old guitar. It ended up back in So Cal. It's serial #121553 What it's worth? What are they asking? Then is it worth that to you?
Jussi has a great list of Bigsby Instruments. Hey if Fender ever decides to make steels again I'm gonna fill out an application! My Dream Job? Building Bigsby style steels in the Fender Custom Shop!! Maybe now that their the same companies, Leo won't mind Jody Carver playing one!
Still got the shirt Jody? Get ready for your catalog shot!
Hi Ben, Speaking of reasons to own a Bigsby, How is Bob White doing? I haven't heard anything new about him in awhile.
BTW if someone tells me how to do it I'll posta picture of that guitar here. I've got the shot uplaoded to a Yahoo Photos page but I'm haveing a hard time getting it to work.
[This message was edited by Mike Black on 21 July 2003 at 05:42 PM.]

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 21 Jul 2003 5:41 pm

Very Interesting.I would love to have a D-10 Bigsby ,did they have D-10 at all?
DB

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Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 21 Jul 2003 9:44 pm

Damir, I haven't come across of any D10 Bigsbys yet, but that doesn't mean there never was any. There are few of the triple 10's, some with pedals and some without.
Ben, are you the original owner of that guitar?

Brett Cookingham · Post by **Brett Cookingham** » 22 Jul 2003 1:39 am

That 1953 triple 8 Bigsby is at Guitar Center (Hollywood) for $9,500.00

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 22 Jul 2003 5:00 am

Yep,Sounds like my situation where I loaned a
friend(?)my 60 T-8 Bigsby 4 pedals and he
never returned it.

It was discovered by a Forumite in PA a few
weeks back and I contacted the person who is in possession of it. He asked me for $10.000.00 for my getting "my guitar" back.

Now thats what I call fair

And to add insult to injury,its not in the same condition as it was when it was taken from me.

But Its the decision of the legal society as to where it rightfully belongs.

He did give me visitation rights and asked me
to take a photo with my guitar and my Cowboy
hat,,and yes Mike, I still have that shirt no pants,,just the hat and shirt.

My friend took my pants too. Now if I had a horse and sat on the saddle,,what would you
call that? bare back? or bare $ss? giddyap old paint.

I must not have known I'm a "Cowboy Hero" to so many people. Happy Trails To You.

[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 22 July 2003 at 06:05 AM.]

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 22 Jul 2003 7:55 am

Jody, I think you should send him a photo of you in the hat, forget the pants and shirt.... <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Now if I had a horse and sat on the saddle,,what would you
call that? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>painful with unpleasant rash....bouncing around all day on the jewels doesn't sound like fun....

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 22 Jul 2003 11:33 am

Chas
I dont think I would look too

in that
attire.

I have just been advised that the conclusion
of "My Long Lost Bigsby" is in its final stages.

My attorney has advised me of this prior to my post above.

I will be posting the results of the decision
of the "legal eagles" as soon as I get the OK

This started two years ago with a thread started by Paul Warnik and has mushroomed into a legal issue.

I appreciate those of you who supported me but I will get a clearance from my attorney and post the final episode so that this matter will be resolved.

Chas, Im used to a rash on my butt..we were so poor when I was a younger and things were "rough" my mom used AJAX on my butt and I still have the effects of it some 60 years later.

Mike Black · Post by **Mike Black** » 22 Jul 2003 5:21 pm

Jody, didn't they used to call you "Hop-A-Long"?
But seriously, it does make sense now, the legs on your Bigsby were longer so you didn't have to sit on your rash!!!
Hey NPR is playing Floyd Cramers version of San Antonio Rose......

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 22 Jul 2003 5:43 pm

Bill Moore.....a great post now to be found among my "Favorites" list. Excellent history on the Bigsby family of musical instruments.

I personally know of ONE standard six string
Bigsby owned by a long time friend in Longview, WA. A cherry guitar; sound that has never been matched.

I have the 1956 Quad-8 w/six pedals that can be found at the following link for anyone curious enough to look there. It's a one owner and never had a single mechanical problem with this fine guitar.

Paul set it up for me with three necks like Speedy West; one doubled as a Joaquin Murphy neck and another with Bud Issac's pedal set-up. The fourth neck was my Jerry Byrd neck.

It was EVERYTHING a musician could ever want in a steel guitar. I passed on the ash-tray and surprisingly, neither the Doo-Wah and/or
Wah-Doo buttons were yet avaible. How about that?

After having played my Emmons P/P for some
thirty years now, I can't imagine playing tunes like Bud's Bounce and Steelin' Away, etc. The pedal action operating the pully-cable set-up, is quite STIFF. Takes a lot of leg muscle to make it all happen. Not knowing any different back in those dark ages of pedal steel guitar, it was/is, a remarkable and tasty instrument to play.

For a look-see:
http://www.harrismusic.net/images/bigsby.jpg

Mike Black · Post by **Mike Black** » 22 Jul 2003 5:46 pm

Brett, I sold that steel to GC a couple winters ago when I bought another triple . Justin had it in El Cerrito for awhile. I think it's worth every penny of what ever they'll take! It's only money and cared for it will hold it's value at least. It's a beautiful, stock 53 triple 8 with raised graphic alum. necks. I removed the #1 neck so someone could make a pattern, which I never saw or even know if it was made, and up to that point the guitar had been as it left Bigsby's shop. I got to know Lee Buck he was a Portland, OR, Vancouver, WA player. I still have his V/T pedal,Standel and Pro amps, Lee liked Herb Remington's style. He took a few lessons from Herbie in 56. The #1 neck on it is cut for F#13 from the factory. I liked that tuning, but haven't returned to it. The other 2 necks were A6 and E13. It has a couple small nicks and dings in the finish but those could be repaired and made to almost disappear. That guitar was also the last guitar that would have had headstock type changers had it been a pedal model. I hope it gets a good home, maybe somebody better tell Ry Cooder?

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 22 Jul 2003 9:24 pm

Aaah Ray, that's a good one of yours!! Are those PU covers black? I've only seen the chrome ones. And hey, the stiff action on yours is probably just caused by the dust and dirt combined with the old lubrication. When I got mine, the guitar had been sittin in its' case unplayed for twenty three years, you needed deep sea diver's lead boots to press the pedals. I took the changers and the pedal rack apart, cleaned and oiled every part and voila, I can even play it barefeet now. Sure 'nuff, it's not feather light like modern steels, but with a little trouble you'll get surprising results. And if you don't want to do it yourself, you can always send it to me

And since I didn't have Ben Jack's guitar on the list, the number of Bigsby steels is now 65 and increasing, whoopee!!

Bill Moore · Post by **Bill Moore** » 23 Jul 2003 4:20 am

Ray, that Bigsby is a beautiful guitar, being a quad, would this be considered to be one of the most rare Bigsby's? With this and those Rick's, you sure have a wonderful collection of instruments.

Chris DeBarge · Post by **Chris DeBarge** » 23 Jul 2003 5:33 am

I could be wrong, but in the videos I've seen of Town Hall Party (or whatever it's called, you know with Tex Ritter, Joe Maphis, Collins Kids) isn't Marian Hall playing a double-neck Bigsby?

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 23 Jul 2003 7:09 am

Mike your question was,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Jody, didn't they used to call you "Hop-A-Long"?
But seriously, it does make sense now, the legs on your Bigsby were longer so you didn't have to sit on your rash!!!

No Mike..It was those HOT ITALIAN PEPPERS you
sent me. Now my middle leg is "shorter"