cage has his steel back

Jon Light · Post by **Jon Light** » 22 Aug 2014 9:12 am

So does that mean that Miguel still gets to call Buddy "Daddy"?

John Scanlon · Post by **John Scanlon** » 22 Aug 2014 11:00 am

Steve Hitsman wrote:http://pagesix.com/2014/08/21/grateful-dead-guitarist-reunited-with-prized-guitar-after-robbery/?_ga=1.126017743.332766257.1408710102

Really happy for Buddy, but why is a 1980s David Bowie standing behind Buddy's steel?

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 22 Aug 2014 11:10 am

Buddy,
You've been lately on my mind!
Glad you got 'er back!
Pete B.

...How he's gonna drive like that, is not too clear to me!

JB Arnold · Post by **JB Arnold** » 22 Aug 2014 2:58 pm

The guys who got it back. L to R retired Det. Bob Geis, Buddy, Det. John McAuliffe. they delivered it to him in front of the 9th precinct.

as Buddy says, a fine day for the NYPD and the NRPS.

JB

John Brabant · Post by **John Brabant** » 22 Aug 2014 3:17 pm

Buddy looks fantastic. What a great pic JB. Gonna see him this September, after Scotty's!

JB Arnold · Post by **JB Arnold** » 22 Aug 2014 5:01 pm

He looks ecstatic, which he is. He's only now getting back to some degree of normal after the leukemia.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 22 Aug 2014 5:35 pm

Is the body of the guitar all wood(no formica)? I like the matching finish on the pedal bar. I'm really glad he got his guitar back. Speaking of backs, just looking at that guitar makes my back hurt.

Steve Pawlak · Post by **Steve Pawlak** » 22 Aug 2014 5:41 pm

What a great thread. Buddy is my favorite player
That steel reminds me of the story of Ulysses' bow

David Rupert · Post by **David Rupert** » 22 Aug 2014 6:55 pm

Richard Sinkler wrote:Is the body of the guitar all wood(no formica)? I like the matching finish on the pedal bar. I'm really glad he got his guitar back. Speaking of backs, just looking at that guitar makes my back hurt.

Richard,

I have played this guitar, a few times. I am almost positive it's all wood. At least, not mica

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 22 Aug 2014 7:46 pm

Jon Light wrote:So does that mean that Miguel still gets to call Buddy "Daddy"?

Jon, you're so right--that's total BS. He got backed into a corner and got lucky that the only thing the detectives wanted was the guitar back.

I'm very happy for Buddy.

John Scanlon · Post by **John Scanlon** » 22 Aug 2014 9:09 pm

John Scanlon wrote:
Steve Hitsman wrote:http://pagesix.com/2014/08/21/grateful-dead-guitarist-reunited-with-prized-guitar-after-robbery/?_ga=1.126017743.332766257.1408710102
Really happy for Buddy, but why is a 1980s David Bowie standing behind Buddy's steel?

Oh, leukemia. Don't I feel like a heel. No offense intended.

Still genuinely happy for him. Nice Hilt.

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 22 Aug 2014 9:21 pm

Richard Sinkler wrote:Is the body of the guitar all wood(no formica)? I like the matching finish on the pedal bar. I'm really glad he got his guitar back. Speaking of backs, just looking at that guitar makes my back hurt.

The body is just like all SlimLine Dekleys. They were solid maple decks with extruded aluminum frames. The top was covered in either Formica or finished wood veneers, and the sides, ends, and pedal bar had inserts of the same material. My H&S Custom Signature model and Buddy's also have decorative wood inlays in those veneers.

JB Arnold · Post by **JB Arnold** » 22 Aug 2014 9:22 pm

It's all wood. I talked to Larry Hilt extensively about it at one point for an interview. And don't worry about it John!. He does look a little like Bowie doesn't he?

He will find that humorous.

Buddy says that beyond the 12 year old strings, it's in remarkably good shape.

JB

John Scanlon · Post by **John Scanlon** » 22 Aug 2014 9:26 pm

Thanks, JB.

In honor of this occasion, I share my favorite recorded solo of his. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aoq-aJE6Jd4#t=136

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 23 Aug 2014 8:42 am

12 year old strings... Heck, they're good as new.

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 23 Aug 2014 9:43 am

JB Arnold wrote:It's all wood. I talked to Larry Hilt extensively about it at one point for an interview. And don't worry about it John!. He does look a little like Bowie doesn't he?

He will find that humorous.

Buddy says that beyond the 12 year old strings, it's in remarkably good shape.

JB

Sorry JB, it has a wood top and metal frame, as I said earlier. Here are the undercarriage pictures that I saved from the eBay auction. BTW, the black box at the tuner end is a battery box for a light that Larry came up with to light up the tuning nuts on dark stages. You can see the toggle switch for it beside the RKR.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 23 Aug 2014 2:40 pm

How does he play all those knee levers? Does he just lower the ones into position that he intends to use based on which neck he's using? I see from the photo that he's not gifted with additional legs.

JB Arnold · Post by **JB Arnold** » 23 Aug 2014 10:05 pm

Hi Jim

right-but i meant just that its not mica. I Didn't even think about the framing. should have though i got a good enough look at it once when he needed help with the pickup switch at dick Meis' place.

somewhere i have the copedant for that axe. its archived on here somewhere as well.

JB

John Brabant · Post by **John Brabant** » 24 Aug 2014 2:02 pm

I had a chance to talk with Buddy on Friday. He is pretty happy. He said that he has ordered new pickups and strings to install before he puts the steel back to work. I asked him how many knee levers he has on that Hilt guitar and I am pretty sure he said 14! I couldn't believe it and he told me that they are set up as Jimmy Crawford did with his "Crawford Clusters". I don't know if this answers anyone's questions on how he is able to play all of those levers.

JB Arnold · Post by **JB Arnold** » 24 Aug 2014 3:30 pm

Yeah it's 14. Wish I could find that copedant chart. He does have the Crawford Cluster.

JB

Henry Matthews · Post by **Henry Matthews** » 24 Aug 2014 7:59 pm

That guitar is 100% Dekley, where did HILT come from?

JB Arnold · Post by **JB Arnold** » 24 Aug 2014 8:04 pm

Jim could tell that story......

JB Arnold · Post by **JB Arnold** » 24 Aug 2014 9:13 pm

Much thanks to DJ Rupert who is way more organized than I.

JB

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 26 Aug 2014 3:29 pm

This is the kind of thing that happens in life that renews the human spirit. It sounds like Buddy is newly inspired in finding this long lost friend. There is a LOT of vibe on that guitar. I am purposely going to seek seeing Buddy play this guitar again. Thank goodness that fate brought this instrument back to him. Bravo Buddy. You're one of a kind and a classic.

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 26 Aug 2014 5:19 pm

Kevin Hatton wrote:This is the kind of thing that happens in life that renews the human spirit. It sounds like Buddy is newly inspired in finding this long lost friend. I saw him play that guitar a in the early 70's when he first joined the band. There is a LOT of vibe on that guitar. I am purposely going to seek seeing Buddy play this guitar again. Thank goodness that fate brought this instrument back to him. Bravo Buddy. You're one of a kind and a classic.

In the early 70s, Buddy would have been playing a D-12 Emmons. We didn't start making the SlimLine Dekleys until 78 or 79, H&S Custom Signatures a little later, and Larry probably didn't build this guitar until 79 or 80.