My New (old Emmons)

Bruce Bouton · Post by **Bruce Bouton** » 24 May 2015 11:49 am

Last year forumite Ron Funk helped me find the Emmons guitar that I used on the first couple Ricky Skaggs albums. Not sure why I sold it but I got rid of it in 1982. I always missed the sound of that guitar. After I picked it up in St Louis I sent it up to my old friend Clem Schmitz . He did an excellent rebuild on it. I must say it sounds and plays amazing.Nothing like an old push pull!

BB

George Duncan Sypert · Post by **George Duncan Sypert** » 24 May 2015 12:35 pm

Bruce did you have Clem do anything special in the rebuild or just return it too it's original configuration? Curious minds want to know. I Clem is an expert mechanic for Push Pulls but curious exactly what you had him do.

Glad you got your guitar back. I would not trade my p/p's for any guitar out there.

Are you working for Garth now or Reba? My son said he saw you with Garth in Denver.

Thanks, and good luck.

George

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 24 May 2015 12:53 pm

One of the great things about Clem is that he will pay the same attention to detail when working on the instrument of a newbie player or an old stumblebum such as myself, as he will to the instruments played by the likes of a Mike Johnson or a Bruce Bouton.

Jon Light · Post by **Jon Light** » 24 May 2015 1:00 pm

I love 'getting the old guitar back' stories.
Is this the Homespun Video guitar?

Tommy Detamore · Post by **Tommy Detamore** » 24 May 2015 1:47 pm

That's great Bruce! Clem told me about that..

He has been so gracious in helping me set up my "new" push pull. He has really gone out of his way and is a kind and generous man for sure.

BTW he just sent me a couple of his "quick change" bell cranks for my PP that are awesome! Every PP owner should have a few of these on hand.

Jim Park · Post by **Jim Park** » 24 May 2015 2:54 pm

I'm glad you got your old PP back, I literally ruined two copies of Highways and Heartaches learning to play. I had stretched the tape by rewinding very short sections trying figure out what you did. For me, those early Ricky Skaggs albums were a cornerstone in my learning !!!!!

Paul Norman · Post by **Paul Norman** » 24 May 2015 3:00 pm

Bruce: You taught me how to play with that black D10 Push-Pull. Sounds good. (10 years ago)
Thanks.

J R Rose · Post by **J R Rose** » 24 May 2015 4:35 pm

Hi Bruce, I saw you early on in 1982 with Ricky Skaggs
in Midland, Texas. What a show. Your old Emmons just sounded fantastic. Glad you got it back. J.R. Rose

David Nugent · Post by **David Nugent** » 24 May 2015 5:56 pm

Bruce..I visited Bobbe Seymour's shop in '96 and he attempted to sell me what he claimed was this particular guitar. Could that have been possible, or was that just another example of his sometimes less than forthright sales technique?

Dan Galysh · Post by **Dan Galysh** » 24 May 2015 9:22 pm

That guitar had the tone for days.

Bruce Bouton · Post by **Bruce Bouton** » 25 May 2015 7:25 am

Dan. It's still got it. Something about the way those harmonics blend together...
As for the questions.
Yes, I'm now on tour with Garth Brooks after playing eleven years with Reba . Mike Johnson is playing the Reba gig now and sounds incredible.
In regard to push-pulls I may have owned ,there have been four that I actually used.My first guitar was a bolt on. I learned on that and played it in bar bands while living in Va. Right before I moved to Nashville I ordered a new Push Pull through Clyde Masters. It was built by Fred Trogden. I got to Nashville and traded it to CAl Sharp after hearing him at Demons Den. I thought that if I had his guitar I'd play as great as he did. Fortunately he let me trade him back. After recording Hwy's and Heartaches I started getting spooked about intonation so I sold the Push Pull. I briefly played a Zum then bought another Push Pull from Clem. I used it on the Country Boy record.At the same time, Harold Spain sold me a nice early seventies PP which sounded and felt great so I sold the other one. That would have been in 84 son it may have ended up with Bobby Seymour. I played the PP I bought from Harold on the "Live in London Record." I continued to record with that guitar for years and still have it. Clem set it up years ago and it still plays great. In all fairness Mike Cass has done some great work on it also.
When I got my old guitar late last year, it had been in a closet for a decade. The setup had been completely turned around. Clem cleaned it up, returned it to my setup including taking it from a nine pedal to an eight pedal guitar and installed a Lawrence 705 in the top neck. It was great work for more than a fair price. It was a big job.
Right now I'm using the PP at home, my Franklin in the studio and a LeGrande on the road. I used my Zum for the last six years with Reba. All great guitars!

Nick Reed · Post by **Nick Reed** » 25 May 2015 10:47 am

Yesiree Mr. Bruce,

IMHO no other Steel Guitar has the Mojo that a old Emmons P/P has. So glad you were able to get yours back. I've got a LeGrande III and 3 P/P's myself. Here's two of my babies that I'm so very proud of. BTW, I wanted the black '66 bolt-on in the pic because I saw you playing one that looked like it in the Happy Traum Homespun instructional video years ago. Hey, you were my mentor!

Nick

Teddy Lloyd · Post by **Teddy Lloyd** » 25 May 2015 2:47 pm

Your first pp was a black d 10 and you had a godrich vp when you lived in the Fan

Tommy Detamore · Post by **Tommy Detamore** » 25 May 2015 2:59 pm

Yessir Teddy! Bruce the first time I ever saw you play was at The Pass in Richmond and you were playing that black bolt-on. 1976 maybe?

Olaf van Roggen · Post by **Olaf van Roggen** » 26 May 2015 10:16 am

I still listen to Highway's and Heartaches very often and it is one of my favourite country albums.Highway 40 blues and One Way Rider are timeless.

I even have a live radio station record "Live from Gilley's " dated 11/27-28/1982 , where the band is phenomenal, Bruce and Ray Flacke are just marvelous.

I was about 15 years old when I met Bruce before and after a Ricky Skaggs concert in Rotterdam,I still have the autograph he gave me back then.

It's nice to hear from you on the forum Bruce!

Brendan Mitchell · Post by **Brendan Mitchell** » 26 May 2015 2:32 pm

I've been travelling round Texas the past 3 weeks and was pleasantly surprised to see most steel players on an Emmons p/p . Seen 1 Zum and 1 Sho Bud .[/b]