'' Sho~Bud '' 16 string steel guitar .

Instruments, mechanical issues, copedents, techniques, etc.

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Alan Brookes
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Location: Brummy living in Southern California

Post by Alan Brookes »

I've built several double-coursed console and lap steels over the years, but I can't imagine putting pedals on one. Pulling a string and its octave pair and keeping them in tune would be difficult. I'm not saying impossible, because many guitars pull two strings that are an octave apart on one pedal.

I heard somewhere that Buddy Emmons tried one of those double-coursed Sho-Buds and wasn't very impressed with it. I would like to hear how they sound.
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Geoff Cline
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Post by Geoff Cline »

MOTHRA RULES...from a single, sedentary location, but RULES nonetheless. :whoa:
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chas smith
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Joined: 28 Feb 2001 1:01 am
Location: Encino, CA, USA

Post by chas smith »

John, the weight is 85lbs and I'm thinking of getting a smaller forklift to help me get it out of the case. The copedant isn't complete yet. When I rebuilt it, I had to do a lot more work than I was planning and it took a month to get it to this point at which time I had to go back to work, so it doesn't have knee levers and I haven't really figured out the 16 string neck. At the moment it's strung up with a DADF#AD variation and I have to really press down on the bar because of the different string sizes. On the plus side, for me, is that it's a bit out of tune with itself which I really enjoy. And, because the strings are so close together, picking is going to take some serious practice

Alan, on the octave strings, each double set has it's own finger and they share one pull rod. There's a set screw to adjust where each finger is at the start and they both arrive at the end at the same time.

This a very nice sounding guitar. All that extra wood adds to the sound. The pickups are split coils with a 3 way switch for, 'bite', 'full' and 'mud'.

This is what's on there and what will be on there when the knees get added.

Code: Select all

E
C#
D - - - ?
A - B - ?
F#- - G
D
A - B
D

===

F#
D#- - - - - - - - - D
G#- - A
E - - - F#- F - Eb
B - C#- C#
G#- - A
F#
E - - - - - F - Eb
C#- - - - - - - - - D
B - C#
E

===

G
E - - - F
C - D - - - ? - B
A - B - - B
G - - F#
E - - - Eb
C - - - - - ?
A - - - - B
G - - F#
E - - - - - D
C
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Alan Brookes
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Location: Brummy living in Southern California

Post by Alan Brookes »

I would love to hear a sample of something played on it. I've always had a love of octave-strung instruments, which is why I've built them over the years.
Dennis Shellhouse
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Location: Georgia, USA

Post by Dennis Shellhouse »

Buddy Charleton played one on the Ernest Tubb- Loretta Lynn Duets album:
Mr & Mrs. Used To Be. It's on the title track, available on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgzNHdBONwQ
Dennis Shellhouse
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Location: Georgia, USA

Post by Dennis Shellhouse »

Alan Brookes wrote:I've built several double-coursed console and lap steels over the years, but I can't imagine putting pedals on one. Pulling a string and its octave pair and keeping them in tune would be difficult. I'm not saying impossible, because many guitars pull two strings that are an octave apart on one pedal.

I heard somewhere that Buddy Emmons tried one of those double-coursed Sho-Buds and wasn't very impressed with it. I would like to hear how they sound.
The single next Sho~Buds only had an A&B pedal.
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Johnny Cox
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Post by Johnny Cox »

Chas, that guitar sat around Sho-Bud for years. Then it popped up at Bobby Seymour shop years ago. I almost bought it and wish now that I had. Would love to play it again one day.
Johnny "Dumplin" Cox
"YANKIN' STRINGS & STOMPIN' PEDALS" since 1967.
Herb Steiner
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Post by Herb Steiner »

The year Chas bought that guitar, Mike Cass and I hand-carried that sucker three blocks from the Holiday Inn to the Millenium to deliver it to Chas. Heavier than any Bigsby I've ever lifted.
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?
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John Billings
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Location: Ohio, USA

Post by John Billings »

Well, I have this double neck, double course body. I was going to make a coffee table. If anyone is interested, contact me!

Image
Dr. Z Surgical Steel amp, amazing!
"74 Bud S-10 3&6
'73 Bud S-10 3&5(under construction)
'63 Fingertip S-10, at James awaiting 6 knees
'57 Strat, LP Blue
'91 Tele with 60's Maple neck
Dozen more guitars!
Dozens of amps, but SF Quad reverb, Rick Johnson cabs. JBL 15, '64 Vibroverb for at home.
'52 and '56 Pro Amps
Donny Hinson
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Post by Donny Hinson »

Dennis Shellhouse wrote:Buddy Charleton played one on the Ernest Tubb- Loretta Lynn Duets album:
Mr & Mrs. Used To Be. It's on the title track, available on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgzNHdBONwQ
Sorry Dennis, the guitar is featured on that album, but it wasn't used on the title track. If memory serves me correctly, the guitar is plainly heard on "Our Hearts Are Holding Hands", and on "We're Not Kids Anymore". I spoke to Buddy several times about that album and the guitar, and his most significant recollection was that that guitar was really a bear to play in-tune! :whoa:

Here's the first track, and the tuning problem is evident on this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-0-DY6Yn9c

There's no YouTube for the other song, "We're Not Kids Anymore", and that's sad, because the intonation seems much better on that cut.
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