Sho-Bud tone

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 26 Sep 2018 6:27 pm

Excuse me for jumping in again, but this is my own favorite "Sho~Bud tone", courtesy of Buddy Charleton:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3ysJXGSO1M

`

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 26 Sep 2018 7:26 pm

When I think of Sho-Bud tone I think of Dicky Overby.

His performances with Amber Digby are stunning.

This is one of my favorites. The steel ride is at about 2:24.

Click Here

I love the comment during the intro to this song.
I'm guessing that's forumite Nick Reed.

Click Here

Is that Jimmy Capps on acoustic guitar?

Bill Myers · Post by **Bill Myers** » 27 Sep 2018 2:04 am

There is something about the large heavy bodies and pickups that give the ShoBud a sweetness to the tone that just can't be duplicated in modern pedal steel guitars. For a while my rig was a Pro II through a Goodrich 120 pedal and a Twin with D120f's. Nothing comes close to the tone that rig had.

Bill Terry · Post by **Bill Terry** » 27 Sep 2018 6:01 am

That LDG that Dickey is playing on the Amber Digby video Lee posted was mine for a quite a few years, I sold it to Amber's husband Randy, and Dicky apparently really liked it.

Ricky Davis was the 'mechanic' who set it up to Dicky's liking. Just for the record, that is a Jerry Wallace Tru-Tone PU, wound with the split tap. I told Jerry I just wanted a PU as close as he could make it to the original, and that's what I got.

Kudos to Jerry, he really winds a great PU.

Bill Lowe · Post by **Bill Lowe** » 27 Sep 2018 6:54 am

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bLsq80eQsrA

I saw him do this in Texas. This sounds amazing. Iâ€™m sure 99% is the player. It just doesnâ€™t get any better to my ears.

Marco Schouten · Post by **Marco Schouten** » 27 Sep 2018 1:07 pm

Donny Hinson wrote:Excuse me for jumping in again, but this is my own favorite "Sho~Bud tone", courtesy of Buddy Charleton:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3ysJXGSO1M

`

Donny, you're spot on.

Bobby Nelson · Post by **Bobby Nelson** » 29 Sep 2018 11:12 pm

Excuse me for jumping in again, but this is my own favorite "Sho~Bud tone", courtesy of Buddy Charleton:

It's great for sure Donny. I'm kinda fond of this one (and anything else he played on this guitar).

https://youtu.be/3KqB188pYiE?list=PLDIG ... 8s6McJ9Kkv

Bobby Nelson · Post by **Bobby Nelson** » 29 Sep 2018 11:24 pm

Great stuff from Dickey and Lloyd - tone for days!

Brad Malone · Post by **Brad Malone** » 3 Oct 2018 10:37 am

Lee, Thanks for posting the link to Dicky Overby playing "Sing Me a Sad Song"...that Sho-Bud tone cannot be beat and Dicky Overby brings out the soul in his steel...great country music...could listen to it all night...thanks again.
Brad

Greg Johnson · Post by **Greg Johnson** » 6 Oct 2018 1:32 pm

Ricky has it right. No modern guitar can achieve the tone of the older 'Buds'. But while I agree a Pot pedal is definitely the way to stay vintage most of the 'Pots' have been replaced with the newer and latest greatest parts. So I use a Hilton with a little delay on my Super Pro either thru my twin with a 15 or my Evans and blame the slight tone difference on my left hand. LOL

Charley Bond · Post by **Charley Bond** » 20 Oct 2018 12:08 pm

what kind of Volume Pedal is a Goodrich 400A volume pedal

Bobby Nelson · Post by **Bobby Nelson** » 22 Oct 2018 10:08 am

After messing with it a while, I've found that the Alumitone in my legend gets very close to what I'm hearing. It's become my favorite pup

David Ellison · Post by **David Ellison** » 29 Oct 2018 5:56 pm

I'm wondering if what people think of as the "sho-bud tone" is actually more the amp than the guitar? When I think of "sho-bud tone", I'm thinking of Lloyd Green and a fender amp with 12" speakers with the tubes pushing and the treble turned down. When I think of "Emmons tone" I'm thinking Buddy Emmons sound with solid state amps with 15" speakers.

Is there any basis for my thinking this?

Bobby Nelson · Post by **Bobby Nelson** » 30 Oct 2018 1:20 am

It's the guitar to me David. I have a new MSA and play it through a'73 Twin with K-120s. It has a quick change pup system and I have about 4 or 5 pups I play around with. The Alumitone comes closest to the sound of a Bud, but it's still not as twangy. I have settled into really loving the tone of my guitar, and have stopped looking for it to sound like anything else - I think that's probably the best way for me to go, or I might fall into a trap of chasing tone and not ever being happy with the great tone my guitar provides.

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 30 Oct 2018 4:35 am

My fave Sho-Bud tone is in this catagory.
Pure Prairie League Live - Amie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-c1az4uJzo

Charley Bond · Post by **Charley Bond** » 30 Oct 2018 7:07 am

Some of my favorite listening is Harland Powell, sitting behind his MSA with Box Car Willie... That's the best MSWA Tone I've ever heard...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLZ2xuy ... io=1&t=188

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwTROAG ... LZ2xuyerak

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 30 Oct 2018 7:14 am

That "magic" sound isn't that hard to obtain.. Its all about the wood, vacuum tubes and lightly wound pickups used years ago...
Guys today use 20K ohm virtual line transformers as pickups, run it through a 400 watt solid state amp, and modify the signal through an array of digital "enhancement" and then wonder why they can't get the sweet sound of the 60's and 70's players ...

Get an older all wood pedal steel, preferably without a thick aluminum frame, most brands will work...

Use SINGLE COIL ONLY pickups, with a coil tap say at 8 K and 13 K...

Run it through a pre 1973 Twin Reverb or similar amp with either 2 x12 or 1 x15 JBL speakers, and you'll be there.. Pretty simple...
That "out of phase" sound discussed by the OP is NOT out of phase... Its a by product of the older pickups frequency response as well as the equipment used to process the signal from the guitar to the recording...

I have gotten the sound described for decades- live and on recordings, and I seldom have used pickups wound at more than 12 K, and always used wood body steels, and tube amps.. The sound can certainly be approximated with modern digital technology, but that approach has never made much sense to me... Go retro .. Get an older Fender tube amp, and have a lightly wound coil tap pickup made, and enjoy the steel guitar sound thats in your head, but not yet coming from your speakers.... bob

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 30 Oct 2018 1:56 pm

last brand new steel I bought was Excel I got new from Scotty in early 90's... couple months ago I ordered a new Show Pro because of exactly that a tone, Show Pro has the Sho Bud tone, but new modern mechanics, and since I love Sho Bud tone, but would like a modern mechanics, Show Pro was the best choice for me...

Bobby Nelson · Post by **Bobby Nelson** » 30 Oct 2018 2:28 pm

Well, I;m loving my MSA w/Alumitone - and you're right Bob: there is nothing like an old Fender. I have a Nashville 400 that sits under a pile of stuff. It may be louder I rekin, That's why I keep it - if I ever need to be louder than the Twin.

David Ellison · Post by **David Ellison** » 30 Oct 2018 7:05 pm

Well you can't beat this tone:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViY2WXvVXYU[/url]

Bobby Nelson · Post by **Bobby Nelson** » 31 Oct 2018 12:12 am

Congratulations on your ShoPro Damir. I took lessons from Jeff in the 70's when I had my sidekick - he lived here in Charlotte. They make a great guitar, from everything I've seen and heard.

Bobby Nelson · Post by **Bobby Nelson** » 31 Oct 2018 12:14 am

You're so right David - I love the tone of that guitar - in fact, that guitar is the one this post was started over.

Craig A Davidson · Post by **Craig A Davidson** » 31 Oct 2018 5:32 am

David Ellison wrote:Well you can't beat this tone:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViY2WXvVXYU[/url]

One of the reasons it's sounds so great besides the fact it's the great Buddy Charleton is that he is playing a fingertip Bud. That tone is hard to beat and hard to get on the newer models with the skinny pedals and the pot metal undercarriages.

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 31 Oct 2018 6:58 am

I realize we are kind of discussing Sho Bud guitar tone here, but also we are discussing a particular sonic quality that many players today want to achieve but can't..

This steel part is played by Lew Houston with Conway Twitty on a Fender 400, and in my opinion it embodies exactly the sound we are discussing.. The sound of old Fender pedal steels was every bit as appealing as any sho bud or emmons ever built, and in its day was one of the dominant sounds in country steel guitar..
The short turnaround solo starts at 1:19.. Give it a quick listen.. To me its every bit as enchanting as the Fingertip model Bud tone... bob

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1C0BVq5Bbg

Brandin · Post by **Brandin** » 31 Oct 2018 9:06 am

Bob, you're spot on!!

Great examples from everyone.

GB

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