Who Has Your Original Pedal Steel

Gary Shepherd · Post by **Gary Shepherd** » 26 Dec 2005 6:38 pm

I was reading a post (or two) about the resell value of pedal steels. One of the posts made me wonder, how many players still have their original pedal steel?

I figure that most guys just starting (say for a year or two) probably still have their first guitar and play only that one. But I suspect that anyone who's advanced past the rookie/beginner stage has bought a new and more proffessional steel and sold the original.

Personally, I think I'm on about my 6th or 7th guitar. And I just bought used Zum last night.

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Gary Shepherd

Carter D-10

www.16tracks.com

Jerry Roller · Post by **Jerry Roller** » 26 Dec 2005 6:51 pm

Gary, I built a Multichord type guitar in about 1958. I made the changer out of steel keystock and took many hours to make. When I would break a tap off I would have to start over on that part. I no longer have the guitar but years later when Jim Boen sold out the Pedalmaster brand I had left the changer at the Pedalmaster shop and Jim gave the changer back to me. I still have that changer. In 1960 when LeRoy Prine was building the original Pedalmaster guitars I helped him putting the pulls under the guitars. We built my first "real" pedal guitar. It was a D-8 which later was rebuilt into a D-9 and finally a D-10. It was very similiar to the Sho-Bud permanent. I still have that guitar.
Jerry [This message was edited by Jerry Roller on 26 December 2005 at 06:52 PM.]

Ernest Cawby · Post by **Ernest Cawby** » 26 Dec 2005 8:12 pm

I still have my 1st one, a Sho-bud The Professional, it is the best, why buy another. I paid something like $1,800.00, I would not take $3,000.00 for it now. It is being updated by Leon Roberts with Coop Parts. Also will sport a new case, leg bag and Tom Palmer cover. Had never been worked on as repair, just added knee levers by Bill Ray of Rayline Guitars.
Did I just hear another sho-bud horn being blown??????

ernie

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 26 Dec 2005 10:00 pm

Man, I only wish I still had that wonderful Maverick... 1 whole knee lever, woodgrain contact paper to die for...

Seriously, Mavericks get some pretty bad press, but that first guitar made it possible for me to explore steel guitar, and I could actually afford it. I would love to think that several more folks have gotten the steel bug through that same guitar over the years.

I still get students showing up with 70's Mavericks, they still work, and they are still inspiring steelers. Cool.

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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com

richard burton · Post by **richard burton** » 27 Dec 2005 1:09 am

I wish I still had mine, if only to look at it and wonder what on earth was I thinking when I built it !

For some reason, I took it to bits, and now there are parts of it (that were not re-cycled into the next steel) scattered all over the attic and shed.

Cartwright Thompson · Post by **Cartwright Thompson** » 27 Dec 2005 1:32 am

I sold my first pedal steel (70's S-12 Sho-Bud-mint)to a guy who lives about a half mile away from me. He never learned to play it and tells me that it is buried in his garage somewhere. I've tried to buy it back but he won't sell ( he tells me that he can't even find it). It's sort of entombed in there, I drive by every so often and pay my respects. He tells me that there is a S-10 push pull Emmons in there too!

jess dodson · Post by **jess dodson** » 27 Dec 2005 3:49 am

Don Ricketson in Llano has mine and wont give it back

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 27 Dec 2005 5:09 am

The last time I saw my first pedal steel, a Fender 2000, it was sitting in the window at Chuck Levin's Washington Music store. I traded it in on a new 71 D-10 Emmons (Black

).

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 27 Dec 2005 6:12 am

Years ago I gave my buddy Tommy D. some money and told him to just bring me back a steel from the Scotty show in St. Louis. He bought back a red birdseye maple 12 string LDG Sho Bud. Several years later I sold to some band called Bare Naked Ladies that was traveling through Atlanta. Made some money on the deal. I never really got attached to it and never wanted it back even though it was a pretty guitar and sounded very nice.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 27 Dec 2005 7:46 am

My first pedal steel was a Sho~Bud fingertip and I traded that for a Sho~Bud Pro III. Al Udeen was a Sho~Bud rep. at the time and bought it because it really was a nice "looking" guitar with coco bolo wood and etc. I checked with him later if he still had it and he informed me that he got rid of it also because that model Sho~Bud really was a bugger to keep in tune.
Erv

Mike Perlowin · Post by **Mike Perlowin** » 27 Dec 2005 8:25 am

I still have my first guitar (unless you count the maverick that I borrowed for a while,) and it's still a wonderful instrument that I use all the time. It's a green maple/lacquer MSA U-12. I also have a my second one: white mica one. #3 got stolen (fortumately it was insured) and #4 got sold, ironically to the former owner of #2.

#5 is a collection of parts with a double frame body that will eventually be assembled and sold.

But #1 is my baby. I'll never voluntarily part with it.

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 27 Dec 2005 10:42 am

Who Has Your Original Pedal Steel

HOPEFULLY,some fireplace has that ol' Multi-Kord!!

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<pre> ~ ~
©¿© It don't mean a thang,
mm if it ain't got that twang.
www.ntsga.com</pre>

Gary Shepherd · Post by **Gary Shepherd** » 27 Dec 2005 12:04 pm

Hey, a fireplace got my blue Sierra Session 12 a couple of years ago. Oh, wait. That was my house that burned down.

The guitar ended up with Dr. B. who said he rebuilt it for B.E. I'm not sure how it turned out.

That Sierra was not my first guitar but it was probably my favorite. Maybe the Zum that's on the way this week will be cool. I can't wait to see it.

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Gary Shepherd

Carter D-10

www.16tracks.com

Lee Bartram · Post by **Lee Bartram** » 27 Dec 2005 4:09 pm

hey Gary do you still have the same black pearlwood carter that i sold you.it wasn't my first but i sort of missed it afterwards bought another carter and sold it too .i have to give up one to get to try another and then usally i wished that i had them back.

Gary Shepherd · Post by **Gary Shepherd** » 27 Dec 2005 4:27 pm

I still have it. I bought a Zum on eBay yesterday. I'll probably sell the Zum unless I really like it - I got a really good deal - I think.

If I keep the Carter, I'll be adding some stuff to it.

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Gary Shepherd

Carter D-10

www.16tracks.com

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 27 Dec 2005 4:44 pm

I still have my first one--a 1971 Emmons D10 that is currently in Jeff Peterson's compentent hands for a total restoration (I actually had a Fender 400 for about a month or so--Tommy Cass told me if I were serious about being a player, I should get a real guitar, and I did).

I have always been sooo much better at buying things than selling things

....

Steve Hackney · Post by **Steve Hackney** » 27 Dec 2005 7:29 pm

My LDG went to France to one of Crowbears buddies. I hope he enjoys it as much as I did. I had it for about 25 years. I kinda miss it but I'm enjoying my GFI.

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 27 Dec 2005 7:31 pm

My first guitar was also a Fender 400, I don't even remember selling it. It would be kind of nice to have it in my collection. I've been through lots of guitars since then, every one was a step up in my opinion.

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Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 27 Dec 2005 8:09 pm

My first pedal steel was a Gibson Electraharp, single 8 with four on the floor. It truly sucked, and I sold it to Rodney Dillard in 1968 for $75. He in turn either sold it, or gave it, to Pete Grant who used it to record the Dillard's "Wheatstraw Suite" album.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Al Michalczak · Post by **Al Michalczak** » 27 Dec 2005 8:37 pm

My first guitar was a Blanton S-10 with 3 and 4 that I bought in about 1966 and sold in 1970. It still belongs to that person today because he won't sell it back to me because it was also his first pedal steel. That person is the legendary Randy Reinhard. This remains to this day my greatest contribution to the steel guitar community.
Al

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 27 Dec 2005 9:59 pm

Still have my Bud Pro-II, but added a few levers.
And also have a S-14 Sierra.
Still play both don't want to get rid of either.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 27 Dec 2005 10:25 pm

My first steel was a black MCI prototype I bought from Buddy Emmons in St Louis. After a half year or so it developed some problems so John Burkhead had me send it back and made me a new EMCI S10. It was burgundy mica with an E66 pickup. That was an amazing sounding steel ! I was a dummy and had Billy Cooper sell it for me.
John's help and generosity meant quite a bit to me.

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Bob
My Website

[This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 27 December 2005 at 10:29 PM.][This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 07 January 2006 at 11:46 PM.]

Will Sevy · Post by **Will Sevy** » 28 Dec 2005 5:13 am

My first pedal steel was a Sierra, And I'm still playing it!

[This message was edited by Bobby Lee on 28 December 2005 at 07:44 AM.]

Kevin Mincke · Post by **Kevin Mincke** » 28 Dec 2005 6:23 am

My first was a red & black D8 6 pedal that Clem Schmitz took with him to Tn when he closed up the Steel Guitar Emporium on Lake St.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 28 Dec 2005 7:54 am

My first "real" pedal steel was a Sho-Bud 6139 bought new in 1974. It came with 3+1, and I built it out to 6+3. I sold it to Forum member Jack Francis. He might still have it - I'm not sure.

Here's a picture of me playing it at the Castle Club in San Francisco, many moons ago:

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b2005.gif" width="78 height="78">Bobby Lee (a.k.a. b0b) - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
Williams D-12 E9, C6add9, Sierra Olympic S-12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra Laptop S-8 (E6add9), Fender Stringmaster D-8 (E13, C6 or A6) My Blog [This message was edited by Bobby Lee on 28 December 2005 at 07:55 AM.]