Who plays pull release in 2022?

Andrew Goulet · Post by **Andrew Goulet** » 16 Jan 2022 9:34 am

Just curious: who plays a pull release guitar as their primary guitar these days?

Jerry McNulty · Post by **Jerry McNulty** » 16 Jan 2022 10:54 am

Ive been playing a Simmons Pull Release for a few years now. Had a few calls to him when I started.

Rich Sullivan · Post by **Rich Sullivan** » 16 Jan 2022 11:50 am

Include me. (It's a Bigsby.)

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 16 Jan 2022 1:44 pm

Rich Sullivan wrote:Include me. (It's a Bigsby.)

Could you post a few photos, Rich? Those are gorgeous guitars.

Rich Sullivan · Post by **Rich Sullivan** » 16 Jan 2022 2:53 pm

Frank,
I have a number photos on a recent post.
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... highlight=

It is a 1949 Bigsby, built for Ernie Ball. But as the photos show, it has been completely hot-rodded (pun intended).
Rich

Jeremy King · Post by **Jeremy King** » 16 Jan 2022 3:12 pm

I play Hudson Steel Guitars. I own two of Jimmie’s 10 strings and one of his six string models. They have always worked for me playing shows and in the studio. I like the tone and feel of them.

David Ball · Post by **David Ball** » 16 Jan 2022 3:50 pm

Sho Bud Permanents...

Dave

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 16 Jan 2022 6:38 pm

For about the past 3 years my one and only steel has been a P/R Marlin S10 w/4&4.. Sold or traded all others. It has done everything I have asked. I changed the strings when I got it, probably 7-8 years ago, and that set is STILL on it... It has never broken a single string in well over 7 years, even the .011 3rd... Just a great guitar, that never goes out of tune or needs any adjustments.. far and away the most stable pedal steel I have owned in my 45+ years of playing steel. Also the most tedious and painful to set up, and get dialed in.. This is NOT a guitar for the ham handed or the faint hearted to deal with from a mechanical standpoint.
It needed a lot of linkage work, a lot of tweaking, a lot of spring tension adjustments, rod size alterations etc etc.. However, when i DID get it done to my satisfaction a few weeks after I started, it has never changed even a little. I was told many times by guys that had P/R guitars that they were tough to get right, but when they were finally set up right, they simply stayed that way forever.. I have found that to be 100% accurate... bob

Larry Dering · Post by **Larry Dering** » 16 Jan 2022 8:41 pm

Not my only guitar but the Stage One by Zum is a pull release. I have no issues with it. Plays well and holds tuning. I love the fact that Bob has 7 years on his strings. I won't do that but I have a couple archtop guitars with Tomastik strings that are a few years old.

Johnny Cox · Post by **Johnny Cox** » 16 Jan 2022 8:58 pm

I do. 68 Sho-Bud Permanent is my main squeeze.

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 16 Jan 2022 9:11 pm

I hope to be able to play this no name D-10 in 2022. It needs a complete setup.

It was built by either LeeRoy Prine before he sold the name (Pedalmaster) to Roy Thomas, or by Zane Beck after he left ShoBud and before he built ZBs. It sounds beautiful.

Jim Pitman · Post by **Jim Pitman** » 17 Jan 2022 3:34 am

Fellow Vermonter, Brett Lanier, plays a pull release. I think it's a Marlen. (not the fish).
Perhaps he'll chime in here.
I notice it has a much wider string spacing, that is, more regular guitar like. Bret's a fine guitarist too and switches back and forth.

Nicholas Thomas · Post by **Nicholas Thomas** » 17 Jan 2022 6:46 am

Heres a pull release guitar I finished this summer!

Ray Gehringer · Post by **Ray Gehringer** » 17 Jan 2022 6:57 am

This past Friday I took delivery of a Stage One built by Doug Earnest... lovin' it so far.

K Maul · Post by **K Maul** » 17 Jan 2022 1:10 pm

I have a very nice Permanent reworked by the late James Morehead.

Tom Jordan · Post by **Tom Jordan** » 17 Jan 2022 1:16 pm

That's a good looking guitar, Dave Z. It sure has some ZB DNA in there somewhere (end plate style, for one!)

Tom

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 17 Jan 2022 2:08 pm

It sure has some ZB DNA in there somewhere (end plate style, for one!)

Yes it does. It also has the same roller nuts and oversized roller nut shaft like on early ZB's, and the fretboards do say Zane Beck. At first I thought someone added them later but after a little research they could very well be original. Zane used to hang out with LeeRoy Prine at his shop in the early '60's.

Andrew Goulet · Post by **Andrew Goulet** » 17 Jan 2022 2:16 pm

Wow, this is just great. Beautiful guitars.

Bob, I'm with you on the Marlen. I love mine, and as you said, it's so stable. I tune it everyday but most times I don't have to do much more than a single tweak, if that. Setup is tricky, but my copedent is so simple it wasn't even that hard for me once I understood the mechanism. Gorgeous tone and plays like butter.

Jim, that's interesting about string spacing. My Marlen S12 does seem wide, but I don't have anything to compare it to, really. Can anyone confirm or deny that Marlen's have wider than average spacing?

Thanks, everyone, for your responses so far.

richard burton · Post by **richard burton** » 18 Jan 2022 12:32 am

As a retired toolmaker/machinist/maintenance man, I have come to realise that the more simple that a mechanical contraption is, the more reliable and trouble-free it is.

My 1966 Marlen is simplicity itself, and in the dozen years that I have owned/played it, there have been zero problems with it.

PS the string spacing is standard 11/32"

Randy Major · Post by **Randy Major** » 19 Jan 2022 10:27 am

I have a Hudson SD10. I think they are pull/release but I don't know what that means. Does it affect travel and throw? I'm having trouble with too much of one or the other.

Jeremy King · Post by **Jeremy King** » 19 Jan 2022 1:00 pm

Randy, a pull release changer (like on the Hudson guitars) usually requires a wound 6th string. It usually helps balance the pulls of the G# strings. Jagwire Carter Starter strings work perfect on my Hudson guitars. They are roughly the same gauges as the ones Jimmie uses. They also include a wound 6th string in the pack.

Randy Major · Post by **Randy Major** » 19 Jan 2022 2:11 pm

Thanks, I'm wondering about the difference between "All Pull" and "Pull and Release"

Daniel Baston · Post by **Daniel Baston** » 19 Jan 2022 10:05 pm

K Maul wrote:I have a very nice Permanent reworked by the late James Morehead.

What a beautiful instrument!

Abe Levy · Post by **Abe Levy** » 20 Jan 2022 8:35 am

I play a 1956 Bigsby triple 8/10/8. Pull release with eight pedals. I play it a lot at home but don’t gig it. I can barely lift it in the case.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 21 Jan 2022 7:23 pm

Abe Levy wrote:I play a 1956 Bigsby triple 8/10/8. Pull release with eight pedals. I play it a lot at home but don’t gig it. I can barely lift it in the case.

My PA Reissue is a 10-10-8 w/5p and arrived in a freakin' huge Anvil case that required 2 men to lift it. But when the guitar goes to a gig, the body rides in a keyboard bag, and the legs/rods/rack in another smaller keyboard bag. That setup is still a PITA, but at least a normal human can lift to put on the hand truck.

My Bigsby T-8 w/6p has a standard tolex/wood 2pc case set. Again... still heavy but, so far, able to be placed on the hand truck.

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Who plays pull release in 2022?

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