Smithsonian Bigsby
Moderator: Shoshanah Marohn
- Will Ellis
- Posts: 33
- Joined: 6 Aug 2019 8:47 pm
- Location: Nashville TN, USA
- Contact:
Smithsonian Bigsby
Stopped in the American History museum in DC today before playing 9:30 club tonight and was delighted to see Bigsby on display with a little paragraph about Buddy Emmons. I figured I’d look up the lineage of the guitar on the forum, but after a little searching it seems maybe this hasn’t been discussed on here. Does anyone know more about this guitar? They also had Elizabeth Cotton’s Martin and Steve Cropper’s Esquire+Harvard on display.
Sho~Bud Professional D-10 (1972)
Fender Twin Reverb (1979)
Fender Twin Reverb (1979)
- Colin Swinney
- Posts: 263
- Joined: 26 Jan 2010 11:45 am
- Location: Wisconsin, USA
- David Ball
- Posts: 1229
- Joined: 18 Feb 2010 1:37 pm
- Location: North Carolina High Country
Interesting 8,10,8,10 neck setup.
The Smithsonian has so much great stuff that lives in storage areas and is rarely displayed to the public. I used to make appointments to study specific instruments in their "hidden" collection, and it was always such a treat to see what other treasures that had squirreled away.
Back in the 80's or 90's, I was in one of those special rooms measuring some instruments I had made an appointment to see, and the archivist who was with me asked me to extra careful not to step on "any of Ella's stuff." The folding tables taking up much of the room held the newly acquired Ella Fitzgerald's stuff. I was practically leaning on her Presidential Medal of Freedom. So very cool.
It would be interesting to know the history of that particular Bigsby--bet that dropping a line to the Musical Instruments Curator could get an answer.
Dave
The Smithsonian has so much great stuff that lives in storage areas and is rarely displayed to the public. I used to make appointments to study specific instruments in their "hidden" collection, and it was always such a treat to see what other treasures that had squirreled away.
Back in the 80's or 90's, I was in one of those special rooms measuring some instruments I had made an appointment to see, and the archivist who was with me asked me to extra careful not to step on "any of Ella's stuff." The folding tables taking up much of the room held the newly acquired Ella Fitzgerald's stuff. I was practically leaning on her Presidential Medal of Freedom. So very cool.
It would be interesting to know the history of that particular Bigsby--bet that dropping a line to the Musical Instruments Curator could get an answer.
Dave
- Kenny Davis
- Posts: 1370
- Joined: 10 Apr 1999 12:01 am
- Location: Great State of Oklahoma
- Robert B Murphy
- Posts: 143
- Joined: 9 Feb 2022 6:56 am
- Location: Mountain View, Arkansas, USA
- Kenny Davis
- Posts: 1370
- Joined: 10 Apr 1999 12:01 am
- Location: Great State of Oklahoma
- Doug Beaumier
- Posts: 15642
- Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
- Location: Northampton, MA
- Contact:
-
- Posts: 3139
- Joined: 11 Aug 1999 12:01 am
- Location: Los Angeles, California USA
Doug is correct. In fact, the 1964 Emmons brochure still uses the Buddie spelling and his autographed photo even has Buddie. The new Emmons Resound materials use the same photo but changed the autograph to say Buddy.
Last edited by Chris Lucker on 18 May 2022 11:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars.
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars.
- Lee Baucum
- Posts: 10326
- Joined: 11 Apr 1999 12:01 am
- Location: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
-
- Posts: 3139
- Joined: 11 Aug 1999 12:01 am
- Location: Los Angeles, California USA
- Tony Oresteen
- Posts: 529
- Joined: 8 May 2017 7:54 pm
- Location: Georgia, USA
Very interesting. The two middle necks have the pedals. The 8 string has 2 pedals and the 10 string has 3. Anyone know the tunings and the copedent used by Buddie?
Tony
Newnan, GA
Too many guitars, not enough time to play
'72 Sho-Bud 6139 '71 Sho-Bud 6140
'82 Sho-Bud 6160 '73 Sho-Bud 6138
'71 Marlen 210
'78 Fender Stringmaster T8 black '70??? Fender Champ Lap Steel
Newnan, GA
Too many guitars, not enough time to play
'72 Sho-Bud 6139 '71 Sho-Bud 6140
'82 Sho-Bud 6160 '73 Sho-Bud 6138
'71 Marlen 210
'78 Fender Stringmaster T8 black '70??? Fender Champ Lap Steel
- Jerry Jones
- Posts: 841
- Joined: 6 Sep 2007 4:26 pm
- Location: Franklin, Tenn.
- Lee Baucum
- Posts: 10326
- Joined: 11 Apr 1999 12:01 am
- Location: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
- Will Ellis
- Posts: 33
- Joined: 6 Aug 2019 8:47 pm
- Location: Nashville TN, USA
- Contact:
Awesome, thanks!Jerry Jones wrote:More info on that guitar HERE
Sho~Bud Professional D-10 (1972)
Fender Twin Reverb (1979)
Fender Twin Reverb (1979)
-
- Posts: 3139
- Joined: 11 Aug 1999 12:01 am
- Location: Los Angeles, California USA
Paul Warnik had PeeWee Whitewing, this quad, Dick Waring and Vance Terry.
I got Vance from Warnik and he really wanted to sell me this quad, but it was too heavy and too deep to carry around in the case.
It was a bargain compared to Vance.
I got Vance from Warnik and he really wanted to sell me this quad, but it was too heavy and too deep to carry around in the case.
It was a bargain compared to Vance.
Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars.
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars.
- John Troutman
- Posts: 197
- Joined: 18 Jan 1999 1:01 am
- Location: Washington, DC
Hi all,
I had not logged into the forum in way too long and came across this post. Iʻm excited that the National Museum of American History's 1954 Bigsby was sighted by a forum member! We felt it was important for the Smithsonian's permanent collection to include a Bigsby steel, so we went big with the quad. We placed it on display in a prominent location in 2019. It is still on view, and it is always fun to see visitors reacting to it--it is quite a sight to behold for folks familiar with Bigsby guitars as well as for people who have never before seen anything like it!
In December we opened a major, long-term exhibition on entertainment, called Entertainment Nation. On view in that gallery you will find Sam Nainoa's circa 1934-1936 Rickenbacher "frying pan." Sam was Joseph Kekuku's cousin and duet partner since they were small children in the 1880s, growing up and attending school together on Oʻahu. Sam later became extraordinarily adept at Hawaiian steel guitar and developed a unique style while touring North America and eventually running a Hawaiian music conservatory in Los Angeles. In 2018, descendants donated this guitar to the Smithsonian. Eight descendants travelled to D.C. in December for the opening event! It was an incredible experience. We are excited to keep this guitar on view for many years to come.
I hope you can come visit the museum to see these historic instruments on display, with the prominence that they deserve (note: this is what happens when a steel guitar fanatic is hired as a music curator!).
I had not logged into the forum in way too long and came across this post. Iʻm excited that the National Museum of American History's 1954 Bigsby was sighted by a forum member! We felt it was important for the Smithsonian's permanent collection to include a Bigsby steel, so we went big with the quad. We placed it on display in a prominent location in 2019. It is still on view, and it is always fun to see visitors reacting to it--it is quite a sight to behold for folks familiar with Bigsby guitars as well as for people who have never before seen anything like it!
In December we opened a major, long-term exhibition on entertainment, called Entertainment Nation. On view in that gallery you will find Sam Nainoa's circa 1934-1936 Rickenbacher "frying pan." Sam was Joseph Kekuku's cousin and duet partner since they were small children in the 1880s, growing up and attending school together on Oʻahu. Sam later became extraordinarily adept at Hawaiian steel guitar and developed a unique style while touring North America and eventually running a Hawaiian music conservatory in Los Angeles. In 2018, descendants donated this guitar to the Smithsonian. Eight descendants travelled to D.C. in December for the opening event! It was an incredible experience. We are excited to keep this guitar on view for many years to come.
I hope you can come visit the museum to see these historic instruments on display, with the prominence that they deserve (note: this is what happens when a steel guitar fanatic is hired as a music curator!).