Can Someone Tell Me What This Steel Might Be?

Billy Henderson · Post by **Billy Henderson** » 3 Nov 2006 9:31 am

No pic but I ran across a steel with no name, serial #, nothing to identify it but it is a double neck I think about 8 floor pedals and no knee levers. It is playable but some of the pedal rods are missing and it is a sparkle blue color. Looks like a good project for someone. I am mainly just curious. I think it is for sale not sure. It has been sitting up for years.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 3 Nov 2006 10:15 am

No ID, no SN, no levers, and...sparkle blue?

Sounds like a late '50s home-made.

jim flynn · Post by **jim flynn** » 3 Nov 2006 1:29 pm

Sounds like you are looking at a "little Buddy"
lots were built and still out there.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 4 Nov 2006 4:56 am

I've never seen a "Little Buddy" without at least one knee lever. The S-10's were usually 3+1, and the D10's were either 8+2 or 8+4. The doubles were called "Little Buddy Pro", I believe.

It's a pretty much cheap "home-brewed" type guitar in design, worth about $100 tops. (Most of these used to wind up in the trash after the pickup, keys, and a few other useable parts are removed. Now they hawk them on ebay to uninformed buyers.)

Jerry Delpaz · Post by **Jerry Delpaz** » 11 Nov 2006 8:53 pm

I am a beginner myself and I have a Little Buddy s-10.It has a name on it as all of the Little Buddies I have seen or a stamp of the outline of Texas.Mine is a 3 & 1.I never heard of one with 8 & 0.Like the one gentleman said I think this must be a home made model or it would have a name or at least a serial# someplace. Jerry

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 12 Nov 2006 9:58 am

This is a Little Buddy Pro, originally 8+4, that I inherited about 2 years ago. I'm still in the process of properly converting it to an SD-10, but the parts are very worn and the guitar is almost unusable as it stands right now. The changer is shot, and the undercarriage is very gummy. I used it live for about 8 months, but had to get another guitar because it just wouldn't tune. For sentimental reasons I'd like to get it back up and running, but I think I'm fighting a losing battle. I can see what Donnie's talking about. The tuners are original Klusons, and the pickup sounds great and looks to be a Sho~Bud. Other than that, she's pretty much beat. My attempts to simplfy it into an SD-10 didn't help matters much.

Mike Ester · Post by **Mike Ester** » 12 Nov 2006 12:31 pm

Looks like a GFI fretboard on that steel, Chris.

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 12 Nov 2006 1:16 pm

Ya, I noticed that too. But it seems original to the guitar......was this fretboard style kickin' around back in the 70's?

Steven Black · Post by **Steven Black** » 13 Nov 2006 6:14 am

Best advise, is if you are want to get this guitar up and running you will have to strip it down and rebuild it with new parts and updated changer.

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 13 Nov 2006 6:17 am

Steven, there's no doubt this thing needs a new changer and parts. I'm not sure I'm willing to invest that much into it, especially with a mint Pro 1 parked next to it.

But it's alright for right-hand practice when the Sho~Bud's out at a gig. That's probably the most I'll ever used it for.

Larry Custer · Post by **Larry Custer** » 14 Nov 2006 5:29 pm

Guys,it looks like a GES,George E Sell,they were made in Philadelphia,Pa.i have a friend who has a 11 string one,they have a sloppy changer.I've only ever seen 3 for these steels.My friends did not stay in tune well.