ZB Pedal Steel Guitars - Please help!

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 22 Oct 2003 6:50 am

Larry, Who and where did you play at the Strictly Bluegrass Fest?

On the Hardly Strictly stage there were a bunch of steelers.

John Mitguard with his Mullen-12, David Phillips with his Exel S-14, Chris Ivey with his D-10 Zum, Billy Wilson with a D-8 Rick, and myself with Bg Red(D-10 Bud). It was almost a convention!

I didn't see or hear any other steelers on the other stages. Were there any?

Dave

Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 22 Oct 2003 7:22 am

Thanks, Chris, for the very kind words. It's kinda funny, actually, but several of the folks I've given lessons to have switched to ZBs... I'm delighted to hear that you're doing so well - the pedal steel guitar needs to be taken into the future of music whatever style or sound or players. (With ZBs, of course) (;

Hey Dave - dagnabbit, I knew there would be a whole lotta steels at Hardly Strictly. I saw Mr.Phillips - wow! - and then had to run off to teach a kids fiddle workshop in San Jose. My acoustic band Cabin Fever played at noon on the Strictly Hardly Stage on Sunday. We just updated our website, where you can see our pretty pictures! www.cabinfeverbluegrass.com

Let's meet sometime and talk about triple coil pickups, Roman fretboard markers, and tone, tone, tone! Next time you're in SF, please let me know.

ZBest,
lc

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 22 Oct 2003 9:10 am

I'm at the El Rio in SF this Saturday but I won't have the ZB. I'm playing with two of the three acts. Let me know if you want to swing by and maybe I can get you and a guest on the guest list.

DZ[This message was edited by Dave Zirbel on 22 October 2003 at 10:28 AM.]

Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 22 Oct 2003 11:08 am

Dagnabbit, Dave - I'm gonna be up in Red Bluff at the Western Open Fiddle Contest playing backup guitar all this weekend...

El Rio is just up the street from me, as I live in the Outer Mission/Bernal Heights. So close, and yet so far... (:

Let me know THE NEXT time you're around - have you got a steady at El Rio? - and you can always stop by and play my ZB S-11 4+4 or my old 66' ZB D-10.

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 22 Oct 2003 1:33 pm

Bummer Larry. Maybe next time. I don't have a steady gig at the El Rio but I play there almost once a month it seems. I have some shows in the city coming up. Check it out.
http://hometown.aol.com/zirbman/myhomepage/newsletter.html

Maybe I can leave early to one of my shows and check out your ZBs!

Dave

Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 29 Oct 2003 11:27 pm

ZBump!

Great to hear from Pete Grant (Hi, Pete!) on the Steel Players post - he's got Jerry Garcia's old Scranton-made ZB and it sounds fantastic. Did I mention that he's a fantastic player and a great teacher, too!?!

Best,
lc

Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 6 Nov 2003 7:09 am

ZBump!

Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 12 Nov 2003 3:53 pm

Just like seeing consecutive ZB posts on the Forum. (:

Had a gentleman from Norway just write about ZBs, too!

lc

Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 17 Nov 2003 11:14 am

Ever been interested or curious in ZB Guitars? Read this post - but give yourself some time!

I've gotten a bunch of photos from folks from all over the world, and I would love to post a few every so often - can someone please let me know how that can happen? I was always taught to share... (:

ZBump and All ZBest,
larry

------------------
Larry Chung
ZB D-10 8+4
ZB Custom S-11 4+4 Dekley S-10 3+4

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 17 Nov 2003 11:47 am

Larry- please check your e mail

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 17 Nov 2003 12:49 pm

Larry, this evening I will send you a detailed email as to how you can post your photos.

Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 17 Nov 2003 1:13 pm

Thanks, Howard and Dave-
Looking forward to sharing what I've gotten from y'all.
ZBest!

Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 30 Nov 2003 8:54 am

ZBump!

Just cleaning the turkey and gravy from the top of my ZB. Time to get back to practicing!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving full of music and good cheer!

lc

Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 8 Dec 2003 7:37 am

ZeeBee. ZeeBump!

Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 17 Dec 2003 7:49 am

Should have some time over the holidays to post some ZB photos from my research and also send some over photos to the proposed sites above!

ZeeBest,
lc

Bob Mainwaring · Post by **Bob Mainwaring** » 23 Dec 2003 12:47 am

Just as a little aside Larry, do you or anyone out there know if the guy Eric Snowdon still exists in London U.K. who "brought" Z.Bs into the U.K. in the early 70s and if so has any numbers been kept regarding amounts/types/models etc..?
I find it strange that my SD10 and D10 are not many numbers away from each other.

Bob Mainwaring. Z.Bs. and other weird things.

John Davis · Post by **John Davis** » 23 Dec 2003 9:58 am

Hey Bob, further to my email to you, The Guys name is Eric Snowball, and yes he still has the music shop in Upper Fant Road, Maidestone, Kent UK. Its a bit smaller now as he no longer has the other shop and no longer does very much with steels, last time I went in there ,the only steel was his own personal one ( I think an Emmons loafer)I will never forget his sales pitch to me well over thirty years ago it went "Give us your money and F@$% off !!!!" I think he has always had a serious attitude problem, and would certainly not hold any hope of getting information from him.
I doubt he would have sold hardly any of those steels without the help of the late
Gordon Huntley and his amazing ability to demonstrate the guitars.

Bob Mainwaring · Post by **Bob Mainwaring** » 24 Dec 2003 12:04 am

Guys - like I may have said in another thread, there were lots of Z.Bs kicking around the U.K.at one time - mainly 11 stringers as far as I know, in fact most of the guys that saw mine wondered as to where the other string went to!!
Hope you won't regret getting rid of yours John - they're only here once.

Bob Mainwaring. Z.Bs. and other weird things.

Matt Dawson · Post by **Matt Dawson** » 24 Dec 2003 7:13 am

I just sold my ZB 11 string through Hogan music in the UK and guess who bought it?
Al Perkins! I guess he wants a guitar to keep in the UK.
Matt

Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 24 Dec 2003 8:07 am

Hello Bob, John, and Matt!

Happy Holidays to you all - thanks for the ZB info, too.

I've tried contacting Eric Snowball several times with no response from him, but did reach a couple of other ZB owners in the UK. He's still around, just unresponsive...

As far as Al Perkins in concerned... Yaaaaaaaaaah! I always wondered if he was still playing a ZB. Now, I know!

ZBest!
Larry

Matt Dawson · Post by **Matt Dawson** » 24 Dec 2003 8:17 am

When I did my tribute site to Gordon Huntley I emailed Eric Snowball for memories of Gordon but he did not reply.
http://webplaza.pt.lu/dawson/tribute.htm
Happy holidays one and all

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 24 Dec 2003 8:55 am

When I was on vacation in Arizona at 7 years back, I stopped by Deno Music in Casa Grande and the guitar tech had Bud Isaacs single neck ZB on the bench. Bud lives (or lived) in Yuma. From what I remember it was one of the early ones made in Arkansas. Is Bud still around?

Larry, I finally sent my 1969 Bakersfield ZB D-10 to Greg Jones for a COMPLETE restoration. I'll be bringing it to SF for some shows. I can hardly wait!!

Happy Holidays everyone

Dave Zirbel

Bob Mainwaring · Post by **Bob Mainwaring** » 24 Dec 2003 9:09 am

Matt, Many thanks for the info and fabulous link.
All this was when I was trying to play steel licks on a "Freemans Catalogue" plank with a local bunch of characters in and around the Manchester area.
Our local hero was a guy called Harry Greenwood who used to build steel guitars and wanted a Z.B. (which I finaly bought from him) to copy some of the aspects from.
Sadly he passed away around 1990.

Bob Mainwaring Z.Bs. and other weird things.

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 27 Dec 2003 4:46 pm

Well I just got my knee lever kit from Alan Douglass. Man this guy is great. He worked at ZB for a long time and from my photos he gave me a very detailed history of the evolution of the my guitar and it's design and parts. He concurred that my S-10 is a '73. It had only 3 knees when I got it. Alan made me a beautiful new 4th lever from scratch, gave me 2 pullrod/turnbuckle assemblies, 2 new equalizers, cross shaft, changer axle, and all other little parts needed. I moved my RKL to a better location 1" right of where it was. Added the LKR from Alan, and now it's got my copedant. What a great Christmas present to have my ZB set up how I always wanted it! Yee-Haa!

(Hey Kevin, the ZB thru the Webb is pretty awesome sounding.)

Brad Sarno[This message was edited by Brad Sarno on 27 December 2003 at 05:11 PM.]

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 27 Dec 2003 5:09 pm

oops, duplicate post[This message was edited by Brad Sarno on 27 December 2003 at 05:09 PM.]