ZB Pedal Steel Guitars - Please help!

Bobby Bowman · Post by **Bobby Bowman** » 28 Jan 2005 11:14 am

Well,
I ain't nuttin' to say,,,just wanted to be # 500.

!
BB

Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 28 Jan 2005 1:49 pm

Well, ya turn your head for a couple of minutes, and this is what happens... Bobby Bowman, ya beat me to the draw on #500. And I couldn't be happier. Thanks to all of you for all of the wonderful stories and photos and serial numbers, too! Keep 'em coming.

The ZB book is still in the works - planning on a trip out east sometime in the first half of the year to finally put some names and faces together. Greg Jones, Billy Knowles, Kevin Hatton, Dave Van Allen - get ready to join forces... (:

All ZBest to you all.
LC

jerry harkins · Post by **jerry harkins** » 28 Jan 2005 6:44 pm

There's a ZB Custom 11 brown birds eye maple sd10 3&4 out there somewhere with Buddy Emmons signiture on the end plate.
It was built by Tom Brumley around 84.
I attended Newmans school in Hermatige Tnn
and Buddy was there. After a class he signed his name on some of our guitars.Mine was one of them. Later in years I sold it.
Kind of stupid but these things happen.
Anyway I thought I would bring it up just in case someone comes accross it they would know a little about it. It was a great sounding Guitar. I MISS IT.
Thanks Jerry

Chuck McGill · Post by **Chuck McGill** » 29 Jan 2005 4:41 am

Duncan I bet you can't wait. She is a real
beauty and we know how she sounds. I need to
get Greg to set up my D10 and send me the pull rods for the 12string. I have been playing my ShoBud and it's great but am missing my ZB.

Duncan Hodge · Post by **Duncan Hodge** » 29 Jan 2005 7:24 am

Chuck, the ZB arrived yesterday and my God it is beautiful. The tone is crystal clear and deep, it also sustains for hours. Greg does the most incredible work ever. I'll get some pictures of it around the house. The ones that Greg send are OK, but they don't begin to capture how fantastic it looks. I guess I'm gonna have to put the Marlen up for sale as I'm reaally hooked on the ZB. BTW, for Larry it is serial number 0127 and thanks for starting this fantastic thread.
Duncan[This message was edited by Duncan Hodge on 29 January 2005 at 07:26 AM.]

Andrew Buhler · Post by **Andrew Buhler** » 31 Jan 2005 5:30 am

Someone snap her up!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=621&item=3779709408&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Lyle Clary · Post by **Lyle Clary** » 31 Jan 2005 9:32 am

I have a ZB Custom D10 made in 1969 Ser number 0154 that I bought new in the fall of 1969. It is blue birds eye maple with 8 floor and 2 factory knee levers and a home made one out of stainless that a friend of mine made me. I will try to get a picture when I become digital proficient and other pertinant facts for you. I play through a 15 Inch Black Widow driven by a Peavy Nashville 400 Session Head. More power than I can ever use for the first time in my career.

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Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 31 Jan 2005 10:28 am

Looks Like pali1 (Jim Palenscar? is that you?) is the lucky winner!!!

Webb Kline · Post by **Webb Kline** » 31 Jan 2005 10:45 am

Looks like somebody stole that one.

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MCI D10 8+5, ZB 11/10 8+3 Early 30s Dobro, Harmony Lap Steel, ad infinitum

John Rutledge · Post by **John Rutledge** » 31 Jan 2005 11:48 am

Hey Lyle, the D-10 Ser. #0154 sounds like one I work on. I started with ZB Steel Guitar Co. in March of 69. Zane taught me himself to make all the parts on the steel. When he was sure I could do this he went home to Scranton Ark. Tom Brumley was President of ZB Guitar Co. at this time. I moved to Phoenix Az. with ZB Guitar in Feb. of 1971. Then in Jan or Feb of 1972 I moved back to Bakersfield to run Mosrite of California.

Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 31 Jan 2005 12:37 pm

Hi John:

Thank you so much for your post - this is valuable information for all of us ZB fans - the company moved from Bakersfield to Pheonix in Feb. 1971. Greg Jones, are you taking notes? Probably already knows... (:

Great info for all of us interested in finding out where our guitars were made!

ZBest,
Larry

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Larry Chung
'67 ZB D-10 8+4 (ser. #1077)
'69 ZB S-10 3+4 (ser. #0124)
'70 ZB D-10 8+4 (ser.# 0215)
'71 ZB Custom S-11 4+4 (ser. #0252)

John Rutledge · Post by **John Rutledge** » 31 Jan 2005 3:51 pm

Hi Larry,
I don't have any dates on Ser#'s , But I do have literature on ZB's and equipment from that time period. I have a camera coming fri. maybe then I can send pit's.

Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 31 Jan 2005 8:24 pm

Hi John:

I'd love to see anything that you have and can easily send over (digital photos, etc.). If you want to send anything to me, I can scan it and send it right back to you. Please let me know - and also, I'm not sure how, but if you can post to this thread or the Forum, so much the better for all of us ZB fanatics... (:

Best wishes,
Larry Chung

John Rutledge · Post by **John Rutledge** » 1 Feb 2005 10:16 am

Larry I will do what I can to post my photos to this thread of the Forum. Boy I sure do love The Steel Guitar Forum,it brings back a lot of memories. I have had the pleasure of listening to Zane Beck when he was practicing, I loved It. If I remember right Zane played a 12 string. It sounded more in the line of Jazz. It was way over my head, But what a sound. The same of Tom Brumley. He could only play what Buck would let him play. Buck had his hands tied I heard Tom practicing a lot of times and he didn't know I was listening. That guy was something else. P.S. Love The Forum John. ,

Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 1 Feb 2005 12:07 pm

Thanks so much, John - we'll all be looking forward to Z-informtion from ya. I never met Zane Beck, but have only heard the best about him from musicians and non-musicians, and his guitars speak for themselves... beautifully.

ZBest,
Larry

Lyle Clary · Post by **Lyle Clary** » 1 Feb 2005 4:40 pm

Dear John Rutledge, Thanks for the info on ser0154. Nice to know some of the history of that steel. I am the original owner of the guitar although a Springfield Illinois steel player changed some of the knee lever pulls for the dealer I bought it from. Hey have you relation in the Springfield area. I will try to supply Chuck with some additional info on the steel. With some prodding I might even tell you who that Springfield steeler is. Thanks

Lyle Clary · Post by **Lyle Clary** » 1 Feb 2005 4:53 pm

Larry Chung Sorry I called you Chuck.Its so hard when you get old (65 last week) I want to tell you a story about Zane I met him at one of Scotty's early doings, about 1973 or 4. I told Zane that I had lost a slotted roller disk off my E9th neck after breaking a string. You know when you grab your steel and turn it over to put in the case in a dark tavern after playing 4 sets you are not paying much attention to the roller which fell off in the dark. I never noticed it till I played the next time and robbed one off the C6th. Zane at no expense sent me one that very next week and I called him in Arkansas to thank him. Thats the kind of guy he was and he never told me that he was not the maker of that steel.

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Larry Chung · Post by **Larry Chung** » 1 Feb 2005 5:13 pm

Hi Lyle:

No problems... I've been called alot worse! And Chuck is better than "Chump" anytime. Especially with my last name...

Thank you for your lovely story about Zane Beck.
LC[This message was edited by Larry Chung on 01 February 2005 at 05:14 PM.]

John Rutledge · Post by **John Rutledge** » 1 Feb 2005 7:52 pm

Dear Lyle I don't know if I have relations in that area or not. My dad had relatives all over, but I didn't know them. 65 isn't old I'm right behind you at 62. I was looking at my steel, and the birds eye maple is realy beautiful. They sure have beautiful wood in them. mine is brown. Back to cleaning. John

Lyle Clary · Post by **Lyle Clary** » 2 Feb 2005 9:50 am

Dear John R., As you worked at ZB could you comment on the stains they used at the time. I read on one of the earlier threads that they might have used food coloring and it seems to fade over time. I think mine is definitly lighter blue than when I purchased it. Also I read on Winnie Winston's webb site that he used food coloring when he built "The Steel". Thanks Lyle

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Ben Elder · Post by **Ben Elder** » 2 Feb 2005 10:02 am

My "blue" D-10 is walnut brown 36 years after its manufacture (#0131). Only by looking at the underside of the front panel (and only after I was tipped off by ZB/SGF forumites) did I see the very dark blue stain in its original hue.

<img src=http://home.earthlink.net/~weissenben/s ... zb1846.jpg>

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 2 Feb 2005 11:32 am

Same thing with my "green" ZB Ben... Greg took off the knee lever mounts during the refurb he did, and only then did we discover it's true color...
I ain't complaining though- I love the way the dye photoreacted, and the color it is now.

A ZB Gallery

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"I've got the 'ZB Jeebies™' !"

"Pickin' it 'old school' on the Pedizzle Stizzle"
1998 Zumsteel U12 "Loafer" 8&6 :: 1973 ZB Custom D-10 8&5 :: Vintage Fender 'Tube' Amplification

www.dvanet.net :: zbcustom73@dvanet.net :: www.lasttrainhome.com
:: My Tribute to the Hot Club of America in Hi-Fi

[This message was edited by Dave Van Allen on 02 February 2005 at 11:35 AM.][This message was edited by Dave Van Allen on 15 February 2005 at 07:30 PM.]

Lyle Clary · Post by **Lyle Clary** » 2 Feb 2005 2:56 pm

Dear Ben and Dave, Evedently they weren"t using the same blue stain on all blue guitars. My 0154 is just 23 newer than yours and the blue just faded. I admit mine probably stayed in the case more than yours and when out was exposed to "Bright lights and country music". Maybe I ought to pitch that song to Bill Anderson. Just kidding. Not being exposed to much ultravioletlightin it's 36 year history might explain it also

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John Rutledge · Post by **John Rutledge** » 2 Feb 2005 6:49 pm

Dear Lyle
I went fishing today, and I forgot what it felt like to drown a worm.
Your anwser to the question, "did we use food coloring for the stain's to color the steel" is yes we did.
We did the the green, the blue, and the red.
If I remember right I think the brown and black are wood stain's, it's been a long time ago, I started spraying sunburst which I like very much.
Nothin wrong with food stain's, but it does fade, the reason we use food coloring is that there is nothing in it to cover up the wood grain or in this case the birds eye which is clear as a bell.
-John

Duncan Hodge · Post by **Duncan Hodge** » 2 Feb 2005 6:53 pm

I just got my blue/blonde ZB from Greg Jones, serial number 0127 and I have to say that it looks incredibly blue. To my different colored eyes, it appears blue as blue can be without any perceptible fading. It also sounds greater than any steel I could ever imagine. Thank you again, Greg.
Duncan