Show us your Emmons student model GS-8 GS-10 Black Rock

[Scott Spanbauer]

Nice Gee Ess, Scott. You don't see all that many black ones. It undoubtedly sounds better than the far more common bowlin' balls.

Thanks, Jack. Don't they all sound great?

[Eric Philippsen]

I’ve had a number of student models and I think they sound great. The rarest colored one was “White Tidewater” mica. My opinion on why they sound so good is that they do not have necks tightly screwed on and perhaps their lack of full-size, wraparound endplates. In short, less mass = more resonance. Their pickups are wound less, too, as compared to their big brothers.

Their shortcoming is that they can wobble with the non-pro legs and pedalbar. One has to often loosen one or both of the front legs in order to line up and attach the pedalbar via its bolts. Sometimes that’s NOT the case. I’ve had two student models where the front legs were stamped “L” or “R” on the bolt end tip, obviously at the factory, to indicate on which side they should go and still line up with the bar. For those that still suffered from wobble I would put black rubber washers on the front leg’s bolts which usually gave me just enough play to attach the bar and keep the legs stable, too. Some guys just put a set of pro, adjustable legs on and drill holes in the front ones to accept the pedal bar bolts.

The other downside is the student models usually came with one and maybe two knee levers. I have seen them with more. I’ve usually had Mike Cass up the number to 4 using genuine Emmons KL kits. I’ve seen plenty of botched and homemade extra knee levers added. Usually not good.

Great steel in my opinion. Huge push-pull tone.

[Ben Lawson]

Not sure what model it is but 1207 S/N points to 1972-4? Tom Vollmer says it wasn't used much. I didn't like the white fretboard but its easier to see in dim light. Typical three pedals and four knees.

[Jack Hanson]

Not sure what model it is...

Looks like a Pro-Model S-10 to me. Beautiful guitar!

[Mark Perrodin]

here are a couple pics of my black rock. clem schmitz completely
disassembled it and put it back into service. he said it was easily
in the top 5 worst guitars he has ever worked on. it looked like
someone rubbed a cat along the underside. now i have a perfectly
functioning 3x4 that works as it should. alas it'll soon
be for sale as a steel i missed out on purchasing two years ago
has come up for sale unexpectedly.

[Steven Paris]

I'm sure that Black Rock is excellent. Clem is da MAN!!

[Johnie King]

I see some extra steps Clem dose on these push pulls that make the playability an tuning problems a non issue on the pro an student models.

[Larry Welter]

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/userpix ... 2578_1.jpg

recently aquired this beauty,,it is mint condition,,must of spent most of its life in case,,,i thought the chrome tuners are rare??

[Jack Hanson]

recently aquired this beauty,,it is mint condition,,must of spent most of its life in case,,,i thought the chrome tuners are rare??

Congrats! A beautiful guitar! The black plastic buttons are far more common on the Emmons student models, but the original Kluson Deluxe tuners are interchangeable, regardless of their buttons. That gold finish is not common; Mike Cass in Tennessee had this gold Gee Ess for sale awhile back. His also had the nickel-buttoned tuners:

[Marc Stone]

Lucked into this here on the Forum.

[Peter Johannisse]

[Jack Hanson]

That's an interesting guitar you have there, Peter. The SS-10 is a model I'm unfamiliar with. I reached out to the two most knowledgeable Emmons guys I know, and they could not clear up the mystery. Does anyone else out there have an Emmons SS-10?

[Peter Johannisse]

For dating purposes: this SS-10 has a brown metal logo plate.

[Jack Hanson]

For dating purposes: this SS-10 has a brown metal logo plate.

It's my understanding the switch from the brown/white metal badge to black/white plastic was circa '74-'75 (with some overlap).

[Anthony Greco]

Got this about 4 years ago, had Tommy Cass tune it up, sold it because I needed the money at the time, bought it back last month been playin it non-stop since.

[Mike Bourque]

Does anyone know where the sunburst GS-10 that’s the first post of this thread is ?
Or one like it. I’d love to get me one

[Jack Hanson]

Does anyone know where the sunburst GS-10 that’s the first post of this thread is ?

Yup. It's sitting in my living room. Or at least it was a few weeks ago, when I decamped from the High Rockies for the much warmer climes of SE Arizona to visit my dad, and shoot some lacquer on a couple of derelict lap steel bodies that I'm in the midst of rescuing. Nitrocellulose rattle cans sprayed outdoors in 70-degree sunshine turns out way mo' bettah than nitrocellulose rattle cans sprayed outdoors in 15-degree sunshine. (Please don't ask me how I know that.)

It looks a tad different since that photo was taken. I had Clem Schmitz add a fourth knee (RKL) and four of Jerry Roller's (RIP) excellent long silver knee lever handles. I also fabricated a Black Rock-style neck to raise the fretboard about a quarter-inch. I also substituted a pair of big plastic-knobbed 1/4 x 20 nuts for the stock pedalboard attachment wing nuts



It's a fine old guitar indeed, and a true lightweight in comparison to my beloved '73 rosewood 'mica fatback D-10 P/P.

[Jon Light]

This is Stu Schulman's GS-10. I added two knees and did a number of upgrade/repairs to make it play more securely (the pedal stops had gouged deep holes in the wood ledge and the pedals felt crappy. Much, much improved now.)
I'm not the one to do it but if this were stripped and refin'd.....well all I can say is that Jack's sunburst specimen is sure motivating......Meanwhile, stop looking at Stu's guitar. Every second you look at it, another bit of paint flakes off. Stop looking right now.

[Jack Hanson]

Much like Stu's Gee Ess, mine is a redbelly, too:

[Jon Light]

Sorry if you've mentioned this, above -- is this finish and condition factory original, is it a restoration, or is it a refinish?

[Jack Hanson]

Sorry if you've mentioned this, above -- is this finish and condition factory original, is it a restoration, or is it a refinish?

I have no clue of the history of the instrument before it came into my possession, but the finish and red flocking both appear to be original. I did contact the original Emmons Company before its demise, and received the following reply from Bobbie:

"The guitar was shipped was built in 1973, had 3 pedals, 3 knees and red with black shading..."

Her description seems to more closely match Stu's guitar, so it may well be a refin. If so, whoever did it definitely knew what they were doing. I did purchase the sunburst GS-10 (#161 GS) from a fellow Forumite after viewing the ad he placed here. Perhaps he's following this thread, and will chime in if he has additional insight as to its history.

[Don Couchie]

I just brought this one home today. GS10 in burl walnut. Knee levers will be on it by next summer. I know I'm going to love this one.

[Mike Polansky]

Here's me playing my GS-10 with my buddy Gene Reeves in Terlingua a couple of weeks ago. It was rehabbed by Mike DiAlesandro at some point (seen here), who fittingly named it Bumblebee.

Plays and sounds great.

[Dave Zirbel]

Here’s my GS10 I got in a trade deal a little over a month ago. The original owner put a neck on it and replaced the pickup on it with a humbucker 710, and cut a new pick guard for it. Underneath the pick guard it was routed to accommodate the taller pickup, which is great since I was able to locate an Emmons original pickup from a 70’s d-10. The guitar sounds great and plays smooth. I hope to add at least one more knee. I also have a set of adjustable heavy duty legs that fit…but I like the reduced weight!! Fun little guitar with a big sound!

[Mike Polansky]

This is Stu Schulman's GS-10. I added two knees and did a number of upgrade/repairs to make it play more securely (the pedal stops had gouged deep holes in the wood ledge and the pedals felt crappy. Much, much improved now.)

Jon Light, if you stumble back into this thread, please share what you did to upgrade the pedal stops. My GS-10 pedals are a bit spongy. I thought about securing some kind of metal strip in there but wasn't quite sure what material to use.