SoCal trip: Alvino Rey's Sho-Bud and other highlights

[Frank Freniere]

Recently took an extended trip to the San Diego area. One of our stops was NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) HQ in Carlsbad which houses their fabulous Museum of Music Making, where you can get your mitts on a lot of cool instruments.



The Museum featured Alvino Rey's Sho-Bud, a beautiful instrument that they wisely roped off from visitors (like me).




We also dropped in on Jim Palenscar at Steel Guitars of North County, as gracious, warm and funny a guy as you could imagine - a great hang. BTW, Jim swore we were in the same class at Jeffran back in the day; I told him I would definitely remember him if I'd met him before. So Jim if you're reading this, this is when I was in Hermitage:



Finally, when we went to the Little Italy Farmers Market in San Diego I happened to look up at the street sign -



and was reminded of my old German "Kumpel" Joachim.

Steel is everywhere if you look for it.

[Bob Carlucci]

very cool... alvino's bud doesn't look like a 50"s Bud to me..More like a mid 70s.... bob

[Frank Freniere]

very cool... alvino's bud doesn't look like a 50"s Bud to me..More like a mid 70s.... bob

Looks like he was playing around with a keyless Sierra in 1994 at age 85: https://ww1.namm.org/library/oral-history/alvino-rey

[Jerry Overstreet]

I saw Alvino Rey at the ISGC around 94, possibly shortly before or after as I attended all of them in that period.

He was playing a Sierra then and and sat on a stack of chairs which put him at an awkward looking seated position, but I've seen other pics of him seated like that.

It was very interesting and exciting to see and hear one of the real pioneers of the steel guitar.

[Larry Dering]

Jerry, I was also a regular at the ISGC and remember Alvino and that stack of chairs. He also played an archtop with some amazing licks. It was a thrill to see all the greats at Scottys Convention.

[Joachim Kettner]

Thanks Frank for taking the picture of the Design with my surname. Although it sounds pretty common it is not very widespread. Funny fact is in the making of Hughes And Kettner amps there is no auch person involved.
Kumpel... haven't heard this word for some time.

[Frank Freniere]

Coda: My mind is absolutely blown and devastated by the Los Angeles wildfires. I sincerely hope that everyone and their loved ones there are safe despite the tragic loss of property.

[Joe A. Roberts]

Is that Alveno Rey's bar on top of the strings there? Did he really use a Stevens bar?