Shot's strings

Darryl Hattenhauer · From: Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Does anybody know what type of strings Shot used on his sho-bro? I suspect that his design and sound were so different that he might have used an usual type of strings--maybe unusually heavy or unusually light, maybe round or completely flat, maybe nickle only or bronze only etc.

------------------
"Most people's favorite music is from the era before they got married." --Earnest Bovine

Eddie Cunningham · From: Massachusetts, USA

I really don't know what kind of strings he used but I think most dobro players use a heavier string and Shot , being from the "old school" probably had a heavy hand and played hard !! IMHO !! FWIW !!

------------------

Ric Nelson · From: Silver Spring, Maryland

In later years, Shot used strings on his 7-string ShoBro that he had made for and were sold by the ShoBud Company under that name.

The nickel strings were:

.014, .018, .024, .026, .038, .044, .050

Ric

John Bechtel · From: Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.

Well, here comes my trivia~ability again! (inside-joke) To the best of my knowledge Sho-Bud Labeled strings were mfg'd by the Squire String Co.

------------------
“Big John”
a.k.a. {Keoni Nui}
Current Equipment

c c johnson · From: killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.

thats correct John; and Ric, Shot used E7 tuning. CC

Frank Parish · From: Nashville,Tn. USA

I used to buy the Squire strings at Sho-Bud on Broadway and later from A J Nelson at Friedmans pawn shop. Also I bought the Pickers Choice strings that were made by Squire too. I think they were the same strings just different names. All the plain strings were .50. That was good for me because that old Sho-Bud I had wore strings out.

[This message was edited by Frank Parish on 21 December 2006 at 05:08 AM.]

Bryan Bradfield · From: Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.

c.c. -

The reference to E7 tuning is misleading in my opinion. I would rather call it a 7 string E tuning.

Although I've not seen a reference to it in years, I recall his tuning as being -

E G# B E G# B E (low to high).

If it were an E7 tuning, it would have contained a D string, and I don't think that it did.

[This message was edited by Bryan Bradfield on 21 December 2006 at 10:26 AM.]

c c johnson · From: killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.

Shot would change depending on the song. When he and I backed Donna Darlene he would always use the D strg, He did this with several others. When playing bluegrass which he very seldom did he would eliminate the D in order to get E Maj "high Bass" to get closer to the bluegrass sound. cc

c c johnson · From: killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.

this reminds me of another tale which some of you may be interested in. Back in 60, 61 ? when we needed an axe we had to wait 6 mos to a yr on sho-bud and emmons and if you wanted a bigsby you had to put a down payment which would buy you a place in line and the wait would be 1 to 3 yrs for delivery; I ordered a dbl 10 from Shot. He called me one day and said he had something new that he could put on my guitar as a third neck. It was a 16 strg neck tuned in octaves, sort of like a mandolin. He knew I was playing in a rock band at that time and that I used a Chordavox. He said it would sound just like a hammond organ. I said ok and it was the best organ sound I ever heard and I used it for three yrs until I quit the rock scene as I was not playing any steel for doing the organ sound. I traded it to Reece for my first MSA. Julian Tharpe liked this guitar and the organ sound but since the C6 and E9 necks only had 10 strgs he didn't buy it. The 16 strg neck was tuned to A6 in octaves. People who knew me back then have asked what happened to that guitar and I don't know. It weighed a ton.Shot later told me he never made another one. CC

Ric Nelson · From: Silver Spring, Maryland

CC:
I find it most interesting that you said Shot tuned his ShoBro to E7th when he was playing with Donna. That is a revelation to me since, when Shot and I met in 1957, he convinced me to change my dobro tuning to E. At the time he was playing steel with Roy Acuff, a double neck Fender, E9th and I guess C6th but for some reason, I keep thinking it was E9th and A, something or other. I just can’t remember. When he recorded on Hickory with Roy, playing the dobro around that time, that was in E.

When he built his second pedal ShoBro that he played on the Starday LP with Buddy and later on a session with Melba that had two pedals, I am fairly certain that he tuned it to E, but not absolutely sure.

And the session with the Osborne Brothers in 1957 was with E tuning as was the work he did with the Louvin Brothers in 1962-63. As you said, when he did Bluegrass, he dropped the D-tuned string.

It was about then that I burned out in the music business for the first time and I lost track of him until I resurfaced again in 1972.

Since I would say that, to tune a 7-string to E7th, one of the three E strings would have to be D. Do you recall which one it was; the 1st, 4th or 7th ? And to what advantage is there to tuning to E7th on a dobro? Did he ever give a reason or could you speculate?

I’ll have to listen closely to Donna’s material that I have on hand to see if I can here the 7th.

Thanks for the info.

Ric

[This message was edited by Ric Nelson on 24 December 2006 at 02:52 PM.]

c c johnson · From: killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.

I never asked shot why he would alternate between D and no D. I have played with a singer that liked the low 7th sound which was good sounding on my ped steel E9 tuning. Maybe Donna liked it. As I remember shot on some songs would change one strg and would do it fast. Must have had a good ear.There used to be quite a few dobro players that on certain songs would use the E7 in order to get a real good 7th that fit the song. All this probably hasn't helped a bit but my memory isn't as good as in younger days however what I have stated is corect. best wishes cc

c c johnson · From: killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.

Ric, I don't want to give the impression that I am an expert on Shot. He and I played together a max of 6 times. We did talk quite often in person and telecon. I remember that back before tuners were an everyday item I would tune the B and G# a ity bit flat.Not on purpose, just a tin ear. Shot would have me tune to his shobro. He would pick E B G# E D and then I would tune the other strgs to sound good with Shots stgs. Of course Shot would usually say touch up that F# a little bit, etc. I am not saying that Shot switched on and off on the D strg while playing with others however he did with me. see your email cc

c c johnson · From: killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.

Ric the email I sent you came back as "unavailable" Do you have a different one that the one shown on the forum? cc

Ric Nelson · From: Silver Spring, Maryland

CC:

my email is

shobro7@verizon.net

Next time I talk to Donna I have to remember to ask her about Shot's tunning.

Ric

Forum Index > Steel Without Pedals		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic

All times are GMT - 8 Hours	Jump to: