Tommy Cass

Bill Simmons · Post by **Bill Simmons** » 16 Mar 2006 10:16 am

Tommy is not only a terrific steel player, but one of the top people anywhere for steel repairs and restoring steels to 'better than new condition! I have many dear friends such as Bud Carter, Johnny Cox, Mike Cass, Gary Carpenter, Bob Simmons, Steve Lamb etc, who are masters at repairing steels, but I have to add Tommy Cass to this greatlist.

I bought a '68 Emmons that was just unbelieveable how great he restored this classic steel. Recently he went the '100th mile' in helping me secure back my '79 Zum and then did an incredible job in changing it back to my copendent. He is a class guy who will help you beyond what you'd expect. All I can say is if you need your steel repaired or to buy a steel -- call Tommy Cass @978.939.1255 or email him at tommycass@comcast.net

I'd be happy to email the pics of the '68 Emmons he restored.

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 17 Mar 2006 3:04 am

I can second this,
he did a great job on my Pro-II,
and on John Davis's two PP's now in England.

Also Tommy is the 1st person to sit me down at a PSG,
and I will never forget him for that fact alone!
And he is a fine player, yet quite modest about his chops.

David Yannuzzi · Post by **David Yannuzzi** » 17 Mar 2006 3:42 pm

I'll second that

He is a great guy,great player that does Amazing Repair/Restoration work.

He has always been helpful and encouraging and has always taken the time to help me when I have an issue or question.

I got my 68 Push/Pull from him .I sent it to him a couple of weeks back and it came back looking great and playing like new.

-Dave

[This message was edited by David Yannuzzi on 17 March 2006 at 03:45 PM.]

John Kalament · Post by **John Kalament** » 18 Mar 2006 4:58 pm

Hi Bill,
You guy's are right on the money with Tommy!!! He's a great guy and the (Best) in my opionion on repair's and total rebuilding work.
Bill, Tommy will be doing some tweeking for me on your old 78 Emmons D-10 in the near future. I just missed meeting you in Dallas but I did sit next to your friend Autry and he told me he had played that Emmons many years ago. We had a front row seat which was great for a while and then it became a little loud sitting in front of that huge sound system.
John

JB Arnold · Post by **JB Arnold** » 19 Mar 2006 9:49 am

I was just talking to Buddy Cage about this last night, and I can add his hearty endorsement here as well. His recent experiences have made him a huge Tommy Cass fan.

JB

------------------
Fulawka D-10 9&5
Fessenden D-10 8&8
"All in all, looking back, I'd have to say the best advice anyone ever gave me was 'Hands Up, Don't Move!"

"Your first mistake was listening to your wife instead of your steel instructor." (H.Steiner)
www.johnbarnold.com/pedalsteel
www.buddycage.net

http://www.nrpsmusic.com/index.html

Paul King · Post by **Paul King** » 19 Mar 2006 3:20 pm

I have only seen pictures of steels Tommy Cass has reconditioned and they looked great. I understand he is a great player and individual as well. I do know Bill Simmons personally and when he speaks about the steel guitar specialists he knows what he is talking about. And Bill is a teriffic person and player as well.

Henry Nagle · Post by **Henry Nagle** » 19 Mar 2006 8:50 pm

I had Tommy rebuild a guitar for me recently and I was very happy with his work. Very clean job!

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 19 Mar 2006 11:25 pm

I have known Tom for over 20 years and he’s done a lot of work for me in the past, including a complete restoration of my Emmons D-10 back in 1988. His work is fabulous! His guitars look much better than they did when they were factory new.

Fortunately I’m only an hour away from Tom, so about once a year I drive over there and have Tom go through my guitar and tweak it. We end up "talking steel" and swapping stories, and before I know it 4 hours have passed! Tom is totally dedicated to the pedal steel guitar, full time repairs, sales, and restorations. He takes great pride in his work and his work is meticulous! He cares about quality and he wants the customer to be happy.

I am taking the liberty of posting a few pictures of Tom’s work here. These guitars may now belong to Steel Forum members, I’m not sure. The sparkling undercarriage is a good example of Tom’s incredibly detailed hand work. Every part individually polished to a mirror finish, new flocking, etc.

Feast your eyes on these!

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[This message was edited by Doug Beaumier on 19 March 2006 at 11:27 PM.]

Ron Shepard · Post by **Ron Shepard** » 20 Mar 2006 5:53 pm

Tom Has done work for me as well. He does top notch work, great guy to be around, I'll be calling him again for work on my Sho Bud
pro 1.

Bobby Boggs · Post by **Bobby Boggs** » 20 Mar 2006 6:21 pm

Unreal!!!!

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 20 Mar 2006 6:30 pm

That Emmons is amazing!

Those photos remind me of looking at a custom car magazine-or if you're old enough to remember-the cover to the Beach Boys "Little Deuce Coupe" album.

That guitar has the decked out, custom car look.

------------------
Mark

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 20 Mar 2006 9:18 pm

Yes, lots of polish and attention to detail. These guitars are beyond clean... they're radiant!

A picture is worth 1000 words, sometimes more.

------------------
My Site | My SteelTab

John Davis · Post by **John Davis** » 21 Mar 2006 2:56 am

No way I could let this thread go by without adding my name to the list Tommy Cass is "THE BEST" there is at what he does.
In order of importance to me in the USA today the list would go something like this........
Buddy Emmons,
Tommy Cass,
Then the next 25 best steelers in the USof A
Possibly Jerry Fessendon for being able to eat "Hot" food,
Then Geoge W.Bush
then????
Then????

Bill I hope your glad you got your Zum Back
I really enjoyed having it for a while, it is a great little guitar............

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 21 Mar 2006 6:53 am

OK, I'm on the fan club list, too. Big time.

I met Tommy in 1972. I had just bought a Fender 400 from Al Eyles and he steered me to Tommy for some lessons. He asked me pretty quick if I was really serious about being a player, and if I was, I needed a real guitar. So he got me into a 1970 fatback Emmons that was at Al's place, made 5 knee levers for it (it had none), and away I went. I still own that guitar.

I recently got to see Tommy for the first time since 1975 at the Mesa show in January. We had a blast (though he gets a little weird around ironing boards

), and he's every bit the same guy I remember.

After I got home from Mesa, I started thinking about the influence he had on me, and I realized there were three fairly profound instances in my career that he affected. First, he got me started playing (that's a big one)--second, he introduced me to Jimmie Crawford in 1973, who became a lifelong friend and mentor to me--and third, he was the reason I got hooked up with Jerry Fessenden, whose guitars are my final choice for the remainder of my playing the instrument, and who also has become a lifelong friend.

So yeah, put me on the Tommy Cass fan club list

...

Oh yeah, his Emmons restorations are pretty good, too

...

Steve Dodson · Post by **Steve Dodson** » 21 Mar 2006 9:08 am

I don't think I've ever seen a New Emmons from the factory with a shine like those guitars. Great work!

John Davis · Post by **John Davis** » 22 Mar 2006 1:15 am

Thats got to be enough now!!! Tommy`s gonna have to get a bigger hat if Y`all keep on!!

John Davis · Post by **John Davis** » 22 Mar 2006 1:21 am

Hey Doug, that brown one now belongs to me

........well you can`t have too many can you????

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 22 Mar 2006 10:16 am

John, you're a lucky guy!

John Kalament · Post by **John Kalament** » 22 Mar 2006 1:11 pm

I wonder who own's the Black one now ?
John

Bill Simmons · Post by **Bill Simmons** » 22 Mar 2006 3:22 pm

The black Emmons is also my new friends -- John Davis!!!!! What a lucky fellow...

John Davis · Post by **John Davis** » 22 Mar 2006 9:51 pm

Bill the Black one does not belong to me

I just Fetched it for a friend of mine (Mark Dunn) He is a really good player and lives by the East coast here in the UK.
Tommy Cass`s work is well represented over here now

Though I don`t have a "Back" one myself.....I have left a vacant space in the front room for it, if any one wants to donate............:0

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 23 Mar 2006 1:44 am

John..
Redhead, Brunnette and Blondie!
You got all the basses covered don't you!

John Davis · Post by **John Davis** » 23 Mar 2006 7:31 am

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 23 Mar 2006 8:25 pm

Back in 1988 Tommy rebuilt my beat up D-10 Emmons. When I went to pick up the guitar I didn’t recognize it. I looked around the room gazing at the pedal steels for a few seconds until I realized which one was mine. It looked better than new! I know because I bought it new in 1978.

Tom had completely disassembled the guitar, including the changer, replaced worn parts, buffed all metal parts… and I mean All metal parts… to a mirror finish, new fretboards, new tuners, new flocking on the underside, new case hardened screws, new heavy duty springs, etc. I could see my reflection in the undercarriage!

It was a black D-10 just like the one above and the undercarriage looked exactly like the one above. I played that guitar on about 3500 gigs total, and wore it out completely, for the second time. Now I’m wishing I had kept it at home and used a beater for the gigs!

Tommy is The Man and I highly recommend him for any PSG repairs or restorations.

John Davis · Post by **John Davis** » 23 Mar 2006 11:00 pm

Doug, your post made me go back up and take a look at the underneath of that black one again..........it is stunning I still can`t get over it! and "Blondie" and that brown one just the same!When Tommy put that Black one on show at Rhode Island there was a crowd around it all evening.....reckon he could have sold it ten times over!!Time he takes on a guitar,I reckon he works for 10 Cents an hour!!