The Steel Guitar Forum

In 1976, I was playing steel for a band leader in NJ who said he had a friend in Texas who was selling a single 12 steel ... he didn't really know much about the steel but the friend was only asking about $250, so I bought it. It was a Blanton with 4 pedals and 3 knee levers. An interesting axe: it had volume and tone controls, a three position switch for different tones (it looked like a telecaster switch); and a built-in volume pedal! Also, if I remember correctly, it had a small piece of metal with three indentations -- I'm pretty sure this was designed as a cigarette holder!

I actually still own it -- it's in the basement of my parents' house back East. One of these days, I have to ship it out and explore the old guy. I just remember it weighed a ton. It's great to read more about these instruments on the Forum.

Boo

Great story Boo! I'll bet it's a beauty.

Jerry sent mine up to NY via Greyhound because it was over the weight limit allowed by UPS (80 lbs). Worked out good and made me glad that it didn't have to go on a conveyor-belt.

Bob,Mine wasn't the one that was for sale,I think Jerry put the holes in the frame to try and cut down on the weight?I've never owned a guitar that played better than a Blanton,I've got some records that I've played on over the years with my Blanton and the guitar has a very unique tone somewhere between an Emmons and a Fender?I miss the days hanging out at Jerry's shop,social club?Jerry is the greatest.Brooklyn huh?I was born there.

Bob,I have more pics I have to do some digging.Stu

I bought an S10 Custom in 1969, cost $385.00 with 3&4. Bought a D10-8&4 in 1969 and sold the S10 to Randy Reinhard. In about 1985 I was on the phone in Jerrys shop with my back to him as he was switching between one of his custom guitars and a hybrid that he built with just a wooden cabinet mounted on a metal frame. Everything else was Blanton. I noticed that one guitar sounded better than the other, so when he played the better sounding one, I turned to see that it was the hybrid. I told him I wanted to buy it but he said it was not for sale. He was just experimenting with it. A few months later he called me to come get it. I played that guitar till 2001 when I retired from SAFD. I started getting serious about playing and bought several guitars looking for the sound that Randy R. and Rick Price and others were getting. I've learned since that I should have been looking at amps, cause the guitar sounds just fine.
As for tuning the pulls, I've owned a Millennium, a PP, two Zums, a Rains, and a couple I don't remember, and it's a lot easier to reach under the guitar with your left hand while hitting the string with your right hand than to cross over to the right end of the guitar with left hand and wrench to tune. IMHO.
Al

Al,Yep the easiest guitar eve to tune.

Hey, Bob -- That's really funny. Mine was shipped by Greyhound as well.

I'm now very curious to get that guitar out of storage and see what it's all about. I remember there were some mechanical issues so I'm sure I'll be back here asking questions at some point. Thanks, Boo

A couple more pics of my D-12 including one of the piece that might be the essence of Jerry's brilliant design: The Blanton Bell-Crank!

Boo-

Dig that baby out and show it to us!

All of us who've been around Austin/San Antonio for years have Jerry Blanton stories. Here's two of mine...

I was playing at a party in SA with a cover band I was in back in the 80's called Texas Fever, probably before 1983 because I was playing my Sho~Bud. While setting up the guitar I realized the coil-tap switch on the E9 pickup had broken, and with no soldering iron handy, the E9 was dead. So I had to play everything that night on C6. Lemme tell ya, a lot of pop country stuff back then required E9, and I was having a hard time. Then, Jerry and George Chambers walked in. Jerry walked right over and said, "yeah, man. Show'em who's boss!! Screw that E9 sh!t." Let's say I didn't share his enthusiasm.

Cut to 1995, the Cabaret Club in Bandera TX. I'm playing with Johnny Bush and again, Jerry and George walk in. On break, Jerry says "Hey Herb, listen... I've got a great idea for a guitar I'm gonna build... solid oak!" I told him that it was an unusual choice of wood, but might sound good. Was he gonna put in one of his undercarriages? He said "oh, no man. The undercarriage and changer are gonna be oak also. It's gonna be entirely oak." It was then I began to wonder about ol' Jerry . I think I asked him if he was gonna carve it out of a solid block of wood, like the guys that carve the ball-in-a-cage-on-a-chain things, but I don't recall his answer.

He wrote some good songs, too. Willie Nelson cut one back in the 60's for RCA entitled "San Antonio."

Jerry is one of the true Texas originals. I dig him the most.

Gentlemen (and Ladies if there are any out there in the Forum), I give you Blanton # 1047822. Let me know what you think.

I have the first guitar Jerry Blanton made. It is a 1964 guitar.
It is blue leather dye on mahogany. Jerry used a 16 ga cold rolled steel frame that he sent out to have bent. Jerry did the welding. Sent out the chroming job.
Hugely massive keyheads were originally designed to have changers in the keyhead. But, Jerry never did machine a cut out for the changer at the keyhead, so the mass remains.
The necks have steel rods running inside the hollow casting to try to limit thermal expansion and contraction.
Jerry made the guitar for a customer back in 1964 and took it back in trade years later and made it his personal guitar. Jerry turned the D-10 into a loafer, but I have the removed parts.
The guitar is in storage, but I can get it out and take photos.

Please Chris, do so.

Jerry is a man whom I have acquired a huge amount of respect for. I have been fortunate enough to chat with him on the phone now and then. I learn something every time I call.