The Steel Guitar Forum

Is the logo from a Shobud seat?

Another good point, John. Larry, those are not the proper logos on the front apron which leads me to wonder if the guitar has also been refinished at some point. It appears to be an unusual color for a Super Pro to my knowledge.

thanks for all the input , sure appreciate any input anyone has on this guitar. It appears that it was a very early model. Maybe one of the guys at the sho bud factory was following in the foot steps of Johnny Cash and planning to write a song about his sho bud and how he built it one piece at a time. It sure is nice and although it may have some peculiarities from a standard assembly it seems like it has enough of the real stuff to make it a worthwhile piece of equipment to play some music on. Larry

"it seems like it has enough of the real stuff to make it a worthwhile piece of equipment to play some music on."

Oh! Abdo'lutely!

How does it play? How does it sound? That's what is important. I don't believe it is an "early model". If it is in fact a Super~Pro, that was the last model Sho~Bud made prior to their demise (or more aptly, purchased by the Gretsch company). And, it really does look like a Super~Pro undercarriage. I can't say for sure about the top of the guitar though. It looks like a lot of after market work. My Super~Pro had wood necks.

Barry... Doesn't your Super~Pro have wood necks? When I used to set up next to you at the Cowtown jams, I thought your guitar was the twin sister to mine, even though yours sounded a whole lot better than mine

If you look at the pedals note they're the narrow ones,also Pot metal knee levers Sho bud only started this in late 79 I think then of course went out of business in 1984 so this has to be a 79 to 84 model,the logo could be one someone had laying around or got from Sho Bud or a dealer,it does look like a super pro though or the Professional....didn't they make one called that?

It's definitely a Super Pro--the deep front apron, end plates with no external screws, relative height of the decks, and the undercarriage with pot metal parts and six knee levers prove that. Clearly a refinish, from the absence of a "Super Pro" decal, and the Sho-Bud logo which I think definitely came from a Pak-a-Seat. I'd say the relative lack of birdseye figure in the front apron wood suggests the original finish was black, which would also explain the absence of inlay on the wood neck (my black wood-neck Super Pro has no neck inlay), if the wood neck is original--but what is that between the fretboard and the changer?

Also, as someone else pointed out, the changer housings are rounded at the top, whereas the Super Pros I've seen have flattened off tops on the housings. Seems like that may mean it was a very early Super Pro.

My SP has wood necks. At the time I bought mine, I wasn't aware that metal necks for this guitar were even available. Inlay on the wood necks must have also been an option, as all the SPs I've seen didn't have any, not even Moon's. About the the changers - all I've seen have been the rounded ones. I don't know which are older, rounded or flat, but I bought my SP in '79 and it has rounded ones. Did it just depend on what Sho-Bud had in it's grab bag when it built one? Richard, do you still have your SP?