The Steel Guitar Forum

So does that mean that Miguel still gets to call Buddy "Daddy"?

Steve Hitsman wrote:http://pagesix.com/2014/08/21/grateful-dead-guitarist-reunited-with-prized-guitar-after-robbery/?_ga=1.126017743.332766257.1408710102

Really happy for Buddy, but why is a 1980s David Bowie standing behind Buddy's steel?

Buddy,
You've been lately on my mind!
Glad you got 'er back!
Pete B.

...How he's gonna drive like that, is not too clear to me!

The guys who got it back. L to R retired Det. Bob Geis, Buddy, Det. John McAuliffe. they delivered it to him in front of the 9th precinct.




as Buddy says, a fine day for the NYPD and the NRPS.


JB

Buddy looks fantastic. What a great pic JB. Gonna see him this September, after Scotty's!

He looks ecstatic, which he is. He's only now getting back to some degree of normal after the leukemia.

Is the body of the guitar all wood(no formica)? I like the matching finish on the pedal bar. I'm really glad he got his guitar back. Speaking of backs, just looking at that guitar makes my back hurt.

What a great thread. Buddy is my favorite player
That steel reminds me of the story of Ulysses' bow

Richard Sinkler wrote:Is the body of the guitar all wood(no formica)? I like the matching finish on the pedal bar. I'm really glad he got his guitar back. Speaking of backs, just looking at that guitar makes my back hurt.

Richard,

I have played this guitar, a few times. I am almost positive it's all wood. At least, not mica

Jon Light wrote:So does that mean that Miguel still gets to call Buddy "Daddy"?

Jon, you're so right--that's total BS. He got backed into a corner and got lucky that the only thing the detectives wanted was the guitar back.

I'm very happy for Buddy.

John Scanlon wrote:

Steve Hitsman wrote:http://pagesix.com/2014/08/21/grateful-dead-guitarist-reunited-with-prized-guitar-after-robbery/?_ga=1.126017743.332766257.1408710102

Really happy for Buddy, but why is a 1980s David Bowie standing behind Buddy's steel?

Oh, leukemia. Don't I feel like a heel. No offense intended.

Still genuinely happy for him. Nice Hilt.

Richard Sinkler wrote:Is the body of the guitar all wood(no formica)? I like the matching finish on the pedal bar. I'm really glad he got his guitar back. Speaking of backs, just looking at that guitar makes my back hurt.

The body is just like all SlimLine Dekleys. They were solid maple decks with extruded aluminum frames. The top was covered in either Formica or finished wood veneers, and the sides, ends, and pedal bar had inserts of the same material. My H&S Custom Signature model and Buddy's also have decorative wood inlays in those veneers.

It's all wood. I talked to Larry Hilt extensively about it at one point for an interview. And don't worry about it John!. He does look a little like Bowie doesn't he?


He will find that humorous.

Buddy says that beyond the 12 year old strings, it's in remarkably good shape.

JB

Thanks, JB.

In honor of this occasion, I share my favorite recorded solo of his. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aoq-aJE6Jd4#t=136

12 year old strings... Heck, they're good as new.

JB Arnold wrote:It's all wood. I talked to Larry Hilt extensively about it at one point for an interview. And don't worry about it John!. He does look a little like Bowie doesn't he?


He will find that humorous.

Buddy says that beyond the 12 year old strings, it's in remarkably good shape.

JB

Sorry JB, it has a wood top and metal frame, as I said earlier. Here are the undercarriage pictures that I saved from the eBay auction. BTW, the black box at the tuner end is a battery box for a light that Larry came up with to light up the tuning nuts on dark stages. You can see the toggle switch for it beside the RKR.

How does he play all those knee levers? Does he just lower the ones into position that he intends to use based on which neck he's using? I see from the photo that he's not gifted with additional legs.

Hi Jim


right-but i meant just that its not mica. I Didn't even think about the framing. should have though i got a good enough look at it once when he needed help with the pickup switch at dick Meis' place.

somewhere i have the copedant for that axe. its archived on here somewhere as well.

JB

I had a chance to talk with Buddy on Friday. He is pretty happy. He said that he has ordered new pickups and strings to install before he puts the steel back to work. I asked him how many knee levers he has on that Hilt guitar and I am pretty sure he said 14! I couldn't believe it and he told me that they are set up as Jimmy Crawford did with his "Crawford Clusters". I don't know if this answers anyone's questions on how he is able to play all of those levers.

Yeah it's 14. Wish I could find that copedant chart. He does have the Crawford Cluster.

JB

That guitar is 100% Dekley, where did HILT come from?

Jim could tell that story......

Much thanks to DJ Rupert who is way more organized than I.




JB

This is the kind of thing that happens in life that renews the human spirit. It sounds like Buddy is newly inspired in finding this long lost friend. There is a LOT of vibe on that guitar. I am purposely going to seek seeing Buddy play this guitar again. Thank goodness that fate brought this instrument back to him. Bravo Buddy. You're one of a kind and a classic.

Kevin Hatton wrote:This is the kind of thing that happens in life that renews the human spirit. It sounds like Buddy is newly inspired in finding this long lost friend. I saw him play that guitar a in the early 70's when he first joined the band. There is a LOT of vibe on that guitar. I am purposely going to seek seeing Buddy play this guitar again. Thank goodness that fate brought this instrument back to him. Bravo Buddy. You're one of a kind and a classic.

In the early 70s, Buddy would have been playing a D-12 Emmons. We didn't start making the SlimLine Dekleys until 78 or 79, H&S Custom Signatures a little later, and Larry probably didn't build this guitar until 79 or 80.