Trading Emmons D-10 for ShoBud D10. Anyone ever done that?

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Greg Cutshaw
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Post by Greg Cutshaw »

I traded a 1967 Emmons PP D-10 (original pickups) for a really nice burnt orange Sho-Bud BJV guitar built by Paul Franklin Sr. The mechanics on the Sho-Bud were just as solid as the Emmons PP and tone was about the same, thin and sterile! Thing is the Sho-Bud came with a Bill Lawrence pickup and just didn't have that vintage tone. I bought a used Sho-Bud LDG pickup, put it on the Sho-Bud's E9th and the guitar came to life. Room filling fat tone. All Sho-Buds are not built the same and with the wrong pickups any guitar can lose it's characteristic tone.

http://www.gregcutshaw.com/Sho-Bud/Sho-Bud.html

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Last edited by Greg Cutshaw on 12 May 2015 9:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
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chris ivey
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Post by chris ivey »

was that a 'big jim vest' guitar?
very pretty.
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Tom Quinn
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Post by Tom Quinn »

Wow, a "thin and sterile" '67 push pull. That's a rare guitar indeed, maybe one of a kind... -L-
I need an Emmons!
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Mike Wilkerson
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Post by Mike Wilkerson »

Never have heard a thin and sterile P/P Emmons especially the 1969 I owned
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Greg Cutshaw
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Post by Greg Cutshaw »

I never cared for the Emmons PP tone and I played a ton of them new and used. They recorded great but to my ears never had a full tone when played on a gig. I always liked Buddy Emmon's and Charlton's tone on their Sho-Buds a lot more than on their Emmon's guitars.

Yes this was the Big Jim Vest guitar that sat at the Exit Inn for many years. Bobby Seymour sold it to me for $1200 and gave me $975 in trade in for the 1967 PP. It was tax time and I guess he needed the money. I ebayed the BJV Sho-Bud when I got my new MSA Legrande....oops.. Legend.
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Bill Cunningham
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Post by Bill Cunningham »

Lane Gray wrote:I'd think a Moreheaded Fingertip would be about equal to a LeGrande in value.
And if you want Fingertip tone, you won't get it in the Emmons.
You should have been at the Phoenix show in 2014 and heard Jim Loessberg on his fingertip! Or maybe it's a permanent. Either way, he sounded like he always does. And I don't think anybody sounds more "push/pull" than Jim. But I'm biased since I get to be his bass player. :D :D
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Tom Gorr
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Post by Tom Gorr »

Yep....Jims tone at that show was the reason I bought a Bud....it was the only Sho bud I recall amongst all the Emmons...Zums and clones of these...but to my ears it sounded nothing at all like the Emmonsies I was hearing.

I got into a 1974 bud which is different from Loessbergs Shobud ....but still has a thick and meaty tone....some call full...the Emmons and Shobud have totally different tones and feels Imo...
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Justin Griffith
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Post by Justin Griffith »

I once traded a d-10 p/p for a Sho~Bud Professional. This particular guitar was one of the best sounding Buds I'd heard at the time.
I was very happy.
I have other "Emmonses", but that was a pretty special Bud I traded for.

I did finally let the Bud go after finding a Wraparound and the Best sounding Blanton that I have heard.

Loessberg's Bud is a Perm. I truly can say that Jim's Bud is the hands down best sounding guitar I have ever played. He brought it by for me to work on and I spend about 6 hours "testing" it. That is a really, really special guitar!

If he ever lets it go, I'll do whatever it takes to own it.

Nathan Flemming has Dave Billers old Perm. It's another tone monster.
Last edited by Justin Griffith on 17 May 2015 4:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
Emmons/Sho~Bud/Blanton, Fender/Peavey.
Telonics pedal
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Tom Quinn
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Post by Tom Quinn »

Daniel "Fred" Jones had a Professional when he was teaching at Blue Bear Music in the '70s that killed it, it was so much better than my own Professional. He played it for years until he got a modern axe. Wish I knew where it ended up.
I need an Emmons!
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Tony Glassman
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Post by Tony Glassman »

Getting back to the trade:

In the world of steel guitar, anything goes....because what the ears want what, the ears get!
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chris ivey
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Post by chris ivey »

if the music is good, we will listen.
Jimmie Miller
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trading Emmons D10 for Sho Bud D10

Post by Jimmie Miller »

My Grandpa said, a good deal is when the person that bought it is satisfied with what he paid for it, and the person that sold it is satisfied with what he got for it. It really doesn't matter what anybody else thinks.
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Don Sulesky
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Post by Don Sulesky »

I traded my ShoBud SuperPro to Bobbe Seymour for an Emmons Legrande II in 1999 plus cash.
Four years later I missed the ShoBud SuperPro and found one on Ebay at a Seattle store.
I bought it and brought it back to snuff after a complete overhaul in a month's time.
Now I have the best of both plus my 007 Weenick.
I would not trade either one today.
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Henry Matthews
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Post by Henry Matthews »

I think the trade was very even with no gain or loss on either side. The LeGrand may bring a few more bucks now rather than the fingertip and maybe not but what about on down the line. Fingertips are rare, especially ones that are in good shape and not butchered. I know Jake personally and he loves the vintage look and sound which the fingertip provides.
The really nice thing about the whole deal is that he's gonna bring it over and I'm going to get to play it, :D
Henry Matthews

D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
D-10 1974 Emmons cut tail, fat back,rosewood, 8&5
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Erv Niehaus
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Post by Erv Niehaus »

The reason Fingertips are rare is because most of them wound up as boat anchors.
I never could keep it in in tune.
Al Udeen was a Sho~Bud rep. at the time and he wound up with the guitar and he had the same experience.
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Don Sulesky
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Post by Don Sulesky »

Erv
You are so right.
I worked on a FingerTip about 10 years ago for a student.
I thought it was junk and yes very hard to keep in tune, if at all.
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Erv Niehaus
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Post by Erv Niehaus »

Don,
I'm glad you agree.
If you like tuning between every song, then the Fingertip is the guitar for you. :whoa:
Andy Eder
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Post by Andy Eder »

No doubt they are pretty guitars, but I have to agree with Erv. I've never heard anyone say they stayed in tune very long. They had a bad rep among all the steel players I've known. My Push-Pulls don't have that problem and no doubt they sound fabulous. No doubt Old Buds have a great sound but how long will it stay in tune?
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Mike Wilkerson
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Post by Mike Wilkerson »

Andy I had a 69 P/P up till about 2010 that lost its life when my dads house burned down anyway the group I was playing with we did a southern tour from Texas to Alabama and all points in between I realized as soon as we crossed the red river I left my allen tuning wrench on my work bench in my music room.5 weeks and bunch of shows the ole girl never lost her tuning other than a tweak of the tuning key.Probably by far the best tone ans smoothest guitar I ever owned anyway on topic every one I ever was around here in Oklahoma said the same thing that has been said about the finger tip awesome tone but be expected to spend alot of time tuning
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Tom Gorr
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Post by Tom Gorr »

The first job is to identify why it goes out of time. .... the next job is to remedy that problem. ... if possible. ...

A few of the barrels behind two hole pullers on my Bud are a bit loose fitting. .. so they can wander out of tune over a few days of playing. ... but thats not much of an issue to fix. ...someday. .. not urgent.
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Erv Niehaus
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Post by Erv Niehaus »

The reason it goes out of tune-----poor design! :whoa:
Tom Gorr
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Post by Tom Gorr »

What part or parts specifically?
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Erv Niehaus
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Post by Erv Niehaus »

The way it is designed with the "fingertip" nuts on the end of the guitar. Every time you actuate the changer and the acorn nuts bump the end plate, they unscrew a little. It doesn't take long and you're out of tune.
If you've ever owned one, you know what I'm talking about.
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Henry Matthews
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Post by Henry Matthews »

Locktite???
Henry Matthews

D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
D-10 1974 Emmons cut tail, fat back,rosewood, 8&5
Nashville 112 amp, Fishman Loudbox Performer amp, Hilton pedal, Goodrich pedal,BJS bar, Kyser picks, Live steel Strings. No effects, doodads or stomp boxes.
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Erv Niehaus
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Post by Erv Niehaus »

How are you going to tune it then? :whoa:
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