The Steel Guitar Forum

Just wanted to say hi! I'm new to the forum. I started playing steel in 1974 and have played off and on for the last 30 years. Just think if I'd have practiced how good I'd be! Well I've had a ZB Custom D-10 8 + 2 for about 13-14 years. I'm revisiting the steel and have found out that many love the sound of the ZB! This has been a great way for me to get back into this wonderful instrument. I probably won't give up my guitar but I may leave it in the case a bit more.

Sorry.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Russ Tkac on 01 March 2005 at 01:38 AM.]</p></FONT>

************<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Russ Tkac on 01 March 2005 at 01:40 AM.]</p></FONT>

ZB #0203. <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Russ Tkac on 01 March 2005 at 01:42 AM.]</p></FONT>

I'd like to be the first to welcome all of the new Russes to the wonderful neverending ZB post. I find it amazing, though, that so many people with the same name live in the same town, and have the same thought and ZB. (Please excuse the poor humor Russ, I just couldn't resist.) Welcome for real. Just be sure to send Larry your serial number and you're a member.
Duncan

Thanks Duncan, It's nice to be here,here, here...You get the idea. Well, the darn page wouldn't update...what can I say. I've emailed Larry and Greg Jones as well as Dave Van Allen. I sent Dave a Rusty Young picture I got from his Pedal Steel book. Greg has some good ideas about adding two knee levers to the steel. I'd like to do that. I used a Day set up back in the 70's and this one has the Emmons set up. Both ways are ok with me. So I have to figure the two middle knees out. We'll see how that turns out.

All the best,
Russ

Welcome Russ. I can tell you from personal experience that Dave and Greg are wonderful folks. As far as I know, Larry is wonderful too, I just haven't had as much contact with himn as I have with Greg and Dave. Greg refurbished my beautiful blue D-10 and I love it to death. Everyone on this post can be of great help to you... well, maybe except for me. I'd love to be of help, but I'm a little, you know, inept.
Duncan

There is a pretty, at least it is pretty looking, ZB D-10/11 on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=621&item=7305292720&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW. It even has white fretboards. I just want someone to convince me that I don't need two ZB's.
Duncan

Well go for it! It's not a mid-60's though. Looks like 80's. I'll have Greg add some KL's to mine and I'll be on my way.

Russ

Hi Duncan:

Very interesting ZB there on Ebay. The lack of horns on the keyhead and on the changer mounting tell me it's definitely not a 1960s, more like a late 70s or maybe even early 80s? What I'm curious about is the white/finish necks. Does anyone know why the necks are painted white on only the top 5-7 fretlines?

My 1967 ZB-D-10 has white necks on a brown (green) body. It's definitely easier to see everything with the white necks (and white fretboards). I'm puzzled by the partial white necks on this one, though...

ZBest,
LC

------------------
Larry Chung
'67 ZB D-10 8+4 (ser. #1077)
'69 ZB S-10 3+4 (ser. #0124)
'70 ZB D-10 8+4 (ser.# 0215)
'71 ZB Custom S-11 4+4 (ser. #0252)

Hey Larry,
The owner of the ZB on ebay says the following: "Mid 60s ZB Custom steel guitar, Serial Number 0822."

I don't know if that is a clue to the year. I believe that it may be a later date than the mid- 60's I've only seen two others without the horns. One was owned by George King, and sold to a gentle man in Australia, and the other, a real beauty, is owned by Steve Takacs. The one on ebay sure looks pretty, though.

Duncan

It's that time of year. Maybe it shed its horns.

Mine is a 68 and it is 0008. That certainly is a lot newer than that.

I played a local telethon this weekend with
my new/old D10 ZB I got from Bobbe a month ago. She is the one. Serial# 1067 8&4 Scranton logo and some really gorgeous maple.
I now have a D10 8&5 Blue sunburst apron and
maple top for sale. Serial# 0191 ZB custom
logo. She will make someone a great guitar.
Email me for pics and price.

Hey, Webb. Mine's 0009. It's that famous one.

I don't think I've read all 15 pages of posts, so maybe this has been covered, but how many ZBs had the funny turnbuckles on the pedal rods that weren't turnbuckles at all because both sides had right-handed threads?

Sounds like someone went to the hardware store and bought some ready-rod couplers. My 1969 D10 has genunine right-hand, left-hand turnbuckles.

Hello Chuck, you old ZB magnet, you. I'm really happy to hear that the ZB you got from Bobbe is "the one". I'd love to see a couple of pictures of your blue ZB that you are considering selling. I'm not interested in buying it, I hope, but I want to see if it is a twin of mine, serial# 0127. I have a file full of ZB pictures, but don't remember whose is whose. I'll send you some of mine as soon as my beautiful and technically adept wife takes a few. How's the restoration of the U-12 going?
Update...looks like Bobbe has another one, http://www.steelguitar.net/others4.html
Duncan<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Duncan Hodge on 09 March 2005 at 07:52 PM.]</p></FONT>

OK, I've once again moved my attention back from my push/pull to my ZB. It's such an amazing sounding and feeling guitar. There are two reasons that I tend to drift away from it and I think they can both be remedied. First, the pickup is horribly microphonic and you can hear every click, tap, and fart thru it. I need to pull it out and pot it in wax.

The other issue is that the right pair of knee levers are just too far left. I need the levers to go another 3 inches to the right but that puts RKR under the changer. How is this handled? Do I put a second shaft across there and run a rod back to the left and do a sort of double turnbuckle thingamabob? If I've already moved the RKL lever to the right, but they really both need to shift about 3" to the right. The drilling and stuff is easy, it's the mechanical linkage that I'm wondering about. The RKL can still be normal, just with shorter rods. But the RKR must need some kind of linkage to pull it off. Anyone???

Brad Sarno

Brad- it's probably possible to create a mechanism that will do that, but IMO it would add unnecessary complexity to an already idiosyncratically complex machine;

having said that, when I had my ZB refurbed, I had Greg move my RKR a small amount to the right, but not so far as to require special linkages...and I think my RKL stayed where it was, so I still sit farther to the left at the ZB than at my Zum, and I adjust accordingly (I move my volume pedal left about 1.5 inches closer to my pedals). But I am a tall & wide guy so the reach twixt RKL and RKR ain't a problem for me


I think it's probably better to accept the instrument for what it is than to tinker with it much.

just my opinion

Dave, I can relate to that. I'l tell you guys a story. I've owned a black Emmons push/pull. Great tone, but it played like an Emmons push/pull. It had its own playing characteristics different from a Mullen, Carter, Zum or other easier playing guitars. I had the priveledge to own the very first Duane Marrs custom shop Professional Sho-Bud conversion. It was a monster guitar for tone, looks, and playability. I also owned a custom shop Sho-Bud that was built for Lloyd Green. These guitars were reaking with tone, looks and playability. They were collector's pieces. Then I got into the ZB Custom sound. I got my ZB D-10. It did not play well when I got it. The string spacing is narrower then a Sho-Bud. The guitar was even bigger than a big bodied Sho-Bud. The knee levers I had replaced with adjustable knees from Jerry Fessenden, but they were still widely spaced. The ZB sounded just like I wanted. The Tom Brumley sound. You know what I did? I sold $5000.00 worth of Sho-Buds and never looked back. Why? Because it FORCED me to adjust to the ZB ergonomically, and I'm not sorry. When I sold the Sho-Buds some of my friends told me that I was crazy. One of those friends saw me playing the ZB at a job. He was a dyed in the wood Sho-Bud fanatic. What did he do? He freaked on the tone that I was getting and the looks of the ZB and asked me to help him get one. That was a year ago and this friend calls me every month thanking me for finding him his ZB D-10 and raves about the tone and the looks. He got rid of his Sho-Bud. Thats the effect that ZB guitars have on the people that love them. Tommy Hannum told me this a long time ago. When you find the guitar that talks to you and inspires you you will adjust to playing that guitar no matter what the action is. I honestly don't think that I will EVER play another brand of guitar again besides a ZB. I have a 68 coming out of restoration and a NEW one being finished from new old stock parts. I am so tuned into playing the ZB's now that when I sit behind a modern steel they seem like tin tinker toys in comparison. I do find the ZB very similar to the Emmons push/pull in mind set when playing. I have learned to play the guitar and not let the guitar play me. The ZB Custom sound is something that I searched for a long time. No mechanical limitation would ever stop me from playing them short of something major. My green D-10 is smooth, accurate, and has no cabinet drop on the E's. All pulls are accurate. They are such a cool guitar.<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Kevin Hatton on 11 March 2005 at 08:21 AM.]</p></FONT>

I have a 1970-71 D10+2 that I will have a few KL's added to. The guitar stays in tune and sounds great. I just wish I could do it justice.





Greg, Let me know when you can fit me in?

Larry, you still out there? Did you get the pictures I sent?

Russ

After getting my '73 S-10 ZB tweaked a bit, it's a very smooth and precise feeling guitar. It stays in tune quite well. The pedals and levers feel great. The ZB's are a bit idiosyncratic, but really when dialed and equalized properly, they hold up with the best of them, IMHO. I mainly play my push/pull, but every time I hear something I recorded with the ZB or when I sit down at it, I'm reminded at how very great it sounds. It's a very dynamic, expressive and velvety sound. I'm going to get it a bit more ergonomically set up without going nuts, and I may have Jerry rewind it to remove the microphonics. I wouldn't at all be surprised if it becomes my #1 horn. Also, at gigs, people love to look at the ZB and all that flamed maple.

Brad Sarno

I took the D-10 1969 ZB out for the first time in months since I got the Kline. It sounded KILLER throught the Webb. I got to turn it up and let that baby sing. I ended up using the hottest setting on the coil tap which is different for me since I almost always used the middle position before. It stayed in tune almost as well as the Kline. If only I can find a S-11 or S-12 so I would tweak by back every time.

Just another ZB rant.

Dave Z

I am going to be doing my first CD project using the ZB in the next sixty days. I will post clips.

Dave, given the similar mechanisms of the Kline and ZB, do the instruments sound similar? Just curious.