The Steel Guitar Forum

It is well known Byrd was very particular about the specifics on his guitars. Does any body know what his preferred pickup windings were? How were the pickups on his Fender and Sho-Bud wound?

Also, which guitar would he have played on Admirable Byrd?

Thanks!

CS

I'd suggest you contact "Scotty" in St.Louis. He was about as close to Jerry Byrd as anyone could get.
He got the Sho-Bud.......

Let us know if you find out!

Here's a video of L.T. Zinn playing the JB Fender. The guitar's current owner and forumite HowardR brought it to the 2006 HSGA Joliet Convention and let anyone who wanted to try it, try it!.

Howard makes an appearance at the end of the clip.

L.T. demos the JB

Chris, Im pretty sure he played the custom Fender guitar on Admirable Byrd.
I saw that guitar at the Fullerton museam, it had a stock 8 pole jaguar PU on it and, a ten string tuning pan, there were no tuners in the 1st and, tenth positions, I beleive he wanted more distance after the nut for sustain.
I bet Howard would measure the DC resistance for us, that way you figure out if it is stock.
Im sure I read somewhere, he only used the guitar for that one project?.
Lee

"Your tone is way too treble for my ears. I think you need to take about half the turns off the coil if you're making one for me."

Jerry Byrd to Don Randall

Interesting how under LT's hands, that Fender just sounds like HIS guitar...


... J-D.

Lee Jeffriess wrote: ... there were no tuners in the 1st and, tenth positions, I beleive he wanted more distance after the nut for sustain.

That's interesting Lee, can someone explain how a longer distance after the nut can increase sustain?

How about the distance after (or should I say before?) the bridge?

I'm wondering if I should redesign the headstock of a lapsteel I have on the drawing board.

Keith, Im pretty sure thats what I saw that day and, I later read that the distance from the nut to the first two tuner's on fender steel's was one of Jerry's beef's and, Howard's guitar was there attempt at getting him on board as an endorser? and, yes the same principle apply's at the bridge end, maybe more so?.
Lee

Ray Montee wrote:I'd suggest you contact "Scotty" in St.Louis. He was about as close to Jerry Byrd as anyone could get.
He got the Sho-Bud.......

Is that the one Jerry threatened to throw into the river, at which point the guitar suddenly changed its tone ?

I earlier read somewhere here on the SGF that the extra room where the 1st and 10th tuners would be was so Jerry could have more room for his hand to slide behind the nut to play in one of his favorite keys. Think... Steelin' the Blues. Can you C it sharp now

Removing half the coil from the P/U would reduce the ‘lower’ frequencies, not the upper! I think the winding would be or was increased from about 9,000 0hms to at least 18,000 0hms. I believe the Sho-Bud is wound at 22,000 0hms and then, according to Geo. Lewis he had an additional switch & cap. added to the tone-control, for more tone~variations. Apparently Sho-Bud gave Jerry what he wanted, because; he used that guitar for many years! I know Sho-Bud made at least one copy of the 8 & 7 Sho-Bud, because; I was at the store on Broadway the day it was finished and no one knew what tunings he used, so; I had the privilage of stringing the guitar so that they could pack and ship it to Jerry!

ooops....sorry....