The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi Forum members,

In the past I know there have been posts before here about the ZB steel guitars but I am interested in learning more and here are some questions I have regarding the ZB steels. Any help appreciated!

1) I know some of you must still be playing your ZB steel guitars, and I'm curious how many are still playing them?

2) What and how many strings and pedals are on your ZB steels?

3) Who were some of the great steel players who played these steels?

Thanks and GOD bless!

Terry Wood

#3) Tom Brumley, Norm Hamlet for starters....

My first ZB in 73 was an S10 with 3 & 3

My current 73 ZBD10 has 8 & 5 (the vertical is an add on)


I play it "out" about 6 times a year when I get the urge to let it ride the Honky Tonk range again, or for a Recording date, otherwise It's set up at home and gets played several times a week

Among the most well known pickers of ZB's were:
Tom Brumley
Rusty Young
Norm Hamlet
Jerry Garcia
Al Perkins
Sonny Curtis
ZB catalog circa 1971 with more players listed

Sonny Curtis and Randy Beavers as well.

I sold all my Emmons and Sho-Bud guitars after turning on to them. I have a restored 68 D-10 and an SD-10. Best sounding/looking guitars for me ever made.

Lotsa other guys were ZB players too...

Greg Lasser
Gordon Huntley
Danny Shields
Ted Soleski
Ed Black
Wally Murphy
Mike Stewart
Jerry Boynton
Bob Leach

and one other guy...lets's see...what was his name...oh yeah, ZANE BECK.

Gimme awhile, I'll come up with more.

There's a picker in Norway who plays a ZB. A young fellow by the name of Dan Frøystad. I have a video of him playing at a jam with several other steels: Emmons, Zum and Sho-Bud.
The nice thing I noticed is that the ZB stands out with it's own particular sound. I heard the thing first , then I saw it...and there definitely WAS a difference in sound...to my ears a warmer, more authentic type of steel sound, whereas the other steels there tended to sound like the each other.

I wondered...was it the steel, the amp or the players hands?
Dan played very well, despite his young age(18 or 19) or MAYBE because of his young age, he dared to play with lots of authority and sensitivity. And that could have lots to do with the sound he produced.
Anyway, it was an eye-opener for me.

Okay, a few more...

Bobby Garrett
Don Jones
Gene O'Neal
Bud Hall
Jimmy Rice
Don Martz
Larry Petree
Lee Gillespie

That's right, Wally Murphy did play a ZB on his "Flying Fingers L.P." I remember that now.

Does anyone know where he's at these days and how to contact him?

Anyone else have pictures of you and your ZB steel?

THanks!

Terry Wood

The not so well known Dick Wood owned a SD10 3x4 in 1982

It was a beautiful guitar but heck to keep in tune.

Terry, this is a little off the subject but I'm playing this weekend on the stage where Zane last played. He had a heart-attack and died on stage at the Rose City VFW club in No. Little Rock Ar. There will be some of the guys he was playing with there.
A friend of mine, Orley Feagins, Plays an old ZB.
Looking forward to seeing you again, Gary A.

Hi Gary,

Check your e-mail.

Terry

Jack Matthews and
Jackie Thomson

I bought the first ZB that Tom Brumbley got from Zane in about 1964 or 65. It had a very strange universal changer in it, so to change it from the Emmons setup that Tom used, to the Day setup that I used, I drove to Phoenix and had Zane change it over.
As I remember it had only one knee lever, that screwed on a socket head cap screw when playing. And it had to be unscrewed to get it in the case.
It was such a great improvement over the Bigsby that I had been playing, that I sold the Bigsby, in order to be able to get the ZB.
I played ZB steels until the Emmons LeGrande came out, which was in December of 1982 when mine was built. It is easy to remember, because the serial number was 28.
The problem that is discussed here on the forum about cabinet drop, was not a problem on the ZB. The pedal tuners made contact on the end plate, in fact if you pressed the pedals hard enough, you would have cabinet raise, as it could be called. This was because on the endplate flexing in a small amount.

Yeah, more yet...

John Fogarty
George Xanthoff
Brownie Minette
Bill Jackson
Walter Roberts
Wally Yancy
Bobby Austin
Billy Kerr
Greg Timlin

And then there's little ole me. In 1967, I called Zane from Honolulu, and ordered m2, [that's right TWO ne ZBs, A D-11 for myself, and a D-10/11, for my then student "Chick Donner" who just died very recently. He still had his, and I still play mine. I ordered them from Zane, by the time they nwere ready, Tom Brumley owned the company. I still love mine , I've had it redone a few times. The last time was done by Greg Jones, and when I went to Ky, to pick it up, I hustled him for tickets to the show in which he plays.
Jim

Jim Florence's ZB is not only slick looking...he can make it sound real good!!!

I've drooled over that guitar for awhile now.

Casey

P.s. His Z.B. has seen some action...hopefully he'll tell us all the story behind it.

Jody Sanders. A Zane Beck D10, 7/3.

Last, but not least...

Tom Pyle
Red Rhodes
Jack Hearne
Jim Gattis
Darrell Owens
Billy Sinqfeld
Garnett Scheel
Don Goetsche

Donny, I am impressed. How did you know this? Thats a very comprehensive list. Fogerty used a Maverick on the Blue Ridge Rangers album. I didn't know that he owned a ZB. Did he ever record it?

There is a single neck here in Lake City for sale $ or 4 or $500.00, I think the raiser is on one end and the lowers are on the other end. We play together sometimes.

ernie

Donny, Don Goetshe from where?

Thanks for the kind words Casey, I'll try to make the story brief. I'm retired USAF, and took the ZB to Vietnam, for a total of two years, and when Greg Jones restored the guitar, he displayed it at the Kentucky show, an He dubbed the ZB as the only surviving "Combat Steel guitar in the world", having survived two years in a "Combat Zone" Incidently the guitar has suffered "War damage". It's still great, but heavy. Ha
Jim

Jim is exactly right. There is some shrapnel damage on one of the endplates!!!! Jim has a great ZB!!!

Not only do I restore them, but I play them too. I have a 66' D-10, 68' D-10, an early 70's D-11-10, and a few more around here. I have used the ZB's both live and in the studio. Just darn tough to beat the tone of these guitars.

Greg

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