The Steel Guitar Forum

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Ron built this guitar for me in 1989. I bet Jack don't even remember this guitar. One of the last push-pulls Ron built. The body was air brushed. Ron was so funny about this guitar, even after I paid for it he didn't want me to touch it!!

I played this guitar on the road for a few months and then I got a house gig in South Carolina in 1990. For some reason I sold it ,I don't remember why but I'll bet that a woman was involved. Anyway, I think that someone in North Carolina bought it. Does anyone know where this guitar is?? I found this pic just the other day......WHERE IS SHE??? Is this not the best looking guitar ever built??? Thanks , William Litaker

William, I remember this guitar. I saw it at one of Jeff Newman's schools in Nashville in the spring of 1991. The owner then was a fellow by the name of Marty Burns and he was from North Carolina. Drixel, NC. seems to be sticking in my head. I know its the same guitar, couldn't forget one as pretty as that one!!! Somewhere around here I have some pics of him playing it and even a video.

Greg

I remember that Ron Lashley made a very small number of PP's in 1989, and he told me they were "25th Anniversary" models. One was an all green lacquer finish with the logo and chevron airbrushed on the front apron, obviously done by an airbrush artist with experience working on automobiles. Very classy work, and quite rare. Jack could tell us more, but I think there are no more than 10 of those guitars that were made.

Yours was undoubtedly one of that series. Too bad you let it get away. That would have been a keeper for me.

I remember Marty Burns now. He came to the club in S.C. on a Sat night and picked it up. Thanks Greg. I wonder where it is now? I really wish that I had held on to it Herb. I went downstairs where Ron had the bodies hanging and saw that one and just had to have it. If there were 25 special bodies I never seen but that one. Maybe Jack can weigh in on it. Have you ever seen a Steel Guitar that looks better than that one?? I just wonder how the body held up over the years. I have known those to crack....still it would be a fine guitar. I hope that whoever has it will see this thread....Thanks , William Litaker

Hey guys. My name is Marty Burns JR. I have this guitar. Dad passed away in July of 2009. Dad played it right up until the day he passed away. Since he bought it from William he had a few more knee levers and drops added by Lyn Netherton. The body and the guitar held up very well over the years as dad traveled the US playing it in our band. I have never seen a steel this beautiful or heard one so sweet. After every show people would climb onstage just to see it up close. It is certainly one of a kind and my dad cared for it as if it were one of his kids !!

Wow! Nice guitar and great story!

Here's a picture of mine. I think this must be one of the 25th anniversary models too. Herb: would you agree?

Don Mogle wrote:Here's a picture of mine. I think this must be one of the 25th anniversary models too. Herb: would you agree?

Most definitely!

T.W. .......how 'bout the one you had with the western scene on it?

A fellow named Wayne Jarett did the finish work. He is from Greensboro and was noted for doing a lot of work for Jeff Cook of Alabama. There were only about 5 or 6 bodies finished by Wayne. Some were SKH LeGrands some were push pulls. These were not the 25th year guitars, those were built in 1994 using parts that Ron came about when cleaning out his house after a divorce.

The 25th year guitars were mostly mica as I can recall. Only about 5 made and taken to St. Louis. They had an engraved plaque placed on the front. The only one I can recall was a black mica that sounded so incredible and was sold to a fellow from California, John Hiland.

methinks there is some discrepancy between jack's and herb's story and what ron told them. will this mystery clear itself up? if the anniversary guitars were all mica in 94 and the painted guitars in '89 why would ron tell herb they were anniversary guitars? i hope we can get to the bottom of this!

That's a gorgeous axe William. The detailing is unique.

About the Anniversary P/P models, if I may. I defer to the experts of course, but I remember them listed in the mailing I used to get regularly from the Emmons Co. back then.

Pretty sure it was '89 and I've forgotten how many of the Anniversary specials there were, but it was just a few.

I remember it because one of them listed was a Burgundy lacquer finish that I fretted about committing to. I really wanted to, but I didn't want to turn loose of the cash at the time.

At the time the mailing came out, it was just a notice that they were to be built in the near future and it was an opportunity to commit to one of them.

I prolly still have that mailer but I don't know if I can find it.

The company was incorporated in 1964. I built the 5 guitars myself. The company would have been 20 years old in 1989.

The Wayne Jarett guitars were built before I went to work in 1997 except the one body that was built up for William Litaker. Not to discredit what others were told, but I was there and doing most of the work.

the mystery deepens...the numbers are interesting.
89 would be '25 yrs' from 64. jack started 97 (probably misprint) but built the 94 guitars...the emmons enigma!

however, the guitars are cool, which is really all that matters.

Chris, you got me. My mind is not with it today and my math skills leave a little to be desired. And 89' would have been when the endplates were discovered because that is when Ron's divorce was finalized and he moved from his house. The rest of the story is correct because the Jarett guitars were built well before I came to work with the exception on the one body in question. The 25th year guitars had an engraved plate on the front opposite side from the nameplate, unless the owners removed them. Williams guitar could have very well been built with a set of the endplates in question because it was all of the push pull endplates we had in stock with the exception of a few rejects.

If a 25th year guitar was built using a lacquer body it would have been an old body just like the one William purchased. At that time we were no longer making any lacquer guitars. In 1989 I would have been building most all of the guitars because Ron Jr. was working part time and going to school. Eventually others were hired to assemble and I only supervised and did final setup.

No way that I could remember exact numbers, but my memory wants to recall 2-3 black micas and 1-2 rosewood micas. I have no idea what my have rounded out the rest of the parts we had on hand.

I did start working in January 1987 through October 1999. During my time there we would have built in the neighborhood of 1500 guitars so exact instruments are somewhat foggy. They were all great instruments and like Chris said, what difference does it make. I try to be as accurate as possible when quoting details because this is what people are looking for in these post. I try to limit paricipation due to the he said, she said debates. I say spend more time playing and improving.
Happy Picking!

jack..your math skills are forgiven. thanks for all the interesting history from the guy who was there making it!

Great reading, Emmons is a Steel Icon to say the least..

a monkeywrench..... I definitely remember seeing an airbrushed Emmons D-10 p/p @ Bob Woods Del City Music in Del City, OK sometime between 1979-81. I was working with OK native Doyle Holly during this time period and Bob's was always a definite stop when we were in the area during business hours. The guitar was of course a wood body and had metal necks I believe. It featured a quite impressive "Snuffy Smith" motif on the front and fancy pinstriping elsewhere.

Mike I have seen this guitar. Ron never clarified the dates that these bodies were made. I guess Wayne Jarett is the only one that could clarify.

My memory is 66-years foggy, so please don't hold me to chapter/verse accuracy. I just remember being knocked out by the gorgeous airbrushed guitars at ISGC and Big Ron talking about the anniversary.

Since I went to ISGC every year back then, it could have been 1989 or 1994... whatever, like Chris said. I always defer to Jack when it comes to what was made and when back in the days he was there.