The Steel Guitar Forum

Did sho-bud make a student model. And if so what was it. THANKS

They did indeed. It was called the Maverick, and if you search the forum you will find a lot of info them.

I wouldnr recomend a maverick, have a look at the stage one guitars, i have 2 really nice sho-buds and gig regularly with the stage one....its light plays and sounds great.

Thanks for the info. Thanks for your time. Will Mavrick be on the guitar anywhere so I will know what I am looking at.

no I don't believe they ever said "Maverick" on the guitars themselves. But you'll know it when you see it. 3 pedals and 1 knee lever. Most of them were dark brown/mottled in color, some "wood-like" material (masonite?); a few had a pretty honey-blonde wood cabinet. Either way, 3+1.

The earlier Maverick's were a blonde lacquer finish. They did also have a Maverick logo. They really aren't bad to start with, if you don't buy someone else's junk, and don't spend more than $650-$700 total on one of them. If they are more than that , get a Stage One, as mentioned above.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWAX:IT

You got a picture of what your looking at buying? Plenty of folks on here could help in identifying it, if your unsure.

Some of the old-style Mavericks have black wrinkle paint on the endplates.



Sometimes they are painted...



...and the newer ones have a faux burl wood vinyl laminated finish, no raised neck, and recessed "ashtray" tuner pan...





...but painted or laminated, they are all solid maple underneath. All have three pedals, and some also have one knee lever. The mechanism is too simple to support modern tunings with multiple knee levers, but if you can live with that, Mavericks can be pretty fun. They are light, they set up quickly, sound good, and have a nice vintage vibe. Beware, they are often way overpriced on eBay.

For a serious entry-level instrument that won't hold you back as you learn, a Mav just won't do. A Stage One would be vastly superior. I've never tried one but I have never read a bad word about them.

Stage One for sure.

Jeff if you decide on a Stage One get ahold of me there is a local guy here that has one for sale. Ill have him post it on the forum or put you in touch with him.

I have a GFI student model. I cannot compare it to a Stage one or a Maverick but it is a high quality beginner guitar you should also consider.

All the Best

I suggest that you not get a Maverick or any other guitar with just one knee lever, and get one of the student guitars with 4 of them instead, You can get a new Stage One, Legend (formerly the Carpsteel) and Simmons all for about $1,000, and uses Carter Starters are going for around $700.

I have never played a Simmons, and cannot say anything about their quality, but others seem to like them. The Stage One and Legend are both pretty decent guitars that are more than adequate for learning and even gigging. (I'd buy a legend myself if they made a 12 string version.)

The Carter Starters are not very rugged and I doubt that they would hold up to the rigors of gigging. But they are fine for the beginner who is just learning.

The reason I say all this is that sooner or later, (probably sooner) you are going to read about some of the other changes, or come across a piece of instruction material that calls for their use, and if your guitar does not have them, it will hold you back, and you will get discouraged and frustrated.

In my case, I read about the E to F change just 2 weeks after I started playing, (on a borrowed Maverick.) Once I knew about it, I was quite frustrated about not having it, till I received my 4 knee lever MSA.

Thanks guys for all the info,and the pictures of all the different Mavricks. I havent seen the sho-bud he is wanting to sell me yet. but all the information I recieved will help me in my decision. Thank you again.

I checked out the website for Stage One. The description mentions adjustable legs (something you don't find on a Maverick or Carter Starter). However the pictures on the site and on YouTube show adjustable legs on the back for some of them but none on the front (as far as I can tell).

Perhaps someone can fill us in on this.

Thanks!

Steve Ahola

I owned a Maverick. Bought in 1979, it was my 1st PSG. Having only 1 knee lever, and not being able to "add-on" to the copedant, soon left me unable to progress.
I suggest you aim for a "modern" student model

Rick

Steve Ahola wrote:....the pictures on the site and on YouTube show adjustable legs on the back for some of them but none on the front (as far as I can tell).

Perhaps someone can fill us in on this.

Adjusting the front legs requires putting extensions on the pedal rods or having custom made new ones made to match the new length of the legs. It can be done (I don't know if it can be done on the stage one,) but unless one is unusually short or tall, nobody ever does it.

In all the years I've been playing I've only see it done twice. Once for a child who was learning to play and once for a guy who was 6'5" tall.

Steve, I just noticed that you live in Concord CA. One of your neighbors is Tom Bradshaw. You should contact him. Tom is an icon in our community. He knows more about this instrument than any 10 of the rest of us combined, and he is absolutely 100% honest and trustworthy. He will steer you in the right direction.

This might include a steel he has for sale. If he does, you ought to buy it instead of a student guitar. Tom occasionally restores old steels that have seen better days, to brand new, and sometimes better than brand new, condition. I would have absolutely no hesitation of buying one of these, should he have one available.

Check out the Pro model
Marlen s-10, all pull, for sale on this site
I believe he's asking $1100 !!
I've owned a Marlen D10, and it sounded great !
rick