The Steel Guitar Forum

watchin pawnstars on history, gonna pawn a sho bud check it out guys.

Watched the show.....Saw the guitar......nice looking but had mismatched pedals on the floor. Three small originals and five Bigsby looking pedals.

The Pawn Guy's son said it wouldn't be worth much more than $1,200 as not a lot of people are interested in them.

HUH?

I thought it only had 7 pedals total. The three smaller ones on the left didn't look like the originals, I think they'd been replaced. It was a really beautiful guitar and only had one knee lever. Was it really worth what the "guitar expert" said it was? I'd have thought it'd be less than $2,000 as it wouldn't be ready to gig with without more pedals/knee levers. Maybe it was the collectability of it that warranted his appraisal.......JH in Va.

Was it really worth what the "guitar expert" said it was?

I don't think ol' Jesse is a "Steel Guitar Expert",
He once appraised a Gibson BR-9 at
$1500.(Actually worth about $300)

Yo Jerry, u mite ask Buddy E if 3+1 on E9th can handle most country gigs. U mite be surprised ....Stormy

those guys never offer more than about 1/10th the value of anything.

They need to go see Reba when shes in Vegas . Bruce Boutan would give them a demonstration and a lesson on steel guitar . What does Corey know he cant even see ! At least the old man has some sense !

Quite a few old Shobuds were built with smaller, and slightly closer together, first three pedals. Here's one someone restored. Recognize the fireplace?

So much for their so-called experts...
btw, there was a close-up shot of the pedals, and the first 3 were SuperPro style, while the rest of them were the original waffle style.

The comments from the young guys at the shop were exactly what I expected and what I have heard from many people over the years, including music stores... the mystery and ignorance surrounding the pedal steel guitar. It's interesting to note that the guys in the Pawn show AND the guys on American Pickers Have recognized Lap steels when they saw them on past shows and knew at least a little bit about them. The pedal steel is an additional level of complication that most people just can't wrap their brain around.

Doug Beaumier wrote:The guys in the Pawn show AND on American Pickers Have recognized steels and knew at least a little bit about them.

Sensible call, Doug.
As tho non-musicians and a rocker should know the minutiae of pedal steels like those few who's lives revolve around them... Why those insufferable oafs!
At least the owner knew better than to sell low.

Thanks Ron, but you misquoted me I said that they have recognized LAP steels in past shows and know a little bit about them. But the PSGs totally confuse them.

John,
That pic was made at Ricky Davis's house

I think I saw that steel close up last year and it is worn out - they do not know what they are looking at but that "expert" they have does not have a clue about steel guitars.

If that is the same one, that one, needs to go to someone that gives the old Buds TLC and rebuilds it --it needs lots more than polish.

Joe Naylor
www.steelseat.com

I saw that guitar at Jesse's shop Cowtown Guitars two weeks ago. I'm not sure if it's on consignment or what.

Doug Beaumier wrote:Thanks Ron, but you misquoted me.

Being that I posted directly under your's I was more referencing your overall post than quoting the full statement perfectly, my bad for microsizing. I concur with your full statement, but will add that even lap steels are beyond the average musician, as seen when the same rocker expertised the frypan, so it all washes the same as I see it. No biggie, my point being that nobody but those that know will look anything but ignorant when talking out of their league. I certainly couldn't begin commenting on anything below the fretboard on a pedal job.

I think that Bud on there was actually in pretty rough shape. I had recorded the program and played it back and checked it out good. I think the three small pedals were the original pedals but had been cut down to get rid of the shoe soul snagging wide pedals. I would have done that with my Bud if I would have kept it. It was pretty evident that nobody knew any thing about a pedal steel, especially the guy they called in. I loved the way he was testing it and pumping the pedal., lol.

it is worn out on the under side too - it is in rough shape

Joe Naylor
www.steelseat.com

I liked the conversation:

"Why do only old guys play it?"

"Because it's almost a lost art Cory, and alot of the music today is stupid so they don't use them. Now days these kids press a few buttons on a computer and think they are making music. This is a real instrument. It takes an actual musician to play it."

Martin Vigesaa wrote:I liked the conversation:

"Why do only old guys play it?"

"Because it's almost a lost art Cory, and alot of the music today is stupid so they don't use them. Now days these kids press a few buttons on a computer and think they are making music. This is a real instrument. It takes an actual musician to play it."

Me too! That was the best part.

Nick,
I have a pic of one of my guitars in front of that same fireplace. Lotsa pics of that fireplace on Ricky's House of Wood site! 8^)
Did anyone get any screen grabs of the pawn shop guitar? I'd like to see it!

Here ya go John

Thanks Bob!
Hard to make comments without having seen the guitar. Those 1st three pedals are much newer, but appear to have the closer spacing I referred to in the other thread, with pics, Old guitar! Pre-'63, or right around that time. String ball ends for rollers? Kinda hard to tell with the low rez pics. The fingerboards are correct. Before the F-tips, the wood necks "nipped" in where they met the keyhead, and the fretboards were nipped to match. Here's a pic of my '59 Perm, in which you can see how the neck meets the keyhead.



Looks like a nice old Perm to me! With the resto required though, way too much money. Woman shoulda grabbed the $1'500 and sprinted for the exit!