The Steel Guitar Forum

does anyone have any info on Sahara steel guitars?

Not really info, but some cool pics

http://www.guitar-museum.com/guitar-298 ... eel-Guitar

thanks Richard, I found one of these in with a bunch of stuff in my shed put it together and it's one of the best playing and sounding steels I have played.

I think the Sahara was a Sho~Bud knockoff made in Lubbock, or somewhere in West Texas. That's my recollection, anyway.

Herb I've heard it might have been made in Tex.it's a push pull.I'm going to rebuild it and will probably have to make some parts cause I doubt if I can find parts any where.

The Sahara was built just outside of Lubbock in Shallowater, Texas by Bob Stufflebeme. Bob was a welder who had an irrigation pipe business as well as playing and building steel guitars. When I moved to Lubbock, Bob was building guitars on a part-time basis, installing irrigation pipe and playing quite a lot. Lloyd Maines was playing a Sahara in 1974 when I first met him.

Sho-Bud went on a marketing frenzy and Bob started selling them as he couldn't build a guitar as cheaply as he could buy a Sho-Bud. All of us who were learning to play in the a'70's in West Texas wound up with a Sho-Bud from Sahara music. We all owe Bob more than we could ever repay. Bob sold me a pro-2 with pro-3 rods (nylon tuners instead of the brass ones) for $600. brand new. He would work on guitars, build parts, show me licks and never charge what it was worth. When I got my '68 Emmons, Bob helped me set up the knee levers, etc.

Bob Stufflebeme was the first player I ever saw raise the 1st string a whole tone, in 1976 or so. HE could really play unique things for the time. Nobody else used that change, so I didn't either. I could have been ahead of the curve if I'd only listened.

I never played a Sahara as I played guitar and bass until he was selling Sho-Buds, but I know it has to be built like a tank because Bob wouldn't have it any other way.

Great history and stories. Wow! Shobuds for $600.00,
and I've only dreamed about finding a pedal steel in my shed.

thanks Duane for all the great info.you were so right when you said it was built like a tank,and it also sounds great.

Jim, a good friend of mine emptied out his storage shed a couple of years ago and told me if I wanted the "stuff" I could have it. he told me there were some steel guitars in there but I never looked at them very close until about a week ago when I ran across the Sahara, someone had taken off the back neck but there was a box full of parts so I will rebuild it as close as I can to original.

That's great Carl. It amazes me how folks throw out anything like that....well I guess he gave it to you rather.

Bob built my Dad a Sahara, in fact it was the first one Bob built. My Dad gave it to me when he quit playing for a while so it was my first steel. If anyone ever knows of one for sale I would really appreciate letting me know. Bob was a real treasure for the West Texas steel community. He would sell us Sho-Buds on credit back then, he was a great player too. I had the honor of playing for his memorial service... His wife Janette, lives about a mile from me...

Pic of my Dad..

wally, you are correct about bob being a treasure. smoothest player i have ever heard. i can't remember for sure; but i think bob told me he used brazilian rosewood. wow, and to find one in a shed. if you can picture a push pull sho-bud...that's a sahara. i sure do miss him.

I know that Frank Carter of Infinity Pedal Steel Guitars helped to develop the Sahara quite awhile back.

Not only Frank Carter, but also Dave Jones, currently in Bulverde, Texas also worked with Bob on the Sahara sometime after Frank did.

Thanks guys for all the helpful info.I've started to work on putting the guitar back together and will post pics when it's done.

I know Frank I'll have to give him a call

There is a Sahara guitar our there somewhere that Bob & I built for my personal guitar. It was made of zebra wood. Sure would like to know where it is.
Bob was really a great guy.

There is a second Sahara zebra wood out there somewhere. I built it with Bob and he sold it in 1971 or '72. It was an SD-10 with stainless steel changer parts on it and would sustain forever. The necks, deck, and front and rear aprons were all 3/4" wood on all the guitars that I saw or helped Bob build....heavy but solid, reliable and great sounding. Bob made his own pickups including the magnets and windings.

I came to work with Bob in late 1970 or early 1971 some time after Frank Carter had gone. I had acquired a British steel guitar from a country band in Giessen, Germany in 1969 and shipped it stateside as I planned to take it to Vietnam with me to learn to play. It was broken during shipment and was not playable. I met Lloyd Maines during a break in one of his local gigs. He was playing a Sahara at the time and gave me Bob's phone number and address when I told him about the British steel. The rest is history.

Carl, I was wondering what became of the Sahara body and parts you had.
In doing some research I came across this topic; it's very interesting to read about zebrawood guitars, something built so well,
and interested to read Sahara's connections.

I'm in Lubbock, near where they were built; just curious.

Very glad I found this post. Brings back some very good memories. I brought my first professional steel, Sho-Bud Pro II from Bob Stufflebeme in early 1982 for I think $800.00. I had not been able to remember his name, just where I was at. He had a small Music Store on the end of his shop. Was a very nice gentleman and very helpful. Guitar and case were new and no tax. It is the guitar I have on the forum that was stolen in Miami, Fl. Can you believe, a new Sho-Bud for $800.00.
A note about Bob that day is he sat down at the steel I brought and played Danny Boy and that was all it took. He did a beautiful job of it. I could not get it in it's case fast enough. J.R.

Hi JR,

$800 is an amazing price.

Here is the topic I was looking at, with some about Bob, his guitars, and the ones he sold.
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... e666f700eb
You may find it interesting.

Charlie, I got the guitar put back together and play-able but haven't done anything with it. it's setting in my music room holding a bunch of books.

The Sahara turned out to be a more formidable instrument than I'd guessed.
Apparently Sufflebeme could buy a Sho-Bud for cheaper than he could build a Sahara.

If I remember right, my Dad paid Bob 700.00 for his Sahara.. Wish I still had it... It was D9th and C6th...