The Steel Guitar Forum

I got a email fron the owner, wanting to re store it...
Dad built more that he though..

David;
I thought I would attempt to contact you about one of your fathers creations that I now own.
My father ordered a custom wright 4 neck Steel guitar with mike stand legs, and no pedals from your Father, sometime in the 1960s. He played it for years at over 3 hundred shows, and then retired it in the mid-1970s to preserve it. Dad then went on to purchase and play 2 Sho-Bud double neck steels. One a Baldwin blond maple and another red double neck Pro II.
He passed away 5 years ago last March and left all three Guitars and equipment to My Brother Jeff and I. The 4 neck Wright has endured poor storage in a back room at my Moms house for the remainder of those years, and the case has long since delaminated. I was wondering if you might be able to give me some technical data to restore this fine instrument in the original materials and finish. I have all of the parts except 10 Kluson tuning keys that were discarded by my brother prematurely. I know it has rosewood fret boards that are filled with plywood centers. The remainder of the hardware can and will be polished out and the Spanish guitar strings will be replaced. If I can find the equipment, I will restore it exactly as she was when your dad shipped her. I do not have a case for her. I will most likely have to build one.;.
Can you help me ?
Thanks for any info you can supply.

Looks like a great candidate for restoration. David, do you know how many your pop built? And do you have one? Curious minds want to know.

Billy Easton

Billy Easton wrote:Looks like a great candidate for restoration. David, do you know how many your pop built? And do you have one? Curious minds want to know.

Billy Easton

Billy This one has a serial number just under 0050.
It has had a wonderful tone for years, and I was wondering just the same question. especially on this model 4 neck Wright. I have seen 5 different models now. How many of each model were built?

Bob Gibler

I asked Dad one time how many Quads he built, he said not more than a hand full, the most famous was Barbara Mandrels..which is in her hall of fame...I think most had pedals..this one didn't...

Wow, a Quad 10!

Looks like all that's missing are the back neck tuners and the changer end handle plate, which should be fairly easy to replicate. I'd like to see it cleaned up, buffed and polished. Will be cool!

Herb Steiner wrote:Wow, a Quad 10!

Looks like all that's missing are the back neck tuners and the changer end handle plate, which should be fairly easy to replicate. I'd like to see it cleaned up, buffed and polished. Will be cool!

Herb, I have all of the parts and components to my Dad's Wright. I started pulling it apart and cataloging just a day before I joined the forum. I will start a thread and progress on this 4 neck for enjoyment for all who are interested.
Thank you
Bob Gibler II

I've never played a WRIGHT steel guitar..........

WHAT is SO SPECIAL........about the WRIGHT?

I do understand their relationship with the early Sierras but am very curious as to exactly what it is that makes them so special among steel players?

Aside from looking a lot like the early BIGSBY's, I see nothing cosmetically that would make them an equal.

David and Bob G.,

how cool is that???
I love a quad-anything, but all that seasoned wood, black and aluminum just screams West Coast Western Swing to me! Cant wait to see it restored

Mike,
Can't wait too..


Ray.... No one is saying there "Equal to the Great Bigsby's ..if you didn't want to wait for Paul, they went to my Dad, He did take ideas from Paul, and tried to improve on them, what makes them special???, what makes a ford better than a Chevy??? or Dodge??? personal taste..you never played one, so you might try one, you see nothing cosmetically to make them equal, thats your option, My dad built with the highest workmen ship in the business... this isn't a thread about Bigsbys Vr Wright... it's a bout a guy wanting to bring his Late dad's guitar back to new...
so in closing, Ray, I hope I answered you questions about your post...

Heres some pictures of Quads.. and a guitar/bass Dad built...

Are those pics way cool or what?

Historically, the Wright guitars have a prime place in the evolution of the instrument, and Mr Wright Sr should unquestionably have a place in the SGHOF.

Thank you Ken, I do believe my dad was one of the founding fathers of what we play today, as far as SGHOF, too late for that, he should have been in before he left this world, .... I know he would have like it, but now is too late ,,

David - I feel your pain, brother. I lost my Dad a little more than a month ago.

As far as Ray Montee's shockingly insensitive post, I'm sorry you had to read it. I had written a long response to it but decided to delete rather than send. Not in any deference to Ray at all, but rather thinking of b0b, as he has plenty to deal with as it is.

Now that the cat's outta the bag though, I'm really beginning to see what our dearly departed Eric West saw in old Ray.

Know what? If it's good enough for Barbara Mandrell, well hell, it's damn sure good enough for me!

Bill, sorry to hear about your dad...

If I had posted what I was thinking to ray, well, most likely been kicked off the forum..

Eric was wright on...

Ray Montee wrote:I've never played a WRIGHT steel guitar..........

WHAT is SO SPECIAL........about the WRIGHT?

I do understand their relationship with the early Sierras but am very curious as to exactly what it is that makes them so special among steel players?

Aside from looking a lot like the early BIGSBY's, I see nothing cosmetically that would make them an equal.

Ray
The Wright has heritage!!. I would have thought that would have been apparent. Your snide comments are totally unwarranted and needless.

with all due respect to david and his dad....
cut ray some slack. over the years i have come to appreciate ray's personal quirky manner of speaking..with inflection and feeling always highlighted in his posts. i think it's a unique personality and sense of humor and wouldn't think he ever means any ill will!

(ray...i hope i'm right!)

of course it may be he's like me...old and feisty enough to say what he feels ..everyone else be damned.

david...your dad was right there in a whole new extremely experimental and creative era..the new age of 'pedal' steels ...new things developing in the musical instrument world. bigsby, fender, wright, etc. things would not have evolved to where they are today without these artisans!

Mike Cass wrote:David and Bob G.,

how cool is that???
I love a quad-anything, but all that seasoned wood, black and aluminum just screams West Coast Western Swing to me! Cant wait to see it restored

Mike, Thanks for the kind statement.

I will tell you all one thing after working on the old WRIGHT 4 neck 10 string last night till over 1:30am CST.

This old girl is a work of art. I am finding out a little about Mr Chuck Wrights thought process in developing his Quads. this Instrument is a simple design with great tone.

However the precision that Chuck put into this instrument is a little more trickier than any other instruments that I have worked on.

The wiring diagram is no nonsense. the cavity routings are perfectly done.

And the geometry of the necks in relationship to each other would make it a pleasure to play.

More dissasembly pics on the way folks, hold on to your hats.

David,,,
Cudos to your Father...

Mr. WRIGHT: In no way was I inferring that the WRIGHT guitar was inferior in ANY WAY. Nor, was I making any attempt to slight your father and/or his creative works.

My question was simply what made 'the WRIGHT guitar' a standout in the minds of those who chose to own and/or follow that heritage.

Nor, was I making any attempt to strike up a comparison between the WRIGHT and the BIGSBY guitars.

Every guitar has 'something special'.......and I was only curious what was determined to be 'that special magic' when it came down to the WRIGHT steel guitar.

Your explanation was excellent and it fully answered my question to my satisfaction.

I'm indeed sorry a couple of you once again decided to pounce on old Ray Montee and his comments. This was expected and we all know WHO you are. From you, we could expect nothing more.

By the way, Eric West and I had been friends for many years. He visited my home with and without his wife on many occasions. I routinely visited Jubitz Truck Stop Lounge many time when I knew he was playing there and often shared a meal with him. I found your remarks to be more than caustic, unnecessary and purposefully argumentive.

Sorry Ray.

It's all good Ray. Lets just keep this about the guitar
And what it means to the guy restoring it.

Thanks Chris for the nice comments.

Its part of history. Neat pix David. Didnt know Barbara played a Wright.KOOL Man!!

Douglas,
My Dad built Barbara that guitar, she was 12 , played it for years, it weighted more than she did,

She had it copletley restored back to what it was the day Dad finshed it...... and is in her Hall of fame.......

Another foot note, Jimmy Day played a Wright, and recorded Crazy Arm with Ray Price. ? Burt Riva also played a Wright, and did numbers of recordings with Hank Thompson , Curly Chalker owned the guitar befofe Jimmy Day had it.

W W are those pictures of Barbara Mandrell amazing!!!

bumping to the top in anticipation of more pics!!!

Wright consoles are at the top of the 'awesome' pile in my book!

Jay Fagerlie wrote:bumping to the top in anticipation of more pics!!!

Wright consoles are at the top of the 'awesome' pile in my book!

Jay, Bill, David and all. Your wait is over. The first installation is just posted. Look here under the pedal steel thread and it will show up as 1950s 4 neck wright resto.

Thanks
Bob Gibler