The Steel Guitar Forum

A few friends of ours recently showed a message that was posted about our steels and our relationship with Sho-Bud. JD Sauser posted a reply that was somewhat close but not actually correct, so I thought I would clearify.

The post started by someone asking if anyone had ever played one of our guitars or seen one. My answer to that would be probably not. We have only built 32 over the last 25 years, but those who have managed to buy seem to like them, and we never have any problems other that a weld breaking on a cross member. We got into the business of building guitars after my father started do warranty work for Sho-Buds back in the days when Shot and Harry ran things.
I am trying to get the company to become a larger producer of steel guitars and accessories but it takes time and money to get suppliers lined up and to make sure you don’t step on other peoples patents. All this while working full-time and traveling around the country as a network engineer. Dad is content building one or two a year.

Our relationship with Gretsch / Sho-Bud is one that we are an Authorized Sho-Bud dealer, for parts, and guitars(when they are being made). WE DO NOT BUILD THE GUITAR only Gretsch does, we made an offer to Fred Gretsch personally to become the builder but he declined. The guitars, when being built, are made in Arkansas.
See http://www.rlpsg.com/aboutrayline.html for the whole story.

Concerning the article from Danny Hullihen concerning our strings he wrote it without our knowledge after talking to a long time friend of the family. The article did not state that Rayline would sent you the string rather that he would.
Anyone can read the article at http://danny.hullihen.tripod.com/id17.htm

Hope this helps.
Anyone when any questions please feel free to write, e-mail or call us. Dad is always open to talk about the guitars, the history, and well to be honest just shoot the breeze with like minded people.

David Ray
RayLine Steel Guitar
904-642-1229
rayline@rlpsg.com

David

Thanks for clarifying your relationship with Gretsch/Sho-Bud.

Do you know why Fred Gretsch has such little interest in producing the Sho-Bud line of PSGs?

Roger

David. That is correct. I "personally" made the offer to send out the free .011 strings, not Bill Ray. If I remember correctly, about 35 people took me up on the free string offer.

Bill was a great guy, and like many of us involved in this industry, he was trying to scratch out a mediocre living doing what he loves to do... Steel Guitar.

Sadly, there always seems to be one or two guys that get off on slinging mud at these sort of things, which often times makes many of us involved in this business wonder if it's really worth all the work and effort?

No question about it, you've got to really love this instrument, and the people involved in it which is what gives you the desire to keep on, keeping on. I do, and I will.

Danny Hullihen wrote:

<SMALL>Sadly, there always seems to be one or two guys that get off on slinging mud at these sort of things, which often times makes many of us involved in this business wonder if it's really worth all the work and effort?</SMALL>

Well Dan, I hope I didn´t hurt your feelings too much. I was maybe trying to be funny just a little too much but It was not my intention to give bad information about RayLine.I am sorry my memory seemed to tell me that RayLine was a builder and not just a rep for the Gretsch-Sho-Bud and I appreciate the correction.
No mud slinging intended.

As for those strings, as you may have found out yourself by now (I would think), not surprisingly, they did break. A quite natural phenomenon to which I did not take offence. But sometimes we tend to look back at history with a little smile. Now don´t we?

For the reader´s reference: http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum5/HTML/003898.html

... J-D.