Wright Custom

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 30 Oct 2001 3:17 am

I'm currently restoring a 50's Wright Custom triple 8 steel guitar. I'd like to share thoughts and experiences with forumites who might own/play or have owned/played Chuck's guitars.
Thanks,
Jussi

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 30 Oct 2001 1:04 pm

Jussi, I have a Q-8 pedal from 1959 and a T-10 pedal and quite honestly, I don't play either of them. My current favorite is a S-10 Bigsby with 6 and 4.

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 30 Oct 2001 1:52 pm

Jussi-I have owned two Wright customs-the later model D-10 that I had was sold to Andy in Germany-when I got it all the pedals were non functional-I was able to restore all the pedals to operational by using parts like finger pulling springs and cable ends from my stock of Bigsby parts-the other Wright which I still own is one of the few quads that were built-it has four eights with no pedals-my friend Dave Peterson did a nice job of refinishing the front apron-PW

Tele · Post by **Tele** » 30 Oct 2001 3:19 pm

Jussi, if you need a few pics of the guitar Paul W. mentioned please let me know, I can take them for you. However I think yours is a lot different.

Andy

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 30 Oct 2001 11:54 pm

Well, this guitar has originally been a quad 8 with six pedals working on two necks and is identical to Jimmy Day's quad. At some point someone brutally chopped off the inside neck and got rid of two pedals. The PU and keyhead covers are missing too, but that's only cosmetics. I'll be able to restore it to a nice triple neck though. It's definately not a collector's choice anymore, but I don't care. Chas, Paul, does your guitars have metal endplates? Mine has and the other one has a #011 stamped on it. Could this be a serial no.? Late 50's Wrights are a lot different than mine, this is probably closest to a Bigsby Chuck ever got. A very interesting guitar, I wish I knew who was the original owner, just for the curiosity.
Thanks for your response guys!
Jussi

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 31 Oct 2001 6:08 am

Also, regarding this project, does anyone know where I could get a proper audio taper tone pot ( for the "doo wah" effect )The pot is mounted on the endplate like on the Bigsbys and early Sho Buds.

Jussi

Chris DeBarge · Post by **Chris DeBarge** » 1 Nov 2001 9:24 am

Those Wright's are cool, but a quad? Gee, I though my old Fender 1000 was heavy. One time when Big Sandy came through town Lee was playing a Wright, only saw him play it that time.

Is this Jussi from the Barnshakers? If so, I love that old Sho-Bud you played in Vegas a few years back. Now there's a guitar!

Tele · Post by **Tele** » 1 Nov 2001 2:08 pm

Hey Chris

how are doin' ?
yes that's him, maybe a few more guys know him as Lester Peabody.
I think the Wright that Lee used on that tour was the D-10 I bought from Paul Warnick..talking about weight, it was more than 100lbs with both cases (:

Andy

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 2 Nov 2001 2:54 pm

Jussi-it is very interesting that you say the guitar was cut down from a quad-with so few known Wright quads to exist-there was not likely more than five or six that I have heard of with four necks-Chas Smith has one, Barbara Mandrell has one, I have one, and Jody Carver has been trying to hunt one down that he knew about and I wondering now if the one you got could have been that same one? The Wright that I have is an early model with cast endplates and metal necks

Chris DeBarge · Post by **Chris DeBarge** » 2 Nov 2001 3:05 pm

Hey Andy, I <em>thought</em> that was "Lester".

The Wright I saw Lee play had at least 3 necks, but I could be wrong. This had to have been at least 4 years ago.

BTW, almost was going to play steel in Germany but the gig fell through (another Andy if you know him). Too bad, could've caught up!

Tele · Post by **Tele** » 2 Nov 2001 8:34 pm

Chris,

yes I know THAT Andy, enough said. Next time you'll be around call me and let us do your booking.
(sorry for using your thread Jussi

)

Andy

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 4 Nov 2001 11:04 pm

Chris, yep, that's me playing with THe Barnshakers, glad you dug the Sho Bud, it is a pretty guitar.
Paul, I have no exact knowledge of the origins of my guitar, except for Jay Decker. He probably was the last person to play it and probably was the one who altered the guitar. His name was on a plate on the front apron. Of all the quads I know of, this is the only one, that looks exactly like Jimmy Day's, which he traded to Curly Chalker shortly before he got his first Sho Bud. At one point I was suspecting, that it could be the same one, but now I don't think so. The front apron wood looks different and mine seems to have one extra fret marker. This one also has cast metal endplates, which extend over the top, and it has aluminium necks.
Lee Jeffries did have a quad too, though I never saw it. Also, in -97 someone was selling one of Vance Terry's quads in SGW-magazine and Vance played several Wrights during the 60's.
And Chris, you bet this is a heavy sucker 80lbs in the case. Fortunately I'll be carrying a Standel 25L15 in another hand to balance my way

Jussi

Frank Venters · Post by **Frank Venters** » 5 Nov 2001 4:44 am

Jussi, you mentioned that the name Jay Decker was on the front of your steel.I knew a Jay Decker in Alaska, and he use to play at the old Montana Club and played what I believe was a triple neck Wright Custom. This was back in the early 70's, and even then the guitar looked very wobbly up on the stage, which was located behind the bar.Jay was an old geezer back then and I don't know what happened to him after he quit playing at the Montana Club.

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 5 Nov 2001 6:12 am

Frank, yep, this is the guitar! I actually figured, that all that modifying was done in the 70's, back when there really wasn't a vintage guitar market. Not to mention a market for vintage steels.
Jussi

Frank Venters · Post by **Frank Venters** » 5 Nov 2001 6:47 am

Jussi, one other thing, I first met Jay Decker in late 1969. I stopped in the Montana Club one evening for a few brews and Jay was up there banging away and I noticed that one of his pedal rods was made from a coat hanger. Does this guitar have a coat hanger for a pedal rod or are all the original pedal rods on the guitar? I moved up to Alaska in August 1969 from all places, Minot, North Dakota.From the frying pan into the fire.

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 5 Nov 2001 10:28 pm

Frank, no, the coathanger-pedalrod is not there. But like I said, originally there were six pedals for two necks, now only four for one neck. Each pedal pulls only one change, but there are five changer fingers on the pedal neck. I guess the coathanger rod finally gave up. When I received this guitar, it definately looked like it hadn't been played since the 70's. The person who sold it to me wasn't a musician and knew nothing about it. This is a fun project, I'll try to email all of you guys some pics once it's done. For those who are interested, Jimmy Day's Wright can be seen on those 50's Al Gannaway TV-shows, with Ray Price and Jim Reeves.
Jussi

Eric Stumpf · Post by **Eric Stumpf** » 27 Aug 2002 4:14 am

Did anyone see that Barbara Mandrell TV movie the other night where she (the actress playing her, actually) is ripping it up on a big blond Quad? Was that Barbara's actual Wright Custom or a facsimile steel brought in from the prop barn? Nothing like resurrecting an ancient Forum topic, eh?

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 27 Aug 2002 3:43 pm

Revival indeed, hey Jussi.. how's that Wright looking and playing now?

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 27 Aug 2002 11:03 pm

Jason, it definately has the sound Jimmy Day had on "Crazy Arms", looks like his Wright did too, except for the missing fourth neck. It has two non pedal necks and one pedal neck with the Isaacs set up.

Lee Jeffriess · Post by **Lee Jeffriess** » 31 Aug 2002 3:35 pm

Jussi
The wright custom i had was a quad it was biult for Gene selser.
It was the one advertised as being owned by
vance, but that wasnt true.
When i got the guitar it was in showroom
condition, what it lacked in tone it made up in looks.
Paul warnick got it from Billy wilson, who i dont beleive played it very much.
I did two pretty big national tours with that guitar and i came to the same conclusion
as mr Chalker its to heavey.
About ten years ago gary lambert told me about a Wright quad out in the riverside area
I called the store and the would not budge on the price, so i called Chas smith and told
him about it, a couple of days later we went
and picked it up.
I beleive that guitar is the Day/Chalker
one,its identical to the one you see in the opry tv shows.
All the best lee
and i have a audio pot if you still
need one.

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 31 Aug 2002 10:47 pm

<SMALL>Was that Barbara's actual Wright Custom or a facsimile steel brought in from the prop barn?</SMALL>

That was the original. It's been refinished and the pedals only worked on one neck. I have a few photos of myself playing it. It's a beautiful guitar with cabinet ends and polished aluminum castings on the keyheads. Paul Morris was the guitar wrangler and he rented my Quad 8 in case her's didn't show up. History for Hire, a prop house, borrowed some of my Standel things, tag drops, amps, etc. to copy for the trade show scenes.

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 1 Sep 2002 9:48 pm

Hey Lee, good to see you posting here too! Thanks, I already have the pots and after trying out couple of different valued caps, got it working like it should. And yep, it is a backbreaker.
Jussi

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 1 Sep 2002 10:34 pm

Norm Hamlet took delivery of a triple Wright in '62 and may still have it. He may have gotten it via the Mandrells as he was tutoring Barbara about that time. I got a new D-10 Wright Custom in '63 which later went to Jack Smith, I believe in about '65 or '66. Yes, you knew you had something under you as they did have some weight. As well as I remember Carvin sold some pedal steels in the '60s and the changer appeared to be the Wright design.

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 2 Sep 2002 12:12 am

When I first posted this topic, I got an email from a forumite who also told me about Norman Hamlet's Wright. But I got the impression he doesn't have it anymore. The Carvin connection sounds interesting; another friend of mine has a mysterious, non-labeled doubleneck with parts, changers and other features, that look alot like the Wright Paul Warnik sold to Germany. Could it be a Carvin?? I've also seen a picture of a 60's Sierra with those same features.

Chris DeBarge · Post by **Chris DeBarge** » 2 Sep 2002 6:26 am

Hey Lee, welcome to the forum! Hope you're still playing out.

Jussi, let's see some pictures of that Wright!