The Steel Guitar Forum

I recently purchased my first Dbl neck guitar, a Sho Bud Professional 8/2. Knowing absoultely nothing about setting up this beautiful and great sounding guitar, ( I played (?) a raised neck SB Maverick about 10 yrs ago and decided that was too long without a PSG.) I would like to ask for opinions, comments and recommendations from Forum members on what works best for these Professionals. Being unfamilar with this guitar or any for that matter, I know you good folks will come to the rescue. Thanks for your reply.

Rick Maxwell
Macon, Ga.

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Send it to Duanne Marrs custom shop outside of Nashville in Madison. Have two more knee levers added. Duanne worked for Sho-Bud for fourteen years. www.marrsofmadison.com. 615-868-5344. It will play like a new Sho-Bud when you get it back. Put Bill Lawrence 710 pickups in it. Duanne can also have it refinished by the original Sho-Bud finisher ata very reasonable cost. They smoke when you get them back.

Rick, i agree w: Kevin about adding two more knee levers.
having just two knee levers is limited.
Do the 2 levers you have work on both E9 and C6 ?
have you figured out how to tune it and change the pedal set up if needed ?
Could you explain what it is your tryin' to figure out w: your newly acquired ShoBud ?
i like you started out w; a Maverick and when i got my first D10 ShoBud Professional 8+4 i did'nt know anything about getting it goin' but thanx to the Bro's here i got put on the right track and i've been happier than a pig in muck since.
so just keep askin' and i'm sure you'll get all the help you need here

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Steel what?

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by CrowBear Schmitt on 30 December 2002 at 04:07 PM.]</p></FONT>

I'm pretty sure I'm tuning correctly, tuners first, then the pedals with the allen wrench. As far as changing the pedal set up, no I"ve never tried that. The knee levers do operate on both E-9 and C-6. Never playing on C-6, I don't know if it's even close or not. So far, the advise to let Duanne Marrs go over it sounds pretty good. It currently has George L's PF-1 on E-9 and PF-2 on C-6. The sound of this guitar is great.

Rick,
I've had a Sho-Bud Professional for over 20 years and I guess I'll never sell it: It just sounds too darn good! Mine has the origional pickups, and 5 knee levers. I don't know if it came from the factory with 5 knees or not. I drove down near you one day and bought it from a guy who ran a radio station. I think it was in Dublin?? I'd have to look at a map. Anyway, I played that steel 5 and 6 nights a week for a couple of years, and a lot of practicing too, and never had a minute's trouble out of it. Those old Sho Buds have the shortest pedal travel of anything I've played. It cut thru the "mix" like no other guitar I'd had before. (well, at least until I got my current Emmons LeGrande III) So I think ya done gud getting it!

My main guitar is Professional, I also have a machine shop in the garage, so I completely changed the mechanism and did a lot of other mods. For pickups, it has a Danny Sheilds Bigsby copy and a Lawrence 705 on each neck. I haven't heard anything that sounds better yet.

<img src=http://home.hvc.rr.com/jsganz/Sho~Bud.jpg>

Beautiful Jay!

My main guitar is a Professional as well, and although it's not perfect it does just fine. You gotta tinker a little with it, keep the strings fresh, etc, but it sounds HUGE.

I was just about to rag you guys for changing the pickups when Chas said "Bigsby copy" - that got my attention! Do tell us about it Chas, thanks.

Chris--About ten or so years ago, I met Danny Shields at the Texas Steel Convention. I had a number of Bigsby guitars and I was/still am, captivated by what they sound like. I had been talking to someone about wishing I could get some 10 string Bigsby pickups for a Sho-Bud, I was rebuilding, and he said that he would introduce me to Danny. I knew who Danny was, and thus I was a bit intimidated by actually meeting him. I considered him to be a "wizard", and profoundly knowledgable about pickups. So we went up to his room where he had a guitar set up for plug-ins and a briefcase full of different kinds of pickups that he had wound. One by one we listened to each, and the Bigsby and the Sho-Bud were really obvious, the Emmons, I think, needs the changer and guitar body to sound like an Emmons (and there were a lot of other ones, like the "crap trap" that I didn't know what they were).

So then he "shuffled" them all and told me, if I could pick out the Bigsby, he'd make me a set. A Bigsby pickup in a Sho-Bud, isn't going to make it sound like a Bigsby, maybe more like a Sho-Big or a Bugsby. This guitar was a "basket case" when I got it, so I figured I could restore it as I wished.

I added the 705's to "fill out" the sound and I "beefed" the changer casting.



Jay's photos kind of kick my butt.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by chas smith on 01 January 2003 at 06:55 PM.]</p></FONT>

Thanks everyone for your advise and thoughts. Man it's just great to be "Steelin" again. Jay and Chas, your guitars are absoultely beautiful. I know for me I made the right choice getting the Professional. I just need to get the set up right for me and learn more about what's underneath.

Rick Maxwell
Macon, Ga.

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Perhaps this will help you along Rick
you can set the rods on any string you want
the bottom row of the changer is for Lowers
the top row is for Raises
you can put more than 1 copper barrel on 1 rod too
to set the barrels, tighten it first then unwind 4/5 turns, then tighten it up in place
if possible make sure the little wire that sticks out of the Barrel faces down. it does turn around tho' while pedal pushin' and can cause the raise or lower to be out of tune.

Chas, that's quite a rig you got there; extra string added to the bottom of the C6 neck?

My picture doesn't compare, but it's one of only a few I have:



<font size="-1">And unfortunately I'm in the picture too!</font><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Chris DeBarge on 03 January 2003 at 07:44 AM.]</p></FONT>

Chris, the 11th string is a low C and it doesn't change and everything else is pretty uncomplicated.
<font face="monospace" size="3"><pre>
<- -> 4 5 6 7 8 <- ->
1 G G#
2 E Eb F
3 C C# D B
4 A B B Bb
5 G F#
6 E Eb Eb
7 C C#
8 A Bb
9 G F# F F
10 E D Eb
11 C
</pre></font><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by chas smith on 03 January 2003 at 12:22 PM.]</p></FONT><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by chas smith on 03 January 2003 at 12:23 PM.]</p></FONT>

Chas, what a great idea swapping the 4 and the 7! You only need one foot for the 13th with the tonic on the 3rd string.

<SMALL>what a great idea swapping the 4 and the 7! You only need one foot for the 13th with the tonic on the 3rd string.</SMALL>

Better yet, put the .022 A -> B raise on a knee lever. It is my most-used knee lever, with a half stop at B flat.

Chris DeBarge,

I like the two pedals on yer ShoBud, reminds me of "Two-Pedal" Terry Wendt and his ShoBud. Any more pedals then that, you'd have to think twice about the motorcycle boots :>)

All the best,

Drew Howard

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www.newslinkassociates.com
www.drewhoward.com

<SMALL>Better yet, put the .022 A -> B raise on a knee lever. It is my most-used knee lever, with a half stop at B flat.</SMALL>

I have that on the Bigsby with A->Ab on RKR. It's way more better. Every time I thought about doing the necessary surgery on the Bud, I rationalized why I didn't need it.

Drew, I don't use any of the other ones, so I don't hook 'em up! One of these days I'm going to just take the other pedals off - or learn how to use them.

BTW, you can't play that thing with sneakers, I've tried, pedal action needs tougher stuff.