difference between a shobud and an Emmons

Paul Evans · Post by **Paul Evans** » 7 Nov 2015 7:18 am

Hi folks, I was wanting your opinion on the difference between the Emmons and the Shobud. I have a Fulawka and I love the steel but I was thinking of getting a second Steel for something different. I do notice that the Emmons is more money. Also what pick up is the best on either guitar. Would the same pickup sound the same on either guitar. I guess I could also mention the Rains to see how comparable it might be to either guitar. Thanks for your advise.
Paul Evans

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 7 Nov 2015 7:55 am

I have an Emmons U12 pushpull and a 74 Shobud ProII D10.

tonally. ... it is like a Saxophone vs. French Horn. If you are into amps. ... the difference between a Mesa Boogie Mark series liquid lead tone vs a HiWatt. Santana vs. Pete Townshend.

From a 'feel' point of view the Emmons inspires in the direction of a more laid back legato approach and the Shobud a more forward approach.

FWIW....I highly recommend having both. It will open up new avenues

As for pickups. .. go with the originals in each. .. they suit the natural timbre of the instrument.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 7 Nov 2015 8:04 am

I'm not emotionally attached to either one, but to me, the Fulawka tone is very similar to a Sho~Bud; in that it has a certain fullness and richness to the sound...almost a "woody" character. The Emmons is very bright and clear, in comparison, almost metallic, and it has better sustain.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 7 Nov 2015 12:12 pm

oh, i don't know.

Peter den Hartogh · Post by **Peter den Hartogh** » 7 Nov 2015 1:25 pm

Nice description, Tom. Spot on!

Johnie Helms · Post by **Johnie Helms** » 7 Nov 2015 8:29 pm

Hey Paul...

I'll chime in here... I to agree with Tom,
When asked by other musicians, I usually use the "guitar" comparison of a Gibson Les Paul and Fender Tele or Strat, respectfully.. There all great guitars, but, have there own distinct Sounds and play and "feel" different from one another.

You'll also notice that, those two Steel guitar brands are usually brought up when, talkin shop ( tone or other similarities of other brands )... Of course I'm Not implying the other brands are inferior by any means... I've owned many other brands and liked most of them.
Currently I have an Emmons Push Pull & Shobud Superpro. And proud to own both,,

JH

Eric Philippsen · Post by **Eric Philippsen** » 8 Nov 2015 2:21 pm

Johnie's analogy is good. That is, what's better? A Tele or a Les Paul? Of course, the answer is "Neither, they're both great."

Then again, I like Chris Ivey's great answer, too - "Oh, I don't know."

Paul Evans · Post by **Paul Evans** » 8 Nov 2015 3:02 pm

Thanks Guys for info. I had a Sho~Bud for years and loved it.. I was just curious on which one I should look at and I am also looking at a Sho~Bud again. I will not get rid of my Fulawka, it is one amazing guitar. One Thing is, when talking to my good friend Al Brisco: He says that the Emmons are not fun to work on.. But that is probably why it has its own sound.

Rich Upright · Post by **Rich Upright** » 9 Nov 2015 8:14 pm

Now, this reply is just my opinion; please no one take offense...
IMHO, you cannot even come close to comparing the sound between the 2. Emmons has hands down the better tone, and I feel it is due to the aluminum necks resonance. And if it is a PP, I would take it over any other steel even if it were on fire! I have never like the sound of a Sho-Bud, and I have only heard 2 players get great tone on them--Lloyd Green, & Dickey Overbey. Not saying you can't get a great tone out of a Bud, but I have never been able to. An Emmons will ALWAYS sound great, no matter what amp,settings, or effects you use.
Remember;these are just my own observations; your results may vary.

Only PP Emmons guitars are hard to work on...LeGrandes are the same as any other steel. But, a PP will reward you with a tone from heaven!

Paul Sutherland · Post by **Paul Sutherland** » 9 Nov 2015 8:53 pm

I had a ShoBud once. Now I play an Emmons PP.

George Kimery · Post by **George Kimery** » 9 Nov 2015 10:13 pm

If it were me, I would either go with an Emmons PP or a more modern guitar like a Zum, Williams, Rains etc. (don't mean to leave anybody out, these just came to mind) The mechanical aspects of steel guitars have come a long ways since the 60' and 70's.

I have owned 2 Emmons PP's and never had a problem working on them. Once they are set up, they tend to stay in forever. At least that has been my experience. If you consider resale value, the Emmons PP will increase in value as the years go by.

Except for Lloyd Green, I have never heard a Sho Bud that has the tone that I like. I am sure there are Bud's out there that sound and play great. I have just never encountered one, to my ears like.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 9 Nov 2015 10:40 pm

I hear players around town that get a fantastic tone from there Sho Buds. Don Don with Dale Watson and Ricky Davis have perfect sounding guitars. Not all Sho Buds were created equal though. There were all sorts of variations over the years. Also to my ear a bud sounds best when it is up in the mix in the role of a lead instrument in a honky tonk band.

On the other hand Emmons are very consistent and can hold there own in a crowded mix or loud stage. They always cut through the mud. When I play my Emmons I feel like I can change from a sweet pearly clear sound to a twangy icepick by just changing my mind.

Because of the strength of the upper mids in an Emmons they can sometimes sound sorta nasal. Like an oboe or viola.

I would play a bunch of steels until you find one that fits. Or just get a Rains. They are currently way underpriced and there is nothing better. I love them,

To a well made good sounding guitar like an Emmons, Rains or (some) Sho Buds the pickup doesn't really make much difference. As long as there is nothing really wrong with the pickup it should work fine.

Bill L. Wilson · Post by **Bill L. Wilson** » 10 Nov 2015 1:13 am

I had a Sho-Bud S-10 that sounded OK, but my Emmons far outshines the Bud. Now, I did play a Sho-Pro at the Dallas Show this yr. that was fantastic in both tone and mechanics. I liked it a lot, and would really consider a Sho-Pro in the future.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 10 Nov 2015 10:48 am

I always loved the tone that Buddy Emmons got using a Sho~Bud on his "Steel Guitar Jazz" album. In addition, to me, the tones that Buddy Charleton got on his many Sho~Bud guitars were never matched when he switched to Emmons guitars, and later, to G.F.I. guitars. Charleton and Green "trademarked" the Sho~Bud sound, much like what Emmons and Myrick did for the Emmons guitars.

All IMHO, of course.

Greg Cutshaw · Post by **Greg Cutshaw** » 10 Nov 2015 11:09 am

By far my favorite sounds from Buddy Charleton, Emmons, Lloyd Green, Jim Murphy, Jim Vest and Pete Drake are when they played Sho-Bud guitars. I heard Paul Franklin play a Sho-Bud when he was starting with Barbara Mandrell and the tone was awesome. Not all Sho-Buds are the same. The pickups make a huge difference!

Bryan Staddon · Post by **Bryan Staddon** » 10 Nov 2015 12:43 pm

Sho-Bud is Marilyn Monroe,Emmons is Sophia Loren,Pretty hard to choose.

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 10 Nov 2015 3:01 pm

there is so much bull shit on here, by "know it all experts", that I have to go get me a beer ...

Butch Mullen · Post by **Butch Mullen** » 10 Nov 2015 3:19 pm

Think I will,too. O, I alwedy did!!!!!. Butch in NC

Dan Robinson · Post by **Dan Robinson** » 10 Nov 2015 6:34 pm

Damir Besic wrote:there is so much bull shit on here, by "know it all experts", that I have to go get me a beer ...

Yep, thanks for reminding me. Even if you normally don't imbibe, it's never too late to START drinking.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 10 Nov 2015 9:59 pm

I always preferred a Sho-Bud out of the two mentioned. My first D-10 was a 60s rack & barrel Professional w/8+4 & stock pickups which I pretty much loved for its tone and hated for its mechanical limitations and cabinet drop. Tone trumped all tho and I played that thing for 10 years all over the planet Earth before moving on to more modern guitars. And if I was gonna get another Bud it would be a Pro II which is the best all round Sho-Bud in my opinion. If you doubt that just listen to Dan Dugmore's solo on Linda Ronstadt's recording of 'Blue Bayou". Don't forget to include ZB guitars in your possible choices. Prolly the best of all steels from the 60s-70s. I had one of them too and it was killin' tonewise. Seriously killin'. And nothing has replaced it. One can postulate that Fulawka, Mullen and now Jackson have more-or-less carried on the Sho-Bud tone and maybe Zum or Pro-Mat is very much like a modern take on an Emmons - but what besides a BMI sounds remotely like a ZB?

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 11 Nov 2015 1:52 am

I have heard that Fessenden carries some ZB fingerprints. I have never played a ZB so have no idea on its vibe.

As for Fessenden....mine is in the Emmons camp... particularly with its George L EONS...a smoother toned version of an E66... ..acoustically it seems to be fatter sounding so I am thinking about trying some different pickups to capture the guitars personality better... likely 705s.... .It doesn't quite get the sax vibe going as strong as a PP...but still more woodwind than brass.

A couple of BMIs on you tube definately get the GAS going. So many guitars. .. so little time. ..

Asa Brosius · Post by **Asa Brosius** » 11 Nov 2015 5:49 am

there must be some emmons players in toronto whose guitars you can check out, especially if you bring your fulawka. i chose a modern emmons, for reasons of clarity and sustain, reputation (the guitar, not the company) and resale value. when considering shobuds, the pros were: i like their look better, and they're usually much cheaper. Also, since it came up earlier, my emmons has been a breeze to work on.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 11 Nov 2015 6:14 am

Damir Besic wrote:there is so much bull shit on here, by "know it all experts", that I have to go get me a beer ...

That one is worth saving.

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 11 Nov 2015 8:16 am

Damir Besic wrote:there is so much bull shit on here, by "know it all experts", that I have to go get me a beer ...

Make mine a Shiner...Shiner Bock!

Lee, from South Texas

Don Drummer · Post by **Don Drummer** » 11 Nov 2015 5:25 pm

...lots of opinions. Damir nails it. On the other hand, many want to participate and voice their opinions;so desciptions of tone;one is more balanced above the 12th fret, etc. This is what fuels this forum. My answer to the OP...make an effort to search out other models.If my first buy was a Fulakwa I'd says. you have very high baseline.

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difference between a shobud and an Emmons

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