The Steel Guitar Forum

I saw this photo on the auction site for Porters's sons estate

It looks like a couple of pedal rods on the right? Anybody have info on the player or guitar?

Don Warden. Do a forum search, there have been several discussion about him and that guitar. He passed away a couple of years ago.

I believe this guitar is now in the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville. In talking to Steve Gibson recently, he said he had it set up in his Grand Ole Opry Music Director office for quite a while. He said the two pedals are not set up like a typical "A" & "B" pedals. I can't recall .. but, I believe he said that one pedal did the same thing that most "A" & "B" pedals do. I to IV change. Not certain on the other. Shot built the guitar and set it up personally.

Jeff Surratt at Sho-Pro just refinished the guitar. It was one of the guitars that went thru the Nashville flood if I remember right.

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=2562139

Great picture. I heard he was Dollie's manager after he left PW. RP

That's probably the last Sho~Bud that Don had built. The first was a cabinet-end (no aluminum end plates) and it was the very first Sho~Bud built, an S8 with one pedal and the familiar "shark fin" tuning head. ("Shark fin" was how Buddy Emmons described the design when Shot first showed It to him.). Shot was very proud of the tuning head design, and that part was designed and cast before the first guitar was even built.

interview with Don Warden

https://www.countrystarscentral.com/don ... erview.htm

picture of his (the)first Sho Bud

When Porter Wagoner was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002, in his acceptance speech he said the greatest gift he ever gave Dolly Patron was Don Warden. Back in the day, they would pre-mix harmony vocals by positioning the singers at various lengths from the microphone. Don's harmony vocals were so strong, the legendary RCA Studio "B" story goes, Chet Atkins once joked with Don to stand outside in the street so they recording could get a good blend.

Mr. Jimmy Douglas, re: your photo of Don's Sho-Bud. I would very much like to know the location of this photo. Thanks.

robert kramer wrote:...Mr. Jimmy Douglas, re: your photo of Don's Sho-Bud. I would very much like to know the location of this photo.

From the article Jimmy linked:
"Don bought the first steel guitar made by the Sho-Bud company. The original Sho-Bud steel guitar that Don owned and played for many years is now on display at The Grand Ole Opry museum in Nashville, Tennessee."

Mr. Worley, Thanks for correcting my incredibly poor reading comprehension! Grand Ole Opry Museum it is. Thanks again.

Here is one with the original, nice front on closeup at 06:26

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iXIsiz ... erAnderson

Here is one with a nice closeup of Don's later guitar at 04:11

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xLcEv5 ... erAnderson

here's a fun one with Faron running amok and Don taking care of business as well as young Doug Jernigan (24yo?)layin it right down, on the back neck!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGx5Lnd ... owboySings

The Wagonmasters....What a super (hot) band! Soulful country music at its best.

Jimmy Douglas, I watch these videos all the way through and some songs twice. Great shows and singing. It's all great but especially like Johnny Wright, Kitty Wells, and Ruby Wright family harmony. Thanks!

robert kramer,

I took the original photo of Don Warden's Sho~Bud in the Roy Acuff Museum over the Easter weekend, 1968. Here's my copy that I guess was obtained by other folks from the Forum .

Great photo Jim!

I agree Robert. Great shows from the past.

There was another steel that Don played that was on display at Dollywood, it was a Multikord steel. It was in a museum that displayed every part of Dolly's career, including the times she was on the Porter Wagoner show, where Don Warden played a Sho-Bud pedal steel in a standing position.