The Steel Guitar Forum

Been watching some George Jones videos on YouTube and I saw Sonny playing a black Emmons, I know Sho Bud models but not Emmons. Anyone care to give the model?

Paycheck on bass?

Jeremy Reeves wrote:Paycheck on bass?

Yup, short guy

That Emmons looks like one of the earliest. The decal may be the "Emmons Stereo". If so, probably a wrap-around. I'm guessing 1965. I know there are other forumites that could chime in (no pun intended).

Sonny was a close personal friend of mine and Sonny told me that guitar was #3. He had tons of tuning problems with it. It was the Emmons Stereo model. The jack had two separate recessed positions to engage the stereo pick up. The pick up magnets on both necks were staggered and the volume and tone controls and neck selector was located on the left side of the top neck facing the player. It did in fact have the Emmons Stereo decal on the front. Also, it had no knee levers at that time. I think it lives in the Nashville area at this time.

john buffington wrote:Sonny was a close personal friend of mine and Sonny told me that guitar was #3. He had tons of tuning problems with it. It was the Emmons Stereo model. The jack had two separate recessed positions to engage the stereo pick up. The pick up magnets on both necks were staggered and the volume and tone controls and neck selector was located on the left side of the top neck facing the player. It did in fact have the Emmons Stereo decal on the front. Also, it had no knee levers at that time. I think it lives in the Nashville area at this time.

Never heard of a "Stereo" steel. I've heard of the Gibson 345, a stereo guitar. Shame it had tuning problems. Thanks!

Sonny indicated it required 2 separate amps to acquire the true "stereo" sound. He used Fender twins.

I had a1964 Emmons D-10 and would agree about the tuning instability.

In that Youtube video of A 11, he appears to be activating one knee lever that hangs at a strange angle.

John Buffington speaks with straight tongue. Sonny's guitar was #3 and was a "stereo." Last I heard, Mike Cass was in possession of the guitar and was restoring it, but that was several years ago.

I asked Buddy about the stereo thing. His answer was "it seemed like a good idea at the time . But it was a PITA to replace parts since it required removing the necks to do it, and I also realized that nobody I knew could afford playing through two amps. "

I have Emmons #18 and it isn't any harder to tune/set-up than any other PP I've owned, which has been way more than a few. Currently I own 5.

As far as the tuning issue: "the tuning problems I had was because of my set-up. I lower into E9th instead of raising into E. When my pedals are down I am in E, when my pedals are up, I am in A. I play backwards to everyone else." This was the amazing thing about his playing, you couldn't tell the difference. When I first saw him at Cain's (Tulsa, OK) with #3, he did spend some time tuning all the changes on the E9th neck. That was his only complaint about the Emmons. I've got a 70 and a 74 and are virtually trouble free!

John, I had an early Emmons that I bought off of Jimmy Fox in Sacramento. One of the reasons I got rid of it was because of the tuning issues. This was in the late '70s. Wish I still owned it because I think now there are guys around who can really restore them to play much better than back then.

Joe

Joe you are so right, if they are set up properly tuning issue are minimal. In fact, I have less tuning issues with my p/p's than I do with some of my a/p's. Push/pull tone is by far, for my ears, superior to anything else I own.

I took these pix at a George Jones show in the fall of '64. Sonny only had the guitar for a few months at that time. He took me backstage and showed me the all of the innovative features of the guitar, and as a 19 year old kid, I was totally impressed. Sonny was very gracious and friendly and also a great player.

And as a footnote, George got drunk and 'left the building'!

ps. Sorry about the pic size. I'm new at this and don't know how to reduce them for posting.

Interesting photo showing the 1st generation pickups, soap bar style with the split pole pieces design.

I had #7 for awhile (now in Japan) and the pickups were of the soap bar type and had the pole pieces placed diagonally, with the bass strings poles being closer to the bridge and the treble side closer to the end of the fretboard.

Liam Sullins wrote:
Never heard of a "Stereo" steel.

Along with the Emmons Stereo, there was also a Domland Stereo. There may have also been others I'm not aware of.

That pic looking down between the necks of the Emmons Stereo Steel shows what may have contributed to the short life span of that model.

It appears that the E9th neck had to be removed to get to the electronics of the Stereo model.

Herb Steiner probably knows more......

When I worked for GJ,someone gave us(the band)a cassette copy of a reel to reel tape
made at a GJ show in the 60s...Melba Montgomery was singing w/"Postum"and Sonny Curtis was playing steel...

Sonny was playing the Emmons guitar in the picture...what a glorious sound...even on a copy of a copy, the tone of that guitar shone through...bright,but the mid-range evened it out...it was possibly the best I'd ever heard...

I don't know what happened to that tape.

SH

It was that particular guitar and tone that caught my ear and turned me on to Emmons guitars. Like Steve said - the tone was incredible, it was the total package.