The Steel Guitar Forum

Many forumites have been playing a while, and I wonder how many started on Sho-Bud Maverick.? What did you upgrade to.? Ed Naylor Steel Guitar Works.

I started off on a borrowed one. Within 3 days I knew I was destined to be a steel player, and within 2 weeks, I had read about the E to F change and was frustrated because I didn't have one.

The first steel guitar I bought was the MSA U-12 that I still use as my primary guitar. I've bought and sold several others over the years, but that one is a keeper.

Ed....you should know that my first steel was a "hot-rodded" Maverick that I purchased from you!

I moved up to a 12-string Dekley with 5 ped/4 kl and am currently playing a 2000 12-string Carter with 7 ped/5 kl.

Joe

Yes, 3 pedals only. I purchased a knee lever kit from Sho-Bud and added it..then..
Jumped into to the fire..
Sho-Bud D10-Pro III , Black 8+4..It sure was a beauty..I sure wish I had a clue when I first bought it !

Sold it in early 90's foolish me..

t<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 15 March 2004 at 10:14 AM.]</p></FONT>

I started out on one in '78. Ditto to Mike P.'s story. I had Winnie's book and couldn't do most of the changes. Lasted 3 weeeks and I got a 3X4 Pro I.

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Marrs D-10, Webb 6-14E

actually no, my first was an older ZB which was in bad condition but I took it to Mike Fried (of Wylie's band) and he tuned it up best he could. I currently have a Zum 12 with a New Zum on back-order..

Around 1974 I was living in Nashville and traded a metal body roundneck Dobro with a removable raised nut to a young, slim Bobbe Seymour for a light blue enamel-painted Maverick with 3 pedals. It had an old style keyhead with no rollers at the nut, and plastic keys. My friend and mentor on pedal steel, Charlie Gore, took me and the Maverick down to Sho-Bud to have a couple of knee levers added. Jimmy Day was playing in the showroom. We went up to the shop in the attic, and they gave us some venison stew that was cooking up there (Shot killed the deer). While we waited, they replaced the pedal pulls, which were attached to the front apron, with the old permanent cross bars attached to the body (but not running all the way across) and ball-joint bell cranks. At Charlie's request (I had no clue) they also added a left knee to raise the 4th string E to F, and a right knee to lower the 2nd and 9th strings. It was pull-and-release coat-hanger technology. After playing a few months in Nashville, I went back to school at UT Knoxville and played around there a couple of years. I removed the blue enamel from the maple body and neck, and gave it a lacquer finish with a cherry-wood stained body and natural neck - it came out really beautiful. For a few gigs I backed up Pam Tillis, who was then an unknown student at UT, and the girlfriend of our band leader.

I went to graduate school in Los Angeles and gave up music entirely for almost 25 years. A couple of years ago (now in Philly by way of Boston), after four kids and a divorce, I dragged the Maverick out from under the bed, ordered some new strings from Bobbe Seymour (and re-established our acquantance - he remembered the "puke blue" Maverick), and started playing again.

I got a Professional type keyhead with nut rollers from Ed Naylor. Then I discovered the Steel Guitar Forum, and the more I read, the less satisfied I was with the old Maverick. I added another piece of coat hanger (literally) to the F lever so that it also raised the 8th string E. Still not satisfied, I took the kids on a vacation south and stopped in to Bobbe Seymour's and tried everything he had. I didn't find much use for the C6 neck, but I did want more low strings on the E neck. I also really liked the tone of an Emmons push/pull Bobbe had. So when I saw an S12 extended E9 Emmons p/p for sale on the Forum, I bought it. It had great tone, but I didn't like the complicated grips on the bottom strings. Hearing Jim Cohen play around town, I was beginning to get a little interested in the C6 sound, and I liked Reece Andersons idea about having everything on one neck, so I bought a used Fessy S12 Universal. I fell in love with the uni, sold the Maverick to a friend, and never looked back.

Ed, I started on a Maverick around '75, with Winnie's book. I fought that puppy for almost a year, although it did get me into slants to make up for the "missing changes". Replaced that with a Marlen I got from the wonderful sweet Clifford Kirk. That Marlen had great tone but lousy mechanics. Imagine my shock when I found a month old push-pull at a music store in S.C. and traded it for the Marlen and $100. Best deal I ever made.

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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com

Bought my Maverick brand new in 1973 from a music store in southern Indiana. Found an instruction course written by Hery Wallace complete with a play-a-long record. The Maverick ended up under the bed through college and a couple of career transfers. Pulled it out after attending my first Scotty's convention in 1995. After a few lessons from Don Curtis I upgraded to a Carter S-10. When Don saw the Mav for the first time, he said, "Man this thing is mint". I traded the Maverick for the Carter but I still have the Herby Wallace tabs.

my first PSG was a Mav' that an uncle had in his Musik store in Gay Paree back in 79
one day he told me: "i can't sell this thing, so i'm givin'it to ya' cause i'm sure you'll make something out of it"
Thanx to Winnie's Book i did figure out a few things and got on the right track.
to be honest tho' it's only 3 years ago that, Thanx to b0b's links, SGN and this Forum that i got my first real PSG
a ShoBud Professional D10
and i have'nt been able to cut it loose since
well i did get a used Zum D10 a few months ago<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by CrowBear Schmitt on 15 March 2004 at 01:42 PM.]</p></FONT>

yep, the older one, terrible guitar, but it let me know that I wanted to play steel, moved up to a 6140, then emmons

Yep... me too!!.. junk but it made me catch the bug!..

Yes Ed, my first Steel was a Maverick! And Ed if you'll remember correctly. . .YOU TRIED TO TALK ME OUT OF BUYING IT! That was about 25 years ago. It was only because of the Mavericks limitations with the one knee lever. Well you were right ole buddy, I outgrew that guitar QUICK. However, I think it made me appreciate the other great guitars I've owned since that time. As a collector, I kind of wish I had held on to the Maverick for my Grandson. A Maverick gives you just a enough to get a taste of Steel guitar, but a serious player needs more stuff underneath to be able to advance.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Nick Reed on 15 March 2004 at 02:59 PM.]</p></FONT>

yes my first was a maverick but not the shelf paper covered one. It actually looked like a steel guitar. coincidently, it actually souded great and played pretty good but keeping it tuned was impossible. Gave up on it after about 6 months and quit. Finally a lot of years later I bought a Super pro from Deke Lee and I have been hooked ever since. Ended up trading that for a piano because I was playing on the road and needed the keys worse than the steel. Last week I bought a new Fessended SD-10 and I love it. Thangs again Bobbe Seymour.

No. My first "steel" was a solid body Silvertone electric guitar with a home made nut to raise the strings and a pocket knife for a bar. Think it was a Case. Worked! Think it was about 1953..............
Les

Good news: mine was the natural maple one. Bad news: no knee lever. (I think a KL was an option back then.) Sold it, bought a ZB S-10. Bought an Emmons S-10, flipped it for a now laughable profit. Still had the ZB. Bought the Maverick back, traded it again. Sold the ZB S-10 to pay for a ZB D-10. Its difficulties have been excruciatingly detailed earlier in the ZB thread on Pedal Steel (somewhere around the 280-something-th post). Twenty-some years later, the Maverick with a knee lever would still be more guitar than I can play. Righteous divine payback for getting rid of any or all of the first three--Maverick, Emmons and ZB S-10.

Deal me in as well. Bird's eye maple, 3&1. Still have it 'cause I never got around to selling it! Must have some deep seeded dislike of selling instruments.

First one was a Maverick,second one was a Sho-Bud Pro 1 and third one is a Carter S12 Universal.

Mine was an MSA Student axe. Wish I could find it, I buy it back in a heartbeat. Just don't remeber who i sold it to.

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Daniel J. Cormier
Carter D-108/5 , Peavey Sessions 400 Limited ,Nasville 1000,Evans FET 500 LV.
http://www.cajunsteelguitar.com

A Maverick. 3 pedals 1 knee. I got it for a bass guitar and a crate amp. That and Winnie Winston's book made me the player I am today. Hey, I gotta' lay the blame on something!

Robbie Bossert

Bought mine in '75 in Huntsville, Alabama(home of Frank Estes!)when I was in the Army. Never learned SQUAT, except Mooney's "Rainy Day Woman" ride. Couldn't practice in the barravks, didn't have an amp, sold it. 300.00, going and coming.

Yep! A blonde Mav with the raised neck. Also bought it in Huntsville while I was working there for SCI Systems. Wish I had kept it but sold it after I bought my first new guitar (a 1984 S-10 Emmons from the factory. Ordered black because the tone was better)

Ricky...