Shobud Permanants & those who played them back when-----

[James Morehead]

It's amazing to me the early history of Shobud steel guitars. Anyone have some good history to contribute and pictures, etc.? Please contribute.

Here's some good reads:
http://www.planet.eon.net/~gsimmons/shobud/buddy.html

and:
http://www.planet.eon.net/~gsimmons/shobud/models.html

Here's some early examples of awesome shobud tone--enjoy:
1961 Buddy Emmons with E.T.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnEMOQTh27s

1962 Buddy Emmons with Ray Price
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X77U7hdWTA

Another great example in Sept of '62:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHkxHMlJIyY

Hal Rugg on Wilburn Brothers Show-not sure of the year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIvP8Lq8iTY

Classic early Lloyd Green:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA3oBrk2qY8
Likely many of the tunes on the early Johnny Paycheck "Little Darlin'" sessions were on this perm or the Lightening Bolt Fingertip. There were evidently only 4 of those perms made that had the inlaid heart--Lloyd got one and Jimmie Day got another. The other two are unaccounted for.

Here's another. I "think" this is a perm that Buddy Charleton is playing, maybe some one can confirm this. It may possibly be a fingertip. My eyes maybe tricking me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP9mDEri85o

And couple from the great Don Helms:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boXZEmPk8Q4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR3ppiuBaD8

[Daniel McKee]

I think those early Shobuds have awesome sound and they were all nice looking guitars as well.

[Bobby Boggs]

James, you've forgotten more about Sho~Bud's than I'll ever know. But I think the clip of Charleton is a finger tip.

bb

[Robert Daniels]

Here's some early examples of awesome shobud tone--enjoy:
1961 Buddy Emmons with E.T.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnEMOQTh27s

WOW!!!

[John Billings]

Looks like a Perm to me. But it's kinda hard to tell. I think the F-tips required more room between the changer axle and the endplate for the mechanism.[Maybe someone can actually take a measurement? My back is too shot today to be moving cases around] Also, my F-tip is first run, and it has string ball ends for the nut rollers. The older Perms did not, until they started to share the same body and gutz as the F-tip, around '63/'64. Buddy's keyhead has slots, no rollers.

[James Morehead]

John, I tend to agree, looks perm to me too. But the resolution is "trying". I wish they showed some different angles.

Bobby, thanx for the compliment. Fingertip or Perm--awesome tone!

[John Billings]

James,
Ar around 0:50, there's a shot from the keyhead end. I see slots not rollers.
JB

[James Morehead]

Then again, John, look about 1:08 on this link. I think I do see a deep cut for rollers, and the lack of a neck selector switch between the necks, and if you look at the changer endplate, you can barely make out the fingertip style adjusters. Also, the pickups are black. Perms seem to have had light colored pickup tops--kind of a pearloid cover. Bobby, seems to have nailed it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZyM85ltQ1I

[John Billings]

I think you're right James. I wish the resolution were better, but,,,, When I zoomed in, I could see two mounting screws on the endplate flange on the front of the guitar, not one in the center. Also, notice the the changer on the Perm is rounded around the axle. As near as I can tell, due to fuzziness, the changer on the guitar in question has the square surround around the axle, like a Fingertip. Necks are also close together. Wish the reso was better,,,,,,,

[Jussi Huhtakangas]

"There were evidently only 4 of those perms made that had the inlaid heart--Lloyd got one and Jimmie Day got another. The other two are unaccounted for. "

I think Jimmy's guitar actually had a spade inlaid, not a heart.
Here's a swanky pic of Jimmy. I don't recall seeing any other photos of him playing this particular guitar, which to me seems to be a perm:

[James Morehead]

Jussi, that is a great photo. It may be so, that the 4 guitars were the 4 different card suits vs. four guitars with only heart card suits on the front. Interesting mystery. It would be great to learn more about this. Jimmy had many guitars, there were possibly three that were shobud perms--"Blue Darlin's". The one I worked on did not have any inlay except the normal small diamond inlay typical of early Shobud Perms and Fingertips.

[Bob Carlucci]

Magnificent sounding guitars,, each and every one.. However, the guys that were playing them would have sounded great on any steel guitar ever made..
To my ears, ,out of each sound in that group of clips, non matched buddy charlton.. His sound had such a sweet warm top end that was pure classic Bud, .. bob

[chris ivey]

wow..nice pants! was jimmy a golfer?

[Daniel McKee]

I think all the old Shobuds had that amazing sound but Buddy Charleton has always stood out to me as well I mean he had some amazing sounds with that old Shobud.I think Don Warden had some good sounds on his eight string Shobud permanent If you listen to those early Porter Wagoner shows you can hear some good playing from Don Warden.

[Jay Yuskaitis]

Hi James, Nice to see you and John Billings keeping my favorite topic going. I'll have to corral my son to take some pictures of my Double 8 Sho-Buds and post them. I know I've been saying this for a while. Keep up the good work. Jay Y.

[Peter Nylund]

wow..nice pants! was jimmy a golfer?

Those are permanent pants

[James Morehead]

Hi Jim, Nice to see you and John keeping my favorite topic going. I'll have to coral my son to take some pictures of my Double 8 Sho-Buds and post them. I know I've been saying this for a while. Keep up the good work. Jay Y.

Please do. Also some underside pics, if you could.

[Herb Steiner]

The Honey Fingers guitar is a f-tip with string ball end rollers, at least from what I see.

Jussi
Here's another photo of Jimmy playing that guitar...



... and it looks like a spade to me.

[Ricky Davis]

As I told James when he asked about the Card suit Perms. I was told there were 4 built; one with each card suit and Lloyd got one and Jimmy Day got one and I wasn't sure on the others.....So Lloyd just buzzed in to me with this info:
---------------------

There were, indeed, only 4 of these built back in 1965. They each had a pearl inlay in the center of the Permanent. Shot Jackson designated to whom they would be given.

They were:



Lloyd Green – heart

Pete Drake - club

Jimmy Day - spade

Buddy Charlton – diamond



These are the only ones built with this specific designation.



Lloyd Green

[John Billings]

Cool!

[Alan Berdoulay]

Ya gotta love this place

[James Morehead]

Another difference you can see between fingertips and perms--look at the endplate corners--fingertips are sharp square corners, most perms are round corners. Note the pic Herb posted of Jimmy Day and then look at this link of Buddy Chareleton, in the first 18 seconds playing a fingertip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViY2WXvVXYU

[James Morehead]

I want to thank Mr. Lloyd Green for clarifying the history on the card suit perms--thankyou for sharing that.

And thankyou Ricky for helping bring those facts into sharp clear focus.

A big question---Where are those 4 perms today?

[Ricky Davis]

You're welcome for my part...and I wish I knew where those 4 perms are too...Not like I could obtain one of them....but would offer up my services to make it new again.
Ricky

[Craig A Davidson]

Years ago I talked to Larry Sasser in St. Louis and I think he told me he had Jimmy Day's spade guitar.