Early 1957 Sho-Bud D-8 found in Forsyth, GA

[Chris Scruggs]

I just came across it at Tommy Gun's Pawn while on the road. If you can tolerate the know-it-all, uninformed guys who work there who say it's a "1952" (and think it's worth a lot more than it is), it's worth checking out.

Early all wood guitar with no end plates. The undercarriage looks quite mangled with. They want 2k but I wouldn't offer more than 1k in it's condition. I was so put off by the old man who worked there that I didn't even make an offer. If you like 50s Buds and have a high tolerance for ignorance, there it is.

I have no involvement with the dealers or this sale. This is just a public service announcement as these old Buds should be fixed up and played, not collecting dust in some pawn shop that only has three musical instruments for sale.

[Bud Harger]

It would be interesting to see what a "50's" Bud looks like. Pawn folks have a strange outlook on things,

bUd

[Jay Yuskaitis]

Sounds interesting. Jay Y.

[Paul Norman (RIP)]

The Sho-bud company did not exist in 1952.
In 1954 Bud Isaacs modified a steel guitar to pull 1 or more pedals on the song slowly. Shot Jackson and Buddy Emmons started the Sho-Bud co. after that.

[Bud Harger]

I was picking around Baton Rouge during the 50's. I was playing a T-8 Fender with the trapezoid pickups. I wanted a Bigsby, but couldn't afford that. As I recall, Shot Jackson was doing conversions of Fenders adding a changer mechanism and one or two pedals. I looked into that but couldn't afford that either.

I got Harold Romero, New Iberia LA, to build me a Bigsby copy (T-8, one pedal). I still have it.

There is no way that pawn shop guitar is a Sho-Bud...we all know that.. I would like to see what is being called a "Sho-Bud". That would be interesting.

bUd

[Chris Lucker]

The Sho-bud company did not exist in 1952.
In 1954 Bud Isaacs modified a steel guitar to pull 1 or more pedals on the song slowly. Shot Jackson and Buddy Emmons started the Sho-Bud co. after that.

Actually, Paul, you are rewriting history. Shot Jackson's association with DALAND preceded Sho-Bud by three years.

In response to the Bud Isaacs phenomenon in 1954, Don Davis, Hank "Sugarfoot" Garland and Shot Jackson formed the DALAND (DAvis and garLAND) guitar company to try to take advantage of the demand for a pedal steel like the Bigsby of Bud Isaacs and the Factory Bigsby pedal steels. DALAND appeared in an August 14th 1954 advertisement and according to Don Davis they made and sold ten guitars around August 1954 before Don Davis and Hank Garland decided they were too busy with sessions to continue, so they let Shot Jackson pursue the project.

I have the first DALAND, the one that belonged to Don Davis, in my collection.

Below is the 1954 DALAND ad and a photo of Don Davis playing in Owen Bradley's studio in a Slim Whitman session. Ignore the caption. That is Don Davis, not Jerry Byrd playing pedals according to Don, and that is Sugarfoot Garland, not collins.

[Paul Norman (RIP)]

Thanks Chris. This is good information. And I am aware of the Harlin with the end pedals , But I don't associate them with country music. I don't know of an application.

[Hugh Roche]

great photo chris, thank you for sharing

[Chris Scruggs]

Bud Harger the pawn shop guitar is a Sho~Bud, what it is not is a "1952" because as Paul Norman said, Sho~Bud dis not exist in 1952. This is why I put "1952" in quotations in my original post and listed the guitar as a 1957. It has typical late fifties appointments aside from the lack of cast end plates which would date it to 1957. I think I did a decent job of explaining that it is actually a 1957 guitar and the stubborn pawn shop guys kept arguing that it was something that it couldn't be. Did you not gather that from my original post?

[Chris Lucker]

Bud Harger the pawn shop guitar is a Sho~Bud, what it is not is a "1952" because as Paul Norman said, Sho~Bud dis not exist in 1952. This is why I put "1952" in quotations in my original post and listed the guitar as a 1957. It has typical late fifties appointments aside from the lack of cast end plates which would date it to 1957. I think I did a decent job of explaining that it is actually a 1957 guitar and the stubborn pawn shop guys kept arguing that it was something that it couldn't be. Did you not gather that from my original post?

Lack of cast endplates will not date it to 1957 in any way. Sho-Bud offered cabinet end guitars and even 8 string Permanents into the mid to late 1960s.
If both wood ends had the drilled/routed out finger grabs as in the Buddie Emmons/Pete Drake cabinet end I would believe 1957 as the first few Sho-buds had those.
I would look at axle size, tail piece casting and scale as the easiest ways to determine if late 1957 is a possibility.

[Russ Tkac]

Looks like it is on ebay now.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ShoBud-1950s-Pe ... 2338be47a2

[Dave Hopping]

Could be they listened to Chris more than they let on!

[Jerome Hawkes]

man, that is an early one...

[Rex Thomas]

Now that it's on eBay, what's your take on it, Chris Lucker?

[Jussi Huhtakangas]

Looks like a name "Jerome Huggins" or something written under there.

[John Billings]

Early. Ducktail changers. Needs an awful lot of work, which I hope someone will do.

[TonyL]

Looks a bunch like mine! Folks have said 58-59ish.
Setup is just about the same from what I can see too although both were likely updated.

[Tom Gorr]

Those pickup covers are as 'retro' as I've ever seen on a steel....

[William Connerley]

Well, I couldn't help my self! I just bought it. I know I paid too much for it. It will look great with my other Sho Buds when I can get them setup.

As John said there is going to be a lot of work to do on it. At least retiring in December I will have a lot of time to spend on the restoration. Too bad I won't see it until January.

[Chris Lucker]

I must have asked them three times if it had a case and how long the fretboards are. Never got a reply. Does it have its Hooper case?

[William Connerley]

The listing didn't say so my guess would be no.

[Tom Gorr]

A couple of questions....

How do wood endplates vs. aluminum affect tone?

I see the aluminum pickup surround has an assymetrical design...how does that affect tone and tonal balance?

I think its terrific that this guitar will be restored.

[John Billings]

It's got "Ducktail" changers! I love them! They are a beautiful complement to the "Gumby" and together, sort of form an elongated "S."

[Chris Lucker]

A couple of questions....

How do wood endplates vs. aluminum affect tone?

I see the aluminum pickup surround has an assymetrical design...how does that affect tone and tonal balance?

I think its terrific that this guitar will be restored.

There are aluminum endplates. They are just inside the wooden cabinet ends. The tone of these early cabinet ends is unlike what most people would call Sho-Bud tone and to my ears is the best sounding of all the Sho-Buds. It is brighter and piercing. It has less to do with the features that you mentioned than:

1. Stratosphere pickups that are tall and relatively lightly wound.
2. Solid nuts -- no rollers to dampen strings
3. Some strings are not on fingers but are mounted to a solid stop.
4. There are relatively few parts screwed into the cabinet to kill cabinet resonance.
5. Many of these early Sho-Buds have very plain maple, which often is brighter sounding with more pop than prettier figured, but often less brilliant sounding, maple.

[Tom Gorr]

Thanks Chris.