History of the Emmons Guitar Company

[Jeff Bradshaw]

Chris Lucker, Thanks for posting the pictures! ..jeff

[Don Brown, Sr.]

Chris, I take it they used those Stereo labels, due to the fifty that Buddy had ordered made up along with the fifty fretboards.

Some real nice shots!

Thanks,
Don

[Bill Erchul]

FYI -- Below is the text of an Emmons press release that I received in the mail in May 1998:

*******

PRESS RELEASE

EMMONS GUITAR CO. SOLD TO BUSINESS ASSOCIATE.
EMPLOYEES, MATERIALS AND QUALITY TRADITION TO REMAIN.

(BURLINGTON, N.C.) Emmons Guitar Company, Inc. announces the sale of this pedal steel manufacturing firm by founder and co-designer Ron Lashley to Jim Aycoth. The buyer also owns Aycoth Machine Company, which has produced the parts for these legendary musical instruments for the past 18 years. Aycoth Machine is located in Monroe, N.C., where Jim lives with his wife Jo Ann, who will be actively involved with Emmons Guitar Co.

"In our effort, once again, to improve the Emmons Guitar, provide faster delivery, improve customer relations and implement a more efficient parts ordering system, we have decided to make this move," said Aycoth.

According to Aycoth, there are no plans to merge the two companies or to relocate Emmons Guitar from its original location in Burlington.

Lashley formed the company in 1963, after designing and building a steel guitar while he was a physics professor at Appalachian State University. He then showed that revolutionary model to Buddy Emmons, who was, and still is, the foremost performer of the instrument. Emmons, in turn, added some designs to this exciting new product, himself. Buddy has recently purchased and is currently using, two Emmons LeGrande III guitars.

Lashley, who has been the president of Emmons Guitar Co. since its beginning retains the ownership of Emmons Publishing Co. and Emmons Recording Co. He will also remain in a key, active role with Emmons Guitar Co.

"Ron will direct his attention to designing guitars and engineering features," announced Aycoth. "All personnel will remain at Emmons, including Ron Lashley II and Jack Strayhorn," he continued, adding, "My position as new owner and manager will be to co-ordinate the activities and produce a quality guitar for the money. I will continue to supply quality machined parts, produced on the latest CNC equipment backed with the finest CAD-CAM programs."

While Aycoth assures those special citizens in the steel guitar community that the Emmons commitment to quality sound from their instruments is not about to change, he encourages all pickers to check out the situation for themselves.

"We would like to invite anyone to drop in and see the changes taking place," he said. "They can write us, call us, fax us or e-mail us. We will make sure to give a timely response to all inquiries."

*******

Happy New Year, everyone.

Bill

[Nick Reed]

[Don Brown, Sr.]

Nick, Although it may be old news, I'd certainly have to say it indeed pertains to what the heading of this thread is. As it does, pertain to the "History of Emmons" regardless of how old it may be.

I believe that's what History is all about, taking every piece of True information, and piecing it all together, to come up with a logical and true understanding.

Just my personal opinion though.

Don

[Ron Brennan]

What Don said above.......I'm interested in the Company history, not the gossip, true or not true.

There's probably more Press Releases......For sure, Emmons Steel Guitar is a legacy company.

It has, and still is a major influence in our small and special group of Steel Player musicians, pro or amateur.

Thank's for the history lesson!! Hope there's more to come. And a Happy New Year to all!! TX

Rgds,

Ron

[Roger Rettig]

I have that press release also. It doesn't actually show a date, which is odd, but, as I said earlier, Jim was in the office and taking orders on the 'phone in April of '98.

[Billy Knowles]

Roger, that is it and thank you so much
Billy

[Jack Strayhorn]

Bill, I would love to see acknowledgement that the press release was in 1998. If so, I must have been in another world. It is factual that Aycoth did not take over the daily roll of manangement until January 1999. 1998 was my last attendance in St. Louis and the change over had not taken place. I did not attend the convention in 1999, and oh what a relief! 14 straight years was plenty.

[Richard Keller]

Jack, do you remember the serial number of the last Emmons guitar you built?

[Bill Erchul]

Jack, I can verify the press release was in '98. It was mailed to customers along with a sales flyer dated May 20, 1998, listed at the top of the page ("Buy before May 20 increase and SAVE!!!") and March 23, 1998 at the bottom ("Used Equipment"). I ordered my lacquer finish guitar around that time and took delivery in early '99. Yes, time does fly by...

[Jack Strayhorn]

Thanks Bill. I just don't remember the sale being negotiated at that early date. Again, Jim was not there on a daily basis until January 99'.

[David Cubbedge]

As I am currently looking to upgrade my old S10 Emmons with a D10, the biggest problem I face is knowing just exactly what the difference is between different eras of guitars. What is more desirable, a 77 or an 82 or something much newer.

In addition, it would be nice to know more things to help me date my S10. All I know for sure is that serial numbers mean nothing in most cases. Yet I am sure I could at least get an idea based on the mechanicals.

[Bill L. Wilson]

I asked Fred Justice at the Phoenix show why all steel guitars looked like an Emmons? His answer was, "it's a tried and true design that works". Having read Buddys letter, and finding out Ron Sr. was a physics prof., it all makes sense to me now. I learn something every day.

[Roger Guyett]

David -
Ill offer this up, and will happily be corrected by more knowledgeable members - of which there are many !

If your just talking mica bodied pp's, the order of production was:
- wrap around 1964-
- bolt on
- cut tail (late 1960s thru to 1980s)
Those are defined by the changer style.
The wood cabinet guitars all have the Bolton changer I believe.

The majority of guitars are the cut tails. There really isn't that big of a difference between the guitars once production settled down into the cut tail design.

Here's a few things you'll notice in these cut tails:
- pedal spacing/size of pedals changed in the early 70s
- cabinet offered as Fatback (no cut out for tops of your legs) 1971-72?
- very specific Kluson tulip tuners 1979?? (Not really important )
- around 1980 the pedals changed to the Legrande style (1979-1980?) for remainder of production
- p/ups: not sure they changed the wiring on those ?
- hmmm...what else have i forgotten !

Of course, within that run of cut tails you'll have devotees of the
late 60s guitars (Buddy's blade was a 60s guitar)...or any other range.
Having followed the prices a bit on these guitars, the $ range between the cut tails is nothing like the difference youll see between say a cut tail and bolton. But I'm sure there are good and bad guitars throughout that long run of production - in other words some guitars are just inherently more resonant.

But the big thing is the setup on a p/p...it's all about the setup on a p/p...as you probably know as you have an s10. That's why you want to get a real expert like Mike Cass or Lynn Stafford on the case, if the guitar hasn't been set up well.

Hope that helps.....

[Bob Cox]

Sonny Curtis had one of the first if not the first. Sonny has a lot of valuable info about steel guitars . Perhaps the big E will chime in and talk about this some

[Mike Cass]

Sonny Curtis's guitar was #3, and Im looking at it.

[George Duncan Sypert]

I went to the St Louis steel show that Scotty produced in 1996 and Mr. Aycoth was there selling Emmons T Shirts and hats and I was under the impression that he was the new owner of Emmons Pedal Steel Guitars at that time. Not sure about the ownership issue but sure about the date. It was the last time I went to St Louis and it was the same year that Marty Stuart and Connie Smith showed up as the surprise performers for the close out. I talked with Connie for a few minutes. I bought one of the Emmons Caps which I still have. Ownership may not have been completed until 1998. In Sept of 2016 I ordered and received about 10 sets of strings, shock springs and several other things from Ron Jr.
Haven't tried to reach him since then.

[Roger Rettig]

Further to my earlier (much earlier!) post...

I was still in England when I ordered my first Emmons (an SD-10 LG3 in Sapphire Blue) but I was soon to emigrate to the US so all these dates, besides being written 'in stone' in my 1998 diary, are vivid in my memory.

I faxed my order to Emmons from Torquay in Devon (I was on tour with a show on which I was using my old Sho-Bud Pro-111) on May 15th and I followed that up with a call the same day. It was Jim Aycoth who answered. My impression was that he and Joanne had taken over only a short time before and he was confident that my new Emmons could be delivered in time for my first US job (a show in Roanoke, VA commencing July, 21st).

I recall receiving that change-of-ownership letter in the mail along with the receipt for my deposit a few days later.

However, Jim contacted me a few weeks later saying that he'd found some issues with some of the aluminum (that's 'aluminium' in English) necks he had in stock and that all deliveries might well be delayed.

This meant a change of plan for me. I had intended leaving the Sho-Bud in Britain for any work that might crop up (and for which the pay was enough to warrant flying back) but now I knew I had to take it with me to America so that I'd have a guitar for the first VA rehearsal.

The Aycoths kept me informed all through the process but I'm ashamed to say that I harboured a suspicion that, me being a 'nobody', my guitar had merely been shuffled to the back of the line for some reason. As I was relatively close to Burlington I decided to just turn up and see what the story was.

I arrived at that oh-so-familiar building on Webb Avenue (I'd held the Black Album in my hands for countless hours!) at 10.30 am on August 10th. Withing a few minutes I realised that my suspicions had been entirely groundless - Jim showed my a line of incomplete guitars awaiting necks, one of which was mine. Next to mine was one for John Hughey so I knew I was getting fair and equal treatment. Jim simply wanted to be able to stand behind the product and keep the standard up, even if that meant keeping his customers - the famous and not-so-famous - waiting. (He also took me to Crackerbarrel - a 'first' for me as a new immigrant!)

My new Emmons reached me at the Mill Mountain Theater, Roanoke via UPS on August 19th, 1998.

Although it was only to be for a short time, my experiences with the Emmons Guitar Co. under Jim and Joanne's auspices were never less than first class. My next Emmons was the black D-10 I still play today - bought new from Jim and delivered to me in October, 2000. I'm sad to say that, once they'd gone, things went from bad to worse.