Pro Players Who Do Not Play Emmons Guitars

[Brian Henry]

For starters:

Lloyd Green
Ralph Mooney

[Steve Hitsman]

A shorter list would be those who do.

[Ernie Pollock]

Well we all know that Buddy Emmons has been playing a Zum, and Herby Wallace plays a Mullen & this is going to be a very very long list!!

Ernie

[Steve Hitsman]

Mike Johnson, JayDee, Jim Loessberg... three who do.

[richard burton]

It doesn't make any difference what they play, a pro will get 'their' sound on anything.

[Stephen Gambrell]

MORE Emmons-bashing??? tbhenry, what IS your problem?
Why not call this thread "Pros who don't play Anapeg?"
Buddy may play that Zum, since he got rid of the JCH, the EMCI, MCI----Almost everything but the Blade.

[Frank Estes]

Is this a private fight or can anyone join in?

For me there is no cooler than that Emmons logo and fretboard and of course the tone! I am an Emmons push-pull bigot!

Weldon Myrick has played Emmons exclusively for decades.

Sonny Garrish has done most of his recordings using a push-pull

Paul Franklin recorded "Nervous Breakdown" (a very fast tune) on a push-pull with Jerry Reed.

Herby Wallace recorded "Four Wheel Drive" on a push-pull.

Doug Jernigan recorded his first instrumental album with a push-pull that included "Orange Blossom Special." He changed to Sho-Bud as a favor to Shot Jackson. Now he plays an Emmons Legrande-clone, a Zum.

Mike "Cookie" Jones plays Emmons.

The goal of the George L E-66 pickup is an attempt to get "that sound."

Carter Steel Guitars had a 66 Push-pull as their sound benchmark as they came up with BCT, which was their attempt at sounding like a push-pull.

Bruce of Zumsteel fame has or had a push-pull and the idea behind the Zum hybrid is to get the elusive sound of the push-pull.

Emmons has set the standard!

[Herb Steiner]

A few misguided/deluded Central Texas professional players that still hang on to the much-maligned Emmons guitar, usually by mistake and to the detriment of their careers:

Jim Loessberg (Ray Price)
Rick Price (Jake Hooker)
Dickey Overby (Amber Digby)
David Biller (various artists)
Don Sowersby (Johnny Bush)
Bill Dearmore (ex-Gene Watson)
Steve Palousek (ex-Price, Watson, etc.)
Bobby Bowman (PP guru)
Kenny Grohman (various artists)
Bobby Flores (multi-instrumentalist)
Scott Moon (multi-instrumentalist)
Nathan Fleming (Jesse Dayton band)
Scott Martin (Michael Blakely band)
Gurf Morlix (legendary picker/producer)
Herb Steiner (Austin dinosaur)

We have a few locals that play the off-brands as well, while their careers soar to heights unimaginable in the era of the push-pull guitar.

BTW, I have it on good, inside info that Buddy is back playing the Blade, though not professionally at this time.

[Ben Jones]

A few misguided/deluded Central Texas professional players that still hang on to the much-maligned Emmons guitar, usually by mistake and to the detriment of their careers:

Jim Loessberg (Ray Price)
Rick Price (Jake Hooker)
Dickey Overby (Amber Digby)
David Biller (various artists)
Don Sowersby (Johnny Bush)
Bill Dearmore (ex-Gene Watson)
Steve Palousek (ex-Price, Watson, etc.)
Bobby Bowman (PP guru)
Kenny Grohman (various artists)
Bobby Flores (multi-instrumentalist)
Scott Moon (multi-instrumentalist)
Nathan Fleming (Jesse Dayton band)
Scott Martin (Michael Blakely band)
Gurf Morlix (legendary picker/producer)
Herb Steiner (Austin dinosaur)

We have a few locals that play the off-brands as well, while their careers soar to heights unimaginable in the era of the push-pull guitar.

BTW, I have it on good, inside info that Buddy is back playing the Blade, though not professionally at this time.

Doesnt Neil Flanz play an emmons as well?
at the recent jam in POrtland it was about 80% emmons.
They vare very popular guitars

[Olli Haavisto]

What a thread...

[Dan Tyack]

A few misguided/deluded Central Texas professional players that still hang on to the much-maligned Emmons guitar, usually by mistake and to the detriment of their careers:

Jim Loessberg (Ray Price)
Rick Price (Jake Hooker)
Dickey Overby (Amber Digby)
David Biller (various artists)
Don Sowersby (Johnny Bush)
Bill Dearmore (ex-Gene Watson)
Steve Palousek (ex-Price, Watson, etc.)
Bobby Bowman (PP guru)
Kenny Grohman (various artists)
Bobby Flores (multi-instrumentalist)
Scott Moon (multi-instrumentalist)
Nathan Fleming (Jesse Dayton band)
Scott Martin (Michael Blakely band)
Gurf Morlix (legendary picker/producer)
Herb Steiner (Austin dinosaur)

We have a few locals that play the off-brands as well, while their careers soar to heights unimaginable in the era of the push-pull guitar.

BTW, I have it on good, inside info that Buddy is back playing the Blade, though not professionally at this time.

Hey Herb, why didn't you include some good players on that list?

Doesn't Randy Reinhart belong there, too?

In terms of west coast players, the heaviest guy on the west coast (IMHO), Jay Dee, plays a push pull on his sessions.

[Dan Tyack]

Doug Jernigan recorded his first instrumental album with a push-pull that included "Orange Blossom Special." He changed to Sho-Bud as a favor to Shot Jackson. Now he plays an Emmons Legrande-clone, a Zum.

I wouldn't call the Zum a Legrande clone, I believe it predates the Legrande (and the Franklin predates both of them).

[Ben Lawson]

It doesn't matter to me what anyone else plays. Buddy, Doug, Herby, Hal... to name a few, would sound good playing a two x four with barbed wire strings. I have always had push pulls and it's what I like. I have nothing against any steel. They can all sound good or bad under differing circumstances. I bought an older 12 string MSA classic last year and it has a lot of nice features. It doesn't sound like my Emmons but it plays a little easier. I'm getting to the point where how much a steel weighs in the case is a very important factor.
I also own all Chrysler products so should I start a thread about what kind of cars steelers drive?

[Steve Alcott]

If an instrument operates in a way that enables you to make the sound you hear in your head, who cares what brand name it has on it? I played a string bass for 35 years that (gasp!) had no label; only an educated guess as to its age and country of origin. I now play a modern instrument that is much less finicky, and I still sound like me.

[Kevin Hatton]

Ben, my thoughts exactly.

[Larry Baker]

Ben, I drive a Lincoln Navigator, pretty heavy to tote around, but pretty comfortable and plays well!!!! Larry

[Bill Mayville]

emmons is the keeper of the good ones.
There is no doubt that the emmons are not big,like they were.I never use a Big e for emmons unless I am talking about Buddy.The older guitars got my attention because it was almost a flawless steel.End plates like a mirror and a kick in the A$$ for not keeping the number D 0084L
The new one came in.Forget about an extra half year.Out of the box,I almost threw up.I ordered Pea cock blue,NOT GREEN.Endplates still had mucho scratches.The flyin's that I had ,could not beleive this was a new guitar.Took a picture of the end plate.No reflection but the flash .Then the one who took over,must have called ten times ,if any.Wanted me to loan the guitar to some=one who forgot his guitar ,coming to Vegas.
This is not a knock to emmons.But if they are not quite as popular as they use to be,this could be one little reson why.mullen hasn't taken over,but sure puts a beautiful finish on their guitars.
I would pay twice as much for my old D-0084L
I guess the guitar is still very good.It is nice though,that there are others now,just as good.OR.
bill

[Jerry Roller]

Would someone please define "Pro Player" for me?
Thanks,
Jerry

[Herb Steiner]

Jerry
I don't think there's an all-encompassing definition of a "pro player," per se. Things are situational.

It's a lot easier to recognize a pro player when you see one than it is to define what one is. Each of us has our own definition, I'm sure. Mine is this:

First, the guy has to know how to play. Then it's about the percentages of where his yearly earned income (per IRS definition) derives from, excluding steel players that might be trust fund babies.

If a player does nothing but play music for his paycheck, he's most definitely a pro player. If a player leaves his town for days at a time on tours with a recording artist, he's a pro player. If a player derives more than 50% of his annual wages from music, and his daytime job is his "second job," he's a pro player that has other income gigs.

If his daytime job is his primary gig and he just plays locally, I'd consider him a semi-pro, or quite often a semi-retired professional.

I'd also say that players can go from one category to another and back again, depending on family/job/retirement requirements. Example: a touring pro that decides to stay home for the family and get a real job yet still pick locally, becomes a semi-retired pro. Then the old lady kicks him out and he goes back on the road. Back to Category One.

These criteria have nothing to do with how fantastic a player might be on the instrument. There are absolute monster steel players who, through their choices, make most of their income from other professions. Two that come to mind are Murnel Babineaux from Louisiana, and David Hartley from UK. To me, these are players of professional expertise who choose other lines of work opportunities. To me, they're pros.

This is my definition, and I reserve the right to change my mind arbitrarily about any particular player I might hear about or know, and it's okay 'cause no one gives a flip about what I think anyway.

[Cal Sharp]

Herb said:

If his daytime job is his primary gig and he just plays locally, I'd consider him a semi-pro, or quite often a semi-retired professional.

That would be someone like me, except I don't have a daytime job. I do play an Emmons, and I do it locally, and I don't work the road anymore, but I made 100% of my income working the road and doing sessions for 20+ years, and now I can't stand the smell of diesel.

[b0b]

I have an Emmons now. I'm not comfortable enough on it to gig with it yet, but it's a really nice instrument.

Don't most pros have several pedal steels, with at least one of them an Emmons? I think that's true.

JayDee Maness still plays Emmons exclusively, as far as I know. I've never heard anyone sound better than JayDee on any brand of guitar. I got an Emmons so that I could sound like that but alas, it's not the guitar.

[Herb Steiner]

b0b!? An Emmons! Congratulations, seriously.

Ken Metcalf here in Austin, an E9 Uni player, recently got an S-12 PP and he is loving it. The sound is where it's at; to get the notes you learn how to play the instrumemt.

[Herb Steiner]

Cal
Like myself and others I know, though I only make money through music. I kind of don't see myself in the "competitive steel player" role anymore. I play here in town and in San Antonio, that's about it. I have my bands/accounts and also the occasional side gig. Once in a blue moon I might go on a tour with an old pal like Murphey, but not very often. I'm a slowing-down pro heading towards semi-retirement.

[Cal Sharp]

b0b:

I have an Emmons now. I'm not comfortable enough on it to gig with it yet, but it's a really nice instrument.

My first guitar was a Sho~Bud, and when I got an Emmons it took me a while to get used to it on gigs. The sound was so different, but after a little while I got real comfortable with it. Buddy made a post here a year or two ago about using a P/P on a Price session, and he said he had some trouble with it because he'd kind of forgotten some of its idiosyncrasies and he had to go back to an all-pull. Bottom line, a P/P, like a '57 Chevy or a Panhead, ain't for everyone, but if it fits you and you can get tight with it you might not want to play anything else.

[Herb Steiner]

Amen, brother. Amen.