Tom Brumley's Gear in the Buckaroos

Joel Martin · Post by **Joel Martin** » 24 Mar 2012 6:39 pm

Hi folks! I was wondering if anyone has detailed information as to what Tom was using back in the Buckaroos.
Is the guitar in this video his main one? I'd really appreciate any info!
Thanks
Joel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nJUWFKQ9Xo

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 24 Mar 2012 9:27 pm

That's the classic ZB Custom sound with a Fender Twin reverb. Tom had a few ZB's that he used. You cannot get that sound with any other guitar. Very unique. The way a steel guitar should sound. That's why we love em'. Listen to the sparkle and the overtones. The west coast sound. It's a beautiful thing. Same type of guitar and amp on Crosby Stlls and Nash Teach Your Children. Makes the other steels weep and wish.

Joel Martin · Post by **Joel Martin** » 24 Mar 2012 9:41 pm

thanks for replying Kevin! right after I posted this I found a great HUGE post that you were all over on the old forum! great info. what were the models he would have used on the Carnegie Hall record??? or in that video above?
thanks!

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 24 Mar 2012 11:28 pm

Basicly both the same construction. D-10 in the video above (just 2 knees). Black D-11 at Carnegie Hall. He played a Fender Bassman there.

B. Greg Jones · Post by **B. Greg Jones** » 25 Mar 2012 12:49 am

The guitar in that video is the same guitar that Tom used at Carnegie Hall. Same with the amp too. Its a Fender Twin with JBL D-120's. The amps were special built for the Buckaroos and rated at 100 watts. Normal Twins of the 60's were rated at 85 watts. The guitar is a D-10 but Tom tuned the low B string down to an E to cover the Don Rich licks when Don was singing harmony. Tom later went to an 11 string tuning and got the black D-11 ZB. You can see it in some clips on youtube as well. The black D-11 was not the guitar used at Carnegie Hall, it was however, the one used on the Live in Japan album. Tom didnt get the D-11 until June of 1966 and the Carnegie Hall concert was in March of 1966. Rolene Brumley still has the D-11 ZB and the Buckaroo Fender Twin Reverb. Played and went through them a couple of years ago when Steinar Schroder and I went to Branson to visit her and help her with some of Tom's things after he passed. She still has the original Fender Bassman that Tom used to cut "Together Again". By the time they were doing the Ranch shows and Carnegie Hall, he was using a Fender Twin. The ZB/Fender combonation sounds great but Tom's hands really play a huge part in the sound that he was getting then. His right hand was perfect and he always played the right thing at the right time.

Greg

Joel Martin · Post by **Joel Martin** » 25 Mar 2012 8:10 am

Thanks guys for the wonderful info - thats exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for!
I guess one more question I have is if ZB was using any model names for these guitars? nothing like "The Viper" or "The Hot Tamale"? if you were looking for them, would you just have to search "ZB D-10 1965"?
And Greg you sure are right about Tom's touch. What superior musicality!

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 25 Mar 2012 8:28 am

Most builders just call their models D10, S10, SD10, S12, etc. Few have names for individual guitar models. Some have a name for a line of guitars like MSA Millenium, Mullen G2, etc, but have different models within that line.

B. Greg Jones · Post by **B. Greg Jones** » 25 Mar 2012 1:47 pm

Zane called the early ZB's a "Pedalmaster". On Tom's black D-11, there is a Pedalmaster decal on top in front of the neck. I also have a 66' D-10 with the same decal. From what Tom told me, Zane had to quit using the name Pedalmaster because it was already being used by someone else.

Zane started his serial numbers with #1001. Tom's 1st ZB was #1003. He sent it back to Zane because it was single raise and single lower. Tom also wanted stainless steel fingers instead of aluminum. The guitar in the video clip posted was #1009 and Tom played this guitar until he received his black D-11 in 66' which is #1039. Tom had another guitar while with Buck after the D-11. It was a D-11-10 that had red aprons, natural tops, and black necks with white fretboards. Tom didnt like the 11 string C6th tuning and went with 10 stringers on the C6th neck from there on out. I am not sure of the serial number for the last "Buck" guitar used but he got it sometime late in 67' or early 68' from what I can gather.

Finding a 65' ZB is close to impossible as there were only 16 of them built in 1965. #1008 popped up on ebay a few months ago though.

As mentioned, Tom only had 2 knee levers throughout his Buckaroo days. He lowered the 2nd string 1/2 tone with RKR and lowered 4 and 8 a 1/2 tone with LKL. Tom was an amazing player and a good friend to me as well. I sure do miss him.

Greg

Dave Harmonson · Post by **Dave Harmonson** » 25 Mar 2012 2:20 pm

Greg, with Tom's LKL lowering the E's, did he have the Day pedal set-up C-B-A?

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 25 Mar 2012 3:59 pm

B. Greg Jones · Post by **B. Greg Jones** » 25 Mar 2012 5:03 pm

Dave, Tom's pedals have always been A,B,C. It wasnt until many years later that he moved that lever to LKR.

The guitar in the above video is not black. It is brown aprons and necks with a blonde top and white fretboards. Interesting too from what I understand, the red pedal rack was just a cover for the filming of the Ranch show. The live concert pics I have, the guitar does not have that on there. If I remember right, Tom told me it was there to help cut the glare down for the cameras.

Greg

B. Greg Jones · Post by **B. Greg Jones** » 25 Mar 2012 5:08 pm

Here is the Carnegie Hall guitar. Also this guitar at one time got a larger CZB Decal on the front apron.

B. Greg Jones · Post by **B. Greg Jones** » 25 Mar 2012 5:17 pm

Here is the black D-11 that Tom got in 66'. This was the 1st D-11 that Zane built. You can just see the "Pedalmaster" decal above the front apron. The pic was taken at Tom and Rolene's home in Bakersfield. When this photo was taken, he had had the guitar about a month. This is the same guitar that Tom used on the Live in Japan album and Rolene still has. It plays like butter and sounded great when I played it through the Buckaroo Fender Twin a couple of years ago.

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 25 Mar 2012 10:45 pm

Greg, this is the first I heard that Tom did not use the black D-11 at Carnegie Hall. I haven't looked at the Carnegie Hall CD booket lately but I thought I recalled seeing pictures of that black D-11 in it. Is that not the case? Thank goodness that guitar still exists. Has Ms. Rolene decided what to do with that guitar? Seems like it should be displayed.

Brett Lanier · Post by **Brett Lanier** » 26 Mar 2012 5:17 am

Did Tom also play a fender 1000 when he started with Buck? I feel like I've seen a video of that before.

Craig A Davidson · Post by **Craig A Davidson** » 26 Mar 2012 8:14 am

Together Again was cut with a Fender 1000. It was the same guitar that Jay MacDonald played.

B. Greg Jones · Post by **B. Greg Jones** » 26 Mar 2012 1:53 pm

Tom had played 2 different Fender 1000's with Buck. As Craig mentioned the 1st one he had was Jay MacDonald's old guitar, blonde finish on the body. Fender got him another one, a later model that was sunburst, cast pedals, and jaguar style pick-ups. For a VERY short time, Tom played a wood end Sho~Bud with Buck. Dont know much about that guitar other than Tom told me he really didn't care for it too much. I have some pics of him playing it around here somewhere.

Kevin, Tom and I discussed guitars quite a bit. The brown/blonde ZB pictured looks alot darker in the video and, if you are looking at a black and white photo, the guitar does appear to be black. That pic I posted shows the brown nicely because of the flash from the camera. You might notice on the keyhead end, the stain appears to be darker. Also Tom got the all black D-11 in June of 1966, 3 months AFTER the Carnegie hall concert. Plus Tom told me the D-11 was not the Carnegie guitar. I too thought the same as you but, Tom set me straight several years ago. As for the guitar, I dont know what Rolene plans to do with it. It still looks almost new. Tom took great care of his guitars

Greg

B. Greg Jones · Post by **B. Greg Jones** » 26 Mar 2012 2:08 pm

Here is the same guitar that I posted in the 1st picture. Its brown but sure looks black in this photo. Its not until you blow the photo up that you can start to see the brown in the front apron.

Greg

B. Greg Jones · Post by **B. Greg Jones** » 26 Mar 2012 2:17 pm

And just for giggles, here is Tom playing a Sho~Bud with Buck as I mentioned earlier.

Greg

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 26 Mar 2012 2:37 pm

Greg
Back in 1970, when I was living in Los Angeles, I went into a music store on Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood, down the street from the Palomino Club and the Rag Doll.

In the store was an early ZB with the CZB logo. It was all black and had a welded undercarriage with a pull-release changer like a Sho~Bud permanent. I passed on it because it was obviously "primitive" compared to the Baldwin Sho~Bud I was using at the time.

Do you know anything about that guitar or others of its type? I know Zane worked at SB for awhile.

B. Greg Jones · Post by **B. Greg Jones** » 26 Mar 2012 3:29 pm

Herb, I have a picture of one of those guitars around here somewhere.....just dont know where!!! I have never seen one in person. I think the undercarraige was almost a direct copy of the S/B perm, changer included. Probably a good thing you passed on it as I guess they are pretty limited. I know there are guys that can add levers and tweak the mechanism, but not me. Wouldn't even know where to start. Gotta say though, those old Sho~Bud perms sounded great I think!!!!

Greg

Joel Martin · Post by **Joel Martin** » 27 Mar 2012 10:20 pm

Greg, thanks so much for posting that incredible information and sharing those fantastic photos. It's all a real treat!

cheers
Joel

Andrew Buhler · Post by **Andrew Buhler** » 29 Mar 2012 5:46 am

Greg, do you have any information on the D-11/10s or D-10s Tom played throughout the 70s with Rick Nelson? You've posted photos before of the SD-11 guitars, but I am also curious about those 70s D 11/10s Tom used. Great playing and tone on all those Rick Nelson albums. Thanks.

Chuck Blake · Post by **Chuck Blake** » 29 Mar 2012 9:22 am

Greg
Great history and information. Don't meant to hi-jack this thread but for a youngun' you sure have a wealth of knowledge.

Glad to be your friend and neighbor (well nearly neighbors). Stop over again sometime

maybe a little of that talent will rub off on me.

Your Friend,

B. Greg Jones · Post by **B. Greg Jones** » 29 Mar 2012 3:16 pm

Andrew, I dont have any information on any of the ZB's after Dec. of 1968. The guitars that Tom played since 67' or 68' were all D-11/10's or SD-11's. I do have some photos of Tom playing different guitars throughout the 70's. The guitars he played with Rick Nelson were built in Bakersfield and Phoenix. I do know that, just dont know the exact dates and serial numbers. Rolene still has a 72' SD-11 that Tom used with Rick. Very nice guitar!!

Greg