Sho-Bud tone

[Bobby Nelson]

That's great Bob and you are right - it is the tone. I have played fender stuff for decades - I was a Strat into a '64 Super Reverb guy. Leo and his crew had a way with everything they did that was hard to beat anywhere.

[Bobby Nelson]

Pot metal undercarriages?

[Pete Burak]

Here is Neil Flanz on a ShoBud D10 in 1962.
This is a great Album!
There is a great pic of Neil and his ShoBud.
Full album available on his site.
Danny Boy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ce3zfJ3VQ4

[Bobby Nelson]

That's wonderful Pete - thanks. I do wonder how he played sitting so high up on that bar stool haha!

[Pete Burak]

That's wonderful Pete - thanks. I do wonder how he played sitting so high up on that bar stool haha!

Bobby, I don't think they had Knee Levers yet to deal with!

[Godfrey Arthur]

one HUGE difference between modern sound and that classic sound is the making of all the metal parts that hold the wood body together and hold the changer fingers/axle....and that classic sound is "Die Casted" endplates and keyheads and tailpiece(that holds the axle/changer.......and ALLLLL the modern pedal steels are "Machined Metal".....

I tend to agree with this assessment. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The combination of the die cast metal and of course the wood type/grade and shape of the guitars working together creates this tone we are discussing.

It's like cast metal bridges on a Strat vs machined brass parts. The tone changes from a classic to whatever the custom parts provide.

Interesting thread.

Thanks to Donny H for supplying the Jack Greene/Buddy Charleton clip!

David Hartley got a great Sho Bud tone when he played one.

[Bob Carlucci]

Thats one of the things about the old Fender steel guitars that made them sound the way they did.. The entire frame was a huge piece of cast aluminum that the wood body was nestled in.. Never did it myself, but read somewhere that those frames would ring like a bell when struck with the wood taken out... Things like that were the reason for the unique sound of old guitars from Bud, Fender, ZB etc... Steels are just made differently today... bob

[Brint Hannay]

But to me the one HUGE difference between modern sound and that classic sound is the making of all the metal parts that hold the wood body together and hold the changer fingers/axle....and that classic sound is "Die Casted" endplates and keyheads and tailpiece(that holds the axle/changer...

On the other hand, some "purists" here assert that the "Super Pro" era Sho-Buds (i.e., all Sho-Buds from 1978 on, with pot-metal undercarriage parts and pot-metal finger tops) lack the desirable "Sho-Bud tone", despite still having the die-cast keyheads, endplates, and tailpieces/changer mounts.

[Ricky Davis]

WEll Brint since you posted my Quote> that quote if you look back; was comparing the Sho~bud to the "Modern" built pedal steels. I was not comparing Sho~bud to Sho~bud; so you can't insert THAT QUOTE with your remarks about comparing early Sho~bud to Later Sho~bud>
That's what goes on in Politics; where one will grab a quote from one thing and insert it into there discussion that has nothing to do with the quote....ha.
Ricky

[Bob Carlucci]

But to me the one HUGE difference between modern sound and that classic sound is the making of all the metal parts that hold the wood body together and hold the changer fingers/axle....and that classic sound is "Die Casted" endplates and keyheads and tailpiece(that holds the axle/changer...

On the other hand, some "purists" here assert that the "Super Pro" era Sho-Buds (i.e., all Sho-Buds from 1978 on, with pot-metal undercarriage parts and pot-metal finger tops) lack the desirable "Sho-Bud tone", despite still having the die-cast keyheads, endplates, and tailpieces/changer mounts.

The Super Pro guitars as well as the aluminum neck Pro III guitars were lovely sounding instruments.. They were simply a different sounding instrument than the earlier models..
I think that all Buds had a "classic" sound compared to todays guitars, but most players, not all, liked the early models better as far as tone... bob

[Pete Burak]

Double Live - There's a blazin' Sho-Bud on every song. This album ruled in 10th grade.

[Dan Robinson]

My first real pedal steel was a Sho~Bud 6139 that I bought new in early 1974. As I recall, the pickup had 3 wires: ground, hot, and an off-center tap. I determined this with an ohmmeter. I think there was a switch to use the full pickup or just the tap. I added a blend pot to get more tonal variety. In one of my goofy wiring experiments the tone was similar to the "out of phase" sound you describe.

Yep, this! Bob, I had the same inspiration with my 6139. Original pickup in 71/72 round-front Sho-Bud is special.

The great coil-tap switch and deck controls are just the beginning. Different resistance on the two sides of the center tap. I wired mine to allow selecting coil half-A, half-B, both sides in series, and in parallel. Each combination has its own "voice."

Ricky Davis... you are my tone idol!

[Brint Hannay]

Ricky--Please notice that I didn't refer to you, but to "some 'purists'".

[Ricky Davis]

Yes Brint I understand.
Thanks.
Ricky

[David Ellison]

I think Red Rhodes played a Fender on this instrumental album. This to me has the same kind of tone. I REALLY love his tone on these early instrumental albums he made:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu7mnMn20NI