When did Sho-Buds have a pull-release changer

Mac Knowles · Post by **Mac Knowles** » 14 Dec 2006 4:59 pm

I'm trying to remember when it was I built my first D10 pedal steel. I basically copied it from an old Sho-Bud I'd seen. Must have been early 60's. I remember it had the suite of cards in an arc on the front.

Marty Smith · Post by **Marty Smith** » 14 Dec 2006 5:35 pm

I got a 61 d8 with all pull changer.

Steve Waltz · Post by **Steve Waltz** » 15 Dec 2006 9:38 am

I'm not a sho bud expert at all but I do have a pull/release guitar. I think the early sho buds are single finger pull release guitars. With only pedals it would only have pulls. If it had or had added levers such as the E lever which lowers the E's, then it would show it's pull release capabilities. On mine the E's are held in the middle position resting on the parts for the E lever. That lever when engaged lowers the note by releasing tention on the string. The F lever will pull that same string up to the F. There has to be enough slack in the F lever to allow the E to drop or the E lower will not work. I've seen some pictures of permanants and I think they can be set up like this. I think permanants did this until the finger tip came in. It seems like some permanats had cross shafts with cranks with mutiple postions for travel and others seemed to have the pull rods connect closer to where the pedal rod attached near the apron. I'm curious if that was how sho bud did it or if those were mods. Of course I might have been seeing things too!

Mac Knowles · Post by **Mac Knowles** » 15 Dec 2006 3:10 pm

Thanks Steve for the info. I had 3 knees on the D10 I built at that time. Dropped the E's, the B's and the D# on the E9th. Don't think I had any lowers on the C6th, never played it much anyway. Bit of a balancing act to get the lowering levers to return to pitch right when released since the unaltered note was in a midway position. I played that guitar all over Canada and western USA for over 30 years with no problems. I still use the single piece finger on the steels I build, but of course they only raise, the lowers are at the other end with another set of single piece fingers there. I still think that sounds the best, more body contact, the raise fingers rest on the wood when not activated.
Cheers,
Mac

Chick Donner · Post by **Chick Donner** » 16 Dec 2006 10:20 am

The "Fingertip" ShoBud was a "pull-release" mechanism.

James Morehead · Post by **James Morehead** » 16 Dec 2006 2:19 pm

With all due respect, the Fingertip was NOT a pull/release. It was the beginning of the all-pull guitars according to Duane Becker's Shobud Field Guide. That was from '63--'67 or very early '68.