Proud new owner of ZB Custom D10 8/5 ser#0614. I think it is an early to mid ‘70s build?
Excellent sound from both necks but the C6 has a nice growl to it
I’ve been earning my skinned knuckles and practicing finger yoga, but I think I’ve got the action set up pretty well now!
Can’t wait to try it with the band. It is a heavy thing… I think I’ll need to work on a road case next. The stocker is just not up for containing the weight of the guitar. Even though the seller did a good job packing, the guitar also did its best to try to escape
Happy to be here and I’ve read lots of good info, so far.
Tom,
Pictures! We need pictures!
That's a pretty late serial number, so I expect it has wide knee levers & hex turnbuckles, among other later improvements.
I LOVED my double neck ZB, but it grew too heavy.
Enjoy!!
"To live outside the law you must be honest." (Bob Dylan)
Eric, I swiped this from the sale add (hope that's okay ), but I'll upload some more and up to date detailed pics, soon. Yes, hex turnbuckles and wide knee levers.
I need to find a way to adjust the LKR more to the left to fit me better (too wide a swing). But everything else is coming along nicely. I really like the sound and feel of this guitar!
From:
Middleport, Ohio USA
Post Posted 21 Nov 2002 2:29 pm Reply with quote
John, I will add this. Your guitar ser# is 1034, my D-10 is #1037. It is idential to yours except for the white fretbaords and pick ups. Mine are black. Now Tom Brumley's famous D-11 ZB the black one, is Ser # 1039. He got it in January 1966.
A friend of mine who owns a shop here in Omaha came into possession of this D-11/10 as part of a collection that was consigned to him by the family of the owner. It appears to be serial # 3020 and is date-stamped 9-28-79. It is in pristine condition and plays like an absolute dream. I spent a few hours with it after my friend called me down to help him sort through what he had and was blown away by the tone and the action. Just a fantastic instrument.
Before I found the serial # and date, I had intended to post to figure out the age (since it looks brand new). Knowing that now, I just want to share these pics and if anyone does have any additional information, myself, the family and my friend would be interested to hear.
Mike that's a nice one!
Interesting serial number. Beck started with #1001 and Brumley with #0001. But I don't think Mr. Brumley sold the company until the mid 1980's.
Could this have been an "extra-custom" ZB Custom?
I'd love to see some pics of the underside.
"To live outside the law you must be honest." (Bob Dylan)
I'll be down at the shop sometime in the next few days and get some pics of the underside. It has 9 pedals and 7 knee levers, so it's pretty packed under there.
Awesome, Mike. That's a LOT of steel guitar! I haven't seen every ZB there is but those appear to be "normal" legs vs the legs that have the tensioner higher up the leg.
I would love to see a photo of the undercarriage, Mike. Particularly to see how the extra knee levers are mounted. Toying with the idea of someday adding some more to my ZB.
And here's mine, Tim. Reason I'm particularly interested to see Mike's undercarriage is that my knee levers, particularly on the right knee are far too far apart to be comfortable, and I need to do something about it!
Benjamin,
Here's a pic of a ZB I used to own. It was pretty loaded with 9 pedals & 7 knees. It was built with a 2nd rail in front of the pedal connectors, which allowed the knees to be mounted anywhere along the length.
When I rebuilt it I added extra holes to make it easier to move the knees.
For your right knee, you could mount a 2nd rail for either or both of the levers.
"To live outside the law you must be honest." (Bob Dylan)
Also, to clarify, this isn't my steel. It's consigned at my friend's shop here in Omaha. He called me for help with identification (since I'm one of like 3 pedal steel players here in Omaha). The current and presumably original owner is a fellow named Gene Lacey, also from Nebraska. Judging by not only this steel, but the entire collection of guitars and amps, this guy was a pretty serious player, however I haven't been able to find any info on him. If anyone here recognizes him or his steel, I'd love to hear what you can tell me.
Cool - thanks for the pics. Some interesting variations on this one. For instance, the 1st 4 pedal flat bars (bell cranks) are attached on the BOTTOM of the mounting plate. Allowing the yokes to be accessed from the top.
Lots of other variations from the ones I've seen. I'm glad it's a double neck, so I don't have to be tempted
Last edited by Eric Dahlhoff on 22 Dec 2021 4:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"To live outside the law you must be honest." (Bob Dylan)
I wanted to post another update not so much on the steel, but on the previous owner. As I mentioned before, this steel is on consignment at my friend's shop. What I didn't mention was that was because its owner Gene K Lacey was in hospice. He has since passed away. In his obit it said, "He worked for the Union Pacific Railroad in the '70s to help his sick father and then moved to Tennessee and Texas as co-owner of Z.B. Guitar Co. with Buck Owens's Steel Player," which I found very interesting. I had no idea. Here is a link to the full obituary:
I just wanted to post that since it may offer a little insight as to why there are some special mods that a couple of you have noticed and a weird serial # on this one. And because he sounds like a pretty cool guy.
Thank you for sharing that information re: Gene. Although I didn't know him, he sounds like he would have been a great and interesting guy to know. The ZB connection is interesting, as well.
By the way, your friend's music store looks like a fun place! I wouldn't mind hanging out there
