Emmons Push-pulls

Brad Malone · Post by **Brad Malone** » 9 Aug 2007 5:13 pm

Did the Emmons PP have aluminum or wooden necks? TIA

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 9 Aug 2007 5:26 pm

Brad Malone · Post by **Brad Malone** » 9 Aug 2007 6:10 pm

Hi Jim, Thanks for the rapid reply...I thought most of the "name players" used the aluminum necks for that pure country sound.

Jim Eaton · Post by **Jim Eaton** » 9 Aug 2007 6:53 pm

My 75' D-10 has a wood cabinet and wood necks, now I'm no name player, but it was John Hughey on Dicky Betts album "Highway Call" playing a wood/wood PP that made up my mind what to order!
JE:-)>

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 9 Aug 2007 7:19 pm

Aluminum necks for "that country tone"? Where did this observation come from? John Hughy used a wood neck Emmons on most all the Conway cuts, wasn't he country?
How about the most recorded steel player in Nashville, Sonny Garrish? Wood necks on an Emmons again.
Nashville's great studio steel player , Stu Basore, hundreds of sessions on a wood neck Emmons. What is the tone difference in wood and metal necks on an Emmons? None. (Unless you take them off and hit them with a hammer.

Bobbe

Duane Reese · Post by **Duane Reese** » 9 Aug 2007 8:25 pm

I have a question/idea...

From what I've heard, Paul Franklin Sr. says that the difference in tone between an aluminum neck and a no-neck guitar is pretty similar compared with a wood neck against either one of those. I can't remember if he's the same one who made this next observation or not, but it seems like I've also heard that the wood neck, having all that flat surface area on the bottom touching the cabinet, affects tone more as a result (as we know, most all aluminum neck guitars are hollow except for an occasional webbing, hence little surface area contact between neck and cabinet; naturally, no neck with ashtray keyhead = no contact).

What if someone had a wood neck guitar and wanted it to sound more like a metal neck job, or maybe somewhere in between, and accordingly routed out shallow depressions in the bottoms of the necks (like I'm talking 1/8" deep) to reduce the amount of contact area with the cab, threw them back on the guitar and... Voilà?

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 9 Aug 2007 9:20 pm

I routed out the underside of a wooden neck to install a wiring system for LEDs that lit up the center of the little atomic fret markers. It didn't affect the tone.

Ken Byng · Post by **Ken Byng** » 10 Aug 2007 4:04 am

Wasn't the introduction of alloy necks done as a time saving measure rather than a deliberate attempt to vary the tonal qualities of the Emmons? (Easier and quicker to manufacture aluminium necks than inlaid wooden necks). The mica finished Emmons guitars wouldn't have looked so good with mica necks IMHO.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 10 Aug 2007 6:05 am

I've heard that Sho~Bud came out with the Pro III, with the aluminum necks, so it would look (and maybe sound) like an Emmons.
How about it Bobbe-Po?

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 10 Aug 2007 6:14 am

Just FYI...

The aluminum neck is the creation of Paul Bigsby, as are other psg designs that are common today (e.g. pedals on a rack in front, etc.)

Buddy split the neck from the changer and peghead to avoid thermoexpansion/contraction detuning problems. Great idea... why didn't Paul think of that?

Bigsby also offered wood necks which didn't detune to the extent that the metal necks did.

Okay, go back to the discussion. Thanks for the diversion.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 10 Aug 2007 12:14 pm

Easier and quicker to manufacture aluminium necks than inlaid wooden necks.

Not really. Wood necks could be made by anyone in very short order, and cheaply too! The inlays are merely strips glued into routed grooves - no biggie there! A little sanding, wipe on some stain, spray on a couple of coats of lacquer or varnish, and it's done. However, the casting of aluminum necks had to be farmed out to another outfit (a foundry), and then the finish machining, drilling, tapping, and polishing or engine-turning was ususally done by the steel manufacturer.

All that to say wood is just cheaper, faster, and easier to deal with, making the aluminum necks a sort of "premuim" option (more for looks than anything else).

Duane Reese · Post by **Duane Reese** » 10 Aug 2007 2:17 pm

The mica finished Emmons guitars wouldn't have looked so good with mica necks IMHO.

I've seen MSA and Sierra guitars that had that, and it doesn't look fantastic but it's not as unsightly as you'd think.

Speaking of this, on Carter's website in the custom shoppe, there is a guitar that has a black mica cabinet and wooden inlayed necks - possibly the sharpest looking guitar I've ever seen. Here - I'll paste the photo URL to here...

I am in love with this guitar.

David Nugent · Post by **David Nugent** » 10 Aug 2007 5:03 pm

If aluminum necks are more expensive to manufacture as stated, why is it that most builders charge an average of $100.00 per neck extra for optional wood necks?

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 11 Aug 2007 7:02 am

I believe that there has to be more "hand" labor involved in a wooden neck what with the routing for the inlay, finishing and etc. Also, the neck has to be finished in the same color as the cabinet
Once you get the mold for the metal neck the rest should be fairly easy. It's a case of one fits all.

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 12 Aug 2007 5:35 pm

Back to what I said,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ernie Renn · Post by **Ernie Renn** » 12 Aug 2007 8:52 pm

Did the Emmons PP have aluminum or wooden necks?

YES! (Although, I think "either" would be the best answer.)

KENNY KRUPNICK · Post by **KENNY KRUPNICK** » 13 Aug 2007 6:20 am

I set down to Marvin Born's push-pull that he just got from Bobbe yesterday,and it has TONE.

Brad Malone · Post by **Brad Malone** » 13 Aug 2007 6:32 am

I believe that there has to be more "hand" labor involved in a wooden neck what with the routing for the inlay, finishing and etc. Also, the neck has to be finished in the same color as the cabinet<<

Hi Erv, What you say is true but I think that some wooden necks just have decal designs pasted on them..correct me if I'm wrong..anybody..not all Steels are created equal. The decals designs are also pasted on the body on some brands just like they do on cars.

Jeff Hogsten · Post by **Jeff Hogsten** » 13 Aug 2007 6:35 am

if Im not mistaken Seymour has done a lot of experimenting with this and says there is no difference in tone between metal and wood

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 13 Aug 2007 6:46 am

Brad,
All the pedal steels I have been around have had the inlay routed into the neck. A good source of inlay is Constantines.

KENNY KRUPNICK · Post by **KENNY KRUPNICK** » 13 Aug 2007 7:44 am

I thought tone had the biggest part in the way that the changer was mounted.

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Emmons Push-pulls

Emmons Push-pulls

Necks

WHAT????????????

Inlay or decal