| Author |
Topic: Do they still make new JCH pedal steels? |
Alan Judson
From:
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
|
Posted 8 Oct 2021 6:25 am |
|
I can't find any info about the company online.
What's their story? |
|
|
|
Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
|
Posted 8 Oct 2021 6:34 am
|
|
I doubt it. Both Jimmy Crawford and John Hughey are deceased. Buck Reid might have built some (my memory is foggy on that). You might want to get ahold of him. His website is buckreid.com I believe.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, NV400, NV112 . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
|
|
|
Alan Judson
From:
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
|
Posted 8 Oct 2021 7:34 am
|
|
| Thanks Richard |
|
|
|
Dean Holman
From:
Branson MO
|
Posted 8 Oct 2021 4:42 pm
|
|
| Buck does not build those, they haven’t been in production for a long time now. You do occasionally run across a used one, but not very often. |
|
|
|
Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
|
Posted 9 Oct 2021 3:53 am
|
|
| Dean Holman wrote: |
| Buck does not build those, they haven’t been in production for a long time now. You do occasionally run across a used one, but not very often. |
I thought I had read somewhere that Buck worked with Jimmy Crawford and built his JCH while there. Here is the Steel Guitar Forum post where Dan Kelley tells that story. Now, Buck never chimed in to confirm or deny that story, so it may or may not be true.
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=321224&sid=aa54583dfe3b776f153a03b0d1f7f651
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, NV400, NV112 . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
|
|
|
scott murray
From:
Asheville, NC
|
Posted 9 Oct 2021 5:52 am
|
|
love for Mr. Reid to chime in but I believe Buck worked with Jimmie for the last several years of JCH's existence. the company died with Jimmie in 2005, may he rest in peace.
there were only about 200 JCH guitars built in its roughly 25 year existence, which says a lot about Jimmie's exacting standards and attention to detail.
they are some of the finest instruments ever made as anyone lucky enough to own or play one can tell you!
_________________
1965 Emmons S-10, 3x5 • Emmons LLIII D-10, 10x12 • JCH D-10, 10x12 • Beard MA-8 • Oahu Tonemaster |
|
|
|
Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
|
Posted 9 Oct 2021 12:05 pm
|
|
I hesitate to speak for Buck but, as has been suggested, he did build guitars at Jimmie's.
Going out on a limb here, but I'm fairly sure Buck was entirely responsible for building his own gorgeous red D-10 JCH.
_________________
Roger Rettig - Emmons D10s, Quilter TT-12, B-bender Teles and old Martins.
---------------------------------- |
|
|
|
Brett Day
From:
Pickens, SC
|
Posted 9 Oct 2021 10:11 pm
|
|
| I had an opportunity to meet Jimmie Crawford at the ISGC in St. Louis in '03, and he'd told me about some of the players he built JCH guitars for. I love the JCH design and the logo is awesome -it looks like the state of Tennessee. The story of JCH came because Jimmie Crawford and John Hughey were builders, and also I've heard, if memory is right, that the letter C in JCH represented Crawford and Conway Twitty, who John Hughey played steel with at one time. |
|
|
|
Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
|
Posted 10 Oct 2021 2:32 am
|
|
| Brett Day wrote: |
| I had an opportunity to meet Jimmie Crawford at the ISGC in St. Louis in '03, and he'd told me about some of the players he built JCH guitars for. I love the JCH design and the logo is awesome -it looks like the state of Tennessee. The story of JCH came because Jimmie Crawford and John Hughey were builders, and also I've heard, if memory is right, that the letter C in JCH represented Crawford and Conway Twitty, who John Hughey played steel with at one time. |
The story as I heard it was, the J is for Jenkins, as in Harold Jenkins, Conway Twitty's real name, as he invested some seed money to get Jimmie and John going.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, NV400, NV112 . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
|
|
|
Bill Fisher
From:
Oklahoma, USA
|
Posted 10 Oct 2021 2:46 am
|
|
That's how I heard it, also, Richard. Jenkins-Crawford-Hughey.
Bill |
|
|
|
Dean Holman
From:
Branson MO
|
Posted 10 Oct 2021 10:28 am
|
|
| Richard Sinkler wrote: |
| Dean Holman wrote: |
| Buck does not build those, they haven’t been in production for a long time now. You do occasionally run across a used one, but not very often. |
I thought I had read somewhere that Buck worked with Jimmy Crawford and built his JCH while there. Here is the Steel Guitar Forum post where Dan Kelley tells that story. Now, Buck never chimed in to confirm or deny that story, so it may or may not be true.
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=321224&sid=aa54583dfe3b776f153a03b0d1f7f651 |
Buck did help Jimmie, and I as well, as I was neighbors’ with Jimmie. I’m referring to the fact that they are no longer being built now, and that Buck does not build them currently. The question was, are they still being built, and my response was to clarify that Buck does not build those currently, and they haven’t been built in almost twenty years now. I helped Jimmie from the mid to late nineties. I left Tennessee in ‘99’ and that’s when Buck started helping Jimmie. They were great guitars, and Jimmie was a great friend. |
|
|
|
Dean Holman
From:
Branson MO
|
Posted 10 Oct 2021 10:48 am
|
|
| I might add, I believe that Buck was responsible for building his own JCH. I guess I should’ve elaborated a little better, I did not mean to imply that Buck never built those. When I started working for Jimmie, he had ended a new partnership, for a new guitar that was to be called Crawford/Parks. One SD10 was built for Russ Hicks. For some reason, it never got off the ground, and the partnership dissolved. Jimmie did a few modifications from the original JCH guitars, in which he considered improvements, and from that point, I helped him cut parts to rebuild the newer JCH’s. If I remember correctly, I believe that Glen Rieuff , got the first of the new JCH. Anyhow, Jimmie had quite an operation, and a great guitar, he just didn’t have drive, to get them out the door. It took three years to get mine. I think things probably sped up a little, after Buck started working there. |
|
|
|
Brett Day
From:
Pickens, SC
|
Posted 10 Oct 2021 4:55 pm
|
|
| I remember for the longest time, Russ Hicks played a white JCH D-10. He played it at the very first steel guitar show I ever played in Hollonville, Georgia in '04, the year after I met Jimmie Crawford and also in '04 in Nashville, Russ set his JCH up right beside my '74 Emmons GS-10. I wish I'd had the opportunity to try out a JCH back when they were built. |
|
|
|
Dean Holman
From:
Branson MO
|
Posted 11 Oct 2021 6:17 am
|
|
| Brett Day wrote: |
| I remember for the longest time, Russ Hicks played a white JCH D-10. He played it at the very first steel guitar show I ever played in Hollonville, Georgia in '04, the year after I met Jimmie Crawford and also in '04 in Nashville, Russ set his JCH up right beside my '74 Emmons GS-10. I wish I'd had the opportunity to try out a JCH back when they were built. |
Brett, that was one of the newer JCH guitars’ that I helped Jimmie with. One of the things that Jimmie did on those guitars, was add helper springs so he could shorten the travel and make the pedal action smoother. He also changed the design of the changer stop cross bar. The only thing that I didn’t like, was he used two front apron bars. One was a thick long cold rolled steel bar, to mount the cross shafts in, and another wider and thinner steel plate, to mount what he used, for the pedal stops. He used chrome plated steel, for the cross shafts, and all of that, made the guitar, a little heavier than other guitars. But, Jimmie was pretty adamant about building a very strong and sturdy guitar. |
|
|
|
Buck Reid
From:
Nashville,TN
|
Posted 17 Oct 2021 6:37 am
|
|
Sorry I missed this folks and really appreciate the opportunity to tell this story!
I met Jimmie late 1999 and started working with him early 2000. His tedious nature and attention to detail are what sold me after my first visit to his shop in Hendersonville,TN. It is well documented that Jimmie had some health issues and had accumulated a back log of a dozen or so guitars that needed to be built. I approached Jimmie with the idea of letting me help him get caught up with his orders. At the time, I had other work doing sessions, touring and working part time at Bobbe Seymours shop, which is where I learned most of my general knowledge regarding guitars of all makes and models. I then asked Jimmie if he would be ok with letting me build a JCH for myself in lieu of pay when we had time to work on it, and he agreed. I will say that Jimmie did occasionally throw a little extra cash my way when he could as it was obvious to me that he was grateful for the help. So... I did build my Red JCH and helped Jimmie get caught up. The orders slowed down and Jimmie's health was not improving. I was getting more opportunities to play and stopped working with Jimmie late 2004, then Jimmie left us February of 2005.
I will forever be grateful for the experience of learning under a master craftsman! I can tell you that Jimmie didn't do anything half way. When one of us made a mistake, the part or parts in question would be scrapped or returned to be melted down to make new parts. We all know other great builders and Jimmie was in that category!
On top of all this, I would tag along at various Steel shows with Jimmie and met many of my heroes that way. He introduced me to Scotty in St. Louis and a few others in the Steel Guitar show circuit and welcomed me into his circle of friends. I still can't accurately describe what that felt like then or now. He was so creative musically speaking as well and to this day, I can't even attempt to play "some" of the ideas he came up with!
That pretty well covers my tenure with the great Jimmie Crawford but his influence lives on! RIP Jimmie
_________________
www.BuckReid.com |
|
|
|
Dean Holman
From:
Branson MO
|
Posted 17 Oct 2021 10:30 pm
|
|
| Thanks Buck! Jimmie was definitely a perfectionist. He cared very much about his product, and his guitars were top notch. I had some great times with Jimmie, and I helped as much as I could. I learned a lot, and wish I could’ve stayed, I’m glad that you came along to help Jimmie out. You were definitely more of an asset than I was, cause I had so little experience. But I do miss Jimmie a lot, and those were some great times, and great memories. |
|
|
|
Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
|
Posted 19 Oct 2021 5:39 pm
|
|
| Buck I recall you telling me Jimmy kept meticulous notes about things he tried to improve the playability especially the fails so he wouldn’t repeat. |
|
|
|
Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
|
Posted 19 Oct 2021 5:50 pm
|
|
| Buck I recall you telling me Jimmy kept meticulous notes about things he tried to improve the playability especially the fails so he wouldn’t repeat. |
|
|
|
Henry Matthews
From:
Texarkana, Ark USA
|
Posted 19 Oct 2021 7:34 pm
|
|
Don’t mean to start a storm but wonder why JCHs don’t bring big bucks like the Franklins. If supply and demand were the issue then they would. I think they are just as good all around as a Franklin. I’ve owned one JCH and wish I still had it. Was an awesome guitar tone wise and playability. Never owned a Franklin but have played a couple. Both are awesome guitars.
_________________
Henry Matthews
D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
D-10 1974 Emmons cut tail, fat back,rosewood, 8&5
Nashville 112 amp, Fishman Loudbox Performer amp, Hilton pedal, Goodrich pedal,BJS bar, Kyser picks, Live steel Strings. No effects, doodads or stomp boxes. |
|
|
|
Ron Pruter
From:
Arizona, USA
|
Posted 19 Oct 2021 7:42 pm
|
|
Jim, there's two things I hate about myself. First thing is, I repeat myself . Second thing is, I repeat myself. 👌
_________________
Emmons SKH Le Grande, '73 Fender P/J bass, Tick tack bass, Regal high strung, USA Nashville 112. |
|
|
|
Buck Reid
From:
Nashville,TN
|
Posted 26 Oct 2021 5:54 am
|
|
Jim Pitman - Yes Jimmie had a big 3 ring binder full of ideas that he tried and dismissed at some point. There were a handful of times when I would suggest doing something a little differently because I thought it would be better. Jimmie would say "nope already tried it" and proceed to pull out the 3 ring binder with notes and diagrams to illustrate that he had previously tried that very same idea, why he dismissed it and why the current method was indeed better. Then he would look at me and say "but I like that you're thinking". 
_________________
www.BuckReid.com |
|
|
|
