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Topic: Sho~bud Maverick Upgrade by John R. Coop Sr. |
Ricky Davis
From:
Bertram, Texas USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2007 6:03 am |
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Well here it is all you Maverick owners.
Now there is a genious upgrade by "Mr. Sho~bud" himself; which includes a double raise/single lower finger to be pulled by his crossbar system with two hole pullers.
Here's a sneek preview of how the end plate would be set up; to upgrade.
Contact John Coop to get in line for this proceedure.
Cshobud1@wmconnect.com
_________________
Ricky Davis
Email Ricky: sshawaiian2362@gmail.com |
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2007 6:42 am
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| Awesome! those Mavericks show up on eBay all the time at reasonable prices too. What a great thing John has done here. |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2007 3:01 pm
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| Very cool.. The only problem I can imagine is this... If you buy a Maverick and get the changer upgraded, would it be cost effective???.... I mean with parts and labor, would it be worth it??? bob |
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A. J. Schobert
From:
Cincinnati, Ohio,
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Posted 15 Oct 2007 3:49 pm
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Bob I was just thinking the same thing, how much would you have tied up in the thing?
The upgrade would have to be competative to beat some nice used or even new steels. |
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Bob Hickish
From:
Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 16 Oct 2007 9:00 am
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Rick
will Coop be doing a mod for the bell-crank stile ? the one you have
shown looks to be the barrel system .
I love the idea ! I modified a Fender Student with an older Sho-Bud
changer and the only thing that would make that a better deal would
be to have at least two holes in the rase finger so it could be used
with the bell-crank system .
Maybe this is what you were saying in your post !
Quote
"which includes a double raise/single lower finger to be pulled by his
crossbar system with two hole pullers. "
This little Fender has become my favorite - light weight - stays in tune
sounds like a Fender should . now if I could only play it with your hands .
Hick |
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James Morehead
From:
Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.
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Posted 16 Oct 2007 7:23 pm
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| Coop wouldn't mess with it if he could not keep it cost effective. It's cool that these budget guitars can be made into a real playable guitar. |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 17 Oct 2007 11:38 am
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It's brilliant John! And here's the PERFECT candidate for the conversion.
Last edited by John Billings on 19 Oct 2007 12:32 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 17 Oct 2007 11:38 am
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triple post debug mode
Last edited by John Billings on 17 Oct 2007 11:42 am; edited 1 time in total |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 17 Oct 2007 11:40 am
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| Got the Debug Mode thingie |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 19 Oct 2007 12:17 pm
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| I share the same concerns. At the end of the day you still have a Maverick. It's better to put your funds into restoring a professional instrument, which John has shown himself to be an expert at. |
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James Morehead
From:
Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.
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Posted 19 Oct 2007 4:56 pm
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| Alan F. Brookes wrote: |
| I share the same concerns. At the end of the day you still have a Maverick. It's better to put your funds into restoring a professional instrument, which John has shown himself to be an expert at. |
Although it would "seem" to be a waste to bother with a Maverick, they do have some good things going for them, if some inherent problems are overcome. And you actually end up with an upgraded Maverick, that plays great, with great Shobud tone. This type guitar will not be for everyone.
I believe John Coop has a certain market in mind, not really for those who are already blessed with a fine professional type guitar. But for someone who does not have a lot of money to invest, a "cooped" Maverick will be very suitable, and much better than the original Mav. I think it's great that Coop is thinking of a way to get all those old Mavericks into playing action, for those who would appreciate a budget guitar, that's "fixed" to play right, to get started with. I think he ought to have a fair chance to get a few out there to be played, before the idea is condemed. YMMV |
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Ricky Davis
From:
Bertram, Texas USA
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Posted 19 Oct 2007 5:27 pm
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I absolutely totally agree with James. The Maverick was a starter/budget steel to begin with. Same parts; pickup and other things used on a Maverick that shobud used on their professional steels.
The market for a maverick is for someone that doesn't have a steel or just needs a cheap light one; to play a song or two inbetween their long guitar solos...ha....but doesn't have a lot to invest and don't want to trash a professional model.
They still need to play well; and the original design needs more to play well. Coop has designed how to make them play much better with more options than they were originally designed. It is still a Maverick yes...in that; that was the original reason someone bought it; but instead of investion in a professional model; but now has progressed to need more from their steel; this is now the option.
Ricky
_________________
Ricky Davis
Email Ricky: sshawaiian2362@gmail.com |
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Casey Lowmiller
From:
Kansas
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Posted 19 Oct 2007 5:35 pm
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Seems to me that you could take an early Maverick, the ones that are blonde natural, get the upgraded parts & create a mighty fine steel. It would be fairly light-weight & pretty looking too!!!
I'm all for anyone taking a virtually non-useable guitar & making it sing again. AWESOME!!!
Casey
_________________
Known Coast to Coast as
"The Man with The Plan" |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 19 Oct 2007 5:59 pm
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Oh! Maaaaan! Ricky, my friend,,,, I gotta disagree with you on this 'un! What John can do to a Maverick is amazing. The pickups, etc., are the same as the Pro models. Add the raise and lowers that John can build, and the light weight of 30 pounds in the case, plus the sound of a real Shobud??? Buy a nice lacquer Maverick, and have John trick it out, and you will have a light-weight guitar that sounds like a classic Shobud. I'm very enthusiastic about John's new project!
Last edited by John Billings on 20 Oct 2007 6:06 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Ricky Davis
From:
Bertram, Texas USA
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Posted 19 Oct 2007 6:30 pm
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Hey John; I believe you DO agree with me....ah...ha.
I of course never said anything about the sound...
Ricky
_________________
Ricky Davis
Email Ricky: sshawaiian2362@gmail.com |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 19 Oct 2007 6:37 pm
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GREAT Rickey! So many players are lookin' for light-weight guitars these days. And John has the answer to this search, I've owned a light-weight , and though briliiantly designed as far as construction goes, it just didn't sound that good. A good Maverick, with John's upgrades, and real Shobud sound, will kill those other light-weights everyday.
Last edited by John Billings on 20 Oct 2007 6:00 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Joe Shelby
From:
Walnut Creek, California, USA
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Posted 20 Oct 2007 1:55 am
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It has been said here already, but the Maverick has
always had one very strong suit: tone. (This opinion
refers to the maple neck/body/nut roller model of the
early '70's).
Even with the mechanics as they were, I gigged with one for two years, pretty much 5 or 6 nights a week... I didn't know any better, added two knee levers (anyone remember what a pain it was getting parts from Sho-Bud back then), Schaller keys; I just couldn't afford something better at the time. Used it with three different Fender amps (blonde Bandmaster, mod-ed SF
Super Reverb, early SF Twin Reverb) and it sounded
mighty fine with all of 'em.
At that time, your choices were student models from Emmons, ZB, and MSA. The Maverick was the most affordable.
So, if Coop can finally put an end to the mechanical
downside, you're gonna have a light and sweet little
tone monster that no modern student model can touch.
Very cool.
Joe.
ps--Coop has proven to be a master of Sho-Bud, but
James' and Rickys' comments are probably on the money, in that however well he's able to upgrade the
mechanics, it's not meant to replace a well set-up 6139/Pro 1,
and that needs to be kept in mind. |
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Ken Mizell
From:
Lakeland, Florida, 33809, USA
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Posted 20 Oct 2007 9:43 am
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John - Is that one of those Mavericks that were originally covered in vinyl, and has now been stripped of the "contact paper" cover and refinished? Yours looks looks very nice.
These things are probably going to start selling fast off of eBay if Coops price makes the conversion cost effective. There has to be a large number of these things out there in the world.
Ken
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Steeless. |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 20 Oct 2007 9:47 am
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Ken, that's an original Maverick. The paper hasn't been striiped off. I think most of the lacquer Mavs were earlier. However, the one in the pic is a '74, and has pretty nice wood. Not mine though.
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Paul Redmond
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 23 Oct 2007 10:43 pm
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Hats off, John. Great idea!!! I retained the old pull-release system in my Maverick because way back then I didn't know anything about anything else. I just made it work with a new undercarriage and stop system. When I ordered the four extra knee levers, Paul Sr. was still at Sho-Bud. He took my order but advised me that I could never put all those knee levers on that guitar. Well, it's had 3 and 5 on it since 1979. It's got a George L's 12-5 wired in the full humbucking mode. It's a looker and sounds great. The birdseye cabinet is rock solid and much of that rigidity can be attributed to its inherently small size. The light weight combined with the great tone make this little guy more than just a Maverick. With the Coop upgrade, this is a new guitar!!!
PRR |
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James Morehead
From:
Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.
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Posted 24 Oct 2007 4:54 am
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| Ken Mizell wrote: |
These things are probably going to start selling fast off of eBay if Coops price makes the conversion cost effective. There has to be a large number of these things out there in the world.
Ken |
I've seen Mavericks sell over a $1000 several times on ebay the past year. I seen one bring $1700. And that is, of course, before John announced the upgrades. A maverick is becoming a nice little investment. Now I want one!! 
Right now there is a beautiful raised neck Maverick on ebay for "buy it now" $850, and as clean as this guitar is, they will get it. |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 24 Oct 2007 6:09 am
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| The Maverick I pictured sold for $850 yesterday. Actually a very fair price for that guitar! |
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 24 Oct 2007 11:05 am
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James, those $1,000-$1,700 Maverick prices on Ebay are because of naive buyers bidding up the prices way too high - happens all the time on Ebay. That's fine for investors and speculators to exploit by buying low and selling high. But why would any knowledgeable player pay that for an outdated student model, when they can come on the Forum and buy a pro model for that price, and can get a more recent student model for less?
If Coop can price his upgrade so that the cost of an original Maverick plus the upgrade is under $1000, then maybe it's a good deal for someone who wants a lightweight pedal steel. The only things good about an original Maverick are the wood and the Sho-Bud name. Many don't have roller nuts, and have black painted endplates, non-adjustable aluminum legs, sub-par pickups, cheap tuners, and glued-on vinyl covers. Priced between $400-$800, depending on the condition and the model, they can be a good deal for a beginner or part-time player. But for $1000 or more, even with Coop's upgrade, are they as good or better than all the pro models of various brands that are out there for the same price?
Sure, if you can get one of the good raised-neck models with a roller nut and good lacquer finish for $500, and can put Coop's parts on for maybe $300, that could be a sweet little S10. But what if you have to go on Ebay and buy one for $1000-$1700, and send it to Coop and it costs $500-$700 for him to put his parts on? Is that a good deal? Suppose you get one of the enamel painted ones or vinyl covered ones and have to pay someone several hundred dollars for a lacquer refinish?
So I suspect this might be a good deal for someone who happens to have a Maverick sitting around already (that they got at yesterday's prices), or can get a steal at a yard sale for a few hundred bucks. Otherwise, I can see someone putting way more money into this than a much better pro model would cost. |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 24 Oct 2007 12:13 pm
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You're pretty much right David. You need to get a good deal on a Maverick. But you also have to buy the right Maverick. I'd only buy a lacquer Mav. I'd probably strip the endplates, sand 'em smooth and buff 'em. Re: the pickups. I've heard that Shobud felt it was not economical to make different pickup models, and that the Maverick pups were pulled outa the same box as the pups for the Pro models.
When I bought my Pro S-10, I was disappointed that it didn't have a tapped pickup. Ricky told me to look under the guitar to see how many wires were coming outa the pup. Sure enough! One wire was taped off. Ricky drilled a hole in the endplate, put in a switch, wired it up and, voila! A tapped pup. |
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James Morehead
From:
Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.
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Posted 24 Oct 2007 1:48 pm
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| David Doggett wrote: |
| James, those $1,000-$1,700 Maverick prices on Ebay are because of naive buyers bidding up the prices way too high - happens all the time on Ebay. That's fine for investors and speculators to exploit by buying low and selling high. But why would any knowledgeable player pay that for an outdated student model, when they can come on the Forum and buy a pro model for that price, and can get a more recent student model for less? |
Hey David, I hope you don't think I advocate over-paying for a Maverick,
or any guitar for that matter, do you? I'm just simply making an observation. I think most would agree with your points, as it's just simple common sense. All I'm saying is the market for this guitar is beginning to take off, and it can be a good investment---if you buy carefully. No different than anything else in life.YMMV |
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