Fender Pedal Steel questions

Kenny Brown · From: Auburn, Alabama, USA

My friend at the local guitar store showed me a Fender pedal steel a customer brought in. It's the solid black guitar with ashtray tuner. (I don't know what model to call it)

Now this guitar would appear to me to be set up(copedent) like my student model Emmons although the changer is all pull on the Fender unlike the Emmons I have.

I noticed some variations. The "A" pedal is changing the D string on this guitar, the "B" pedal is only changing the high G# instead of both, and the one knee lever is changing the high F#. I feel like this is a kinda weird setup and would like yall's input.

I took a couple of pix of the undercarriage and I'm still trying to figure out the purpose of the twist tie on one of the rods. Sorry about the quality of the pix, my cellphone camera...

This guitar is in very good condition and if set back up I bet it would be a lot of fun to play.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Sounds like one of the rodded Fenders made by Sho~Bud. Unless it's dirt-cheap, I'd say "pass", based on what I can see and what you've said.

The "twist ties" were put on to keep everything together, from the looks of it. Rolling Eyes

Hard to tell what other damage the last owner did.

Kenny Brown · From: Auburn, Alabama, USA

I wasnt looking to buy...(recently bought a new GFI). I was just trying to help my friend out with it.

I was worried the previous owner may have taken a couple steps over the line with the way it's currently set up and I don't have much experience putting things back as they should be.

Brint Hannay · From: Maryland, USA

I know nothing about the history of Fender PSGs, but I was under the impression the "Fender by Sho-Bud" guitars used essentially Sho-Bud Super Pro era mechanics. This mechanism seems to bear no resemblance at all to any Sho-Bud mechanism I've ever seen.

Bob Hickish · From: Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.

Ken
I would say that is a student model Fender.
the ties are holding the rods to the E -Eb lever .
I don't know what the rocker arms is for, its an add
on for sure .
here is a student S 10 changer

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

It is indeed a student model Fender steel.
Can you say Maverick??/.. Thats the quality level... I would steer clear unless its REAL cheap...bob
_________________
I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!

no gear list for me.. you don't have the time......

Brint Hannay · From: Maryland, USA

Is that what the Maverick changer looks like? I rented a Maverick for three months in 1983 as my beginning on steel, but I knew absolutely nothing about steel mechanics at that time, and it's been a few years!

Kenny Brown · From: Auburn, Alabama, USA

I guess I would need to talk to the previous owner to find out exactly why pedal A is changing the low B string and D string rather than both B strings.

Fred Bova · From: Connecticut, USA

It is a Fender/Sho Bud Student. Do a search on the forum, lots of info. It does use Sho Bud "Super Pro" parts, in fact used them BEFORE the Super Pro existed. Fender paid for all the R&D, Sho Bud built the PSG, and then Sho Bud used the tech latter in the Super Pro. I have one, Really like it. Simple Pull / Release Changer, but parts are avail. Mine had wonderful Birds Eye Maple under the Fender Tolex.

Bob Hickish · From: Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.

What I like about the Fender/Bud , its light !
This is a rebuilt one , 3 and 5 with a Sho-Bud
pro 1 changer . it's 33 Lbs in the case .

Hick

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

Bob's guitar is the Artist model, which is one of the decent Shobuds. The one in question is a modified "Student 10" - a Maverick with a Fender tuning pan covered in black tolex, with an amp logo (really!) tacked on the front.

I had one - my first pedal steel. It was a complete piece of junk. I know some people have modded Mavericks onto fun guitars, but these are basically a wood box with a cheapo changer that takes an experienced steel tech to modify.

He'll need some qualified help to get it in playing shape - and it's probably not worth the effort.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Bob Hickish · From: Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.

Quote
"Bob's guitar is the Artist model"

This is not the case at all jim ! the Fender in the photo is
a student model Fender/Bud . it has been completely
rebuilt with a Sho-Bud pro one changer , supplied by SGN
the raised neck was added to this guitar in order to
be able to install the changer

Fred Bova · From: Connecticut, USA

Bob,
Nice work !
I thought about doing something like this to mine, but I use mine as an 8 string and I don't use more than two Knee Levers so I don't really need to. I did just get a Fender 400 8 string pickup to put on it, but I will have to slant the pickup to make it fit. I'm going to do an A/B listening test first, if it is not a Huge difference I will just leave it as is. Fred

Bob Hickish · From: Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.

Fred
I have done the same with this guitar ,
I rigged this one as an 8 string but found
I was always reaching for the other 2 strings so I put
it back to 10 .
The 3 & 5 could as well been 3 & 2 and it would still
be my favorite
I play more Non-ped than pedal , although its not my first day
in Dodge playing PSG but just never mastered
it like some of our forum friends .
I take this one to all the jams & gigs now , it smooth
& light on the touch as well as light to handle .

Hick

Bryan Knox · From: Gardendale, Alabama...Ya'll come

Not to derail a thread, but...

How you doing Kenny? You crossed my mind for some reason the other day and I was wondering if you were still steeling or not.

Nice to see you post.

Bryan
_________________
Prevent Juvenile delinquecy...teach children to STEEL

1976 MSA D-10 8+4, Mullen D10 8+4, G&L Skyhawk, Fender '52RI Telecaster, Eastman MD 615 lefty mandolin, Fender DPC750 w/Tubefex, Custom Twin Tweed Cabs w/ Peavey 1504's, 70's Fender Super Reverb, Martin D28-L.

Nick Reed · From: Russellville, KY USA

Bob Hickish,
I really do like what you've done to modify that Fender. I had a S-10 Artist Model about 15 years ago. I traded it off to Seymour because I thought it sounded more like a telecaster than a steel. It's the one that got away! tell me, does the added raised neck and different Sho-bud changer give it the sound I may have wanted. I kinda wish now I had kept mine.

Fred Bova · From: Connecticut, USA

Hi Bob,
I really like mine, I play it everyday for a few minutes before going off to work without an amp, and it has a nice sound for a Birdseye Maple Shoebox.

Did you build the "Neck Riser" yourself ? Did it change the sound much ?

I know the Artist Model had a Neck Riser, but it was much lower. You can tell that the End piece was made so that it could be used for both the Student and the Artist.

Bob Hickish · From: Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.

Nick

It retained the Fender sound but it did become
more responsive in feel - I think the Walnut I used
for the raised neck added to it . I used the Fender
PU , so its a little harsh in the electric voice but using
a Fender Steel king amp , you can do what ever you want
I'm suer it would be sweeter with a Sho-Bud PU but
I didn't have one when putting this together .
The Sho-Bud Pro 1 took a little machining -- about 3/8's
of an inch off the end plate made it fit good . the changer
mad it smooth a silk as far as a light feel to the pedals . I
had to brake the habit of letting my foot rest on the pedals
for the slightest touch , it was changing pitch .
Bobby at SGN made it posable for me to do this , he was
right on the spot with parts I needed , but I think if any one
wanted to do this , They could use Coop parts . This makes
a sweet guitar out of a sows ear .

Fred

Yes , I cut it from a pice of well aged Walnut , and IMO it did add
more feel to the sound .
I don't think there was much difference in the wood part of these
guitars except the rase of the neck and the changer . the only thing
a steel player needed the play an old Sho-Bud or Fender-Bud was
a small milling machine to replace the parts that broke .
I'v always liked this Fender to , I owned this one sense 73 or 4
Hick

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

Bob - nice job. the raised neck is what made me think it was an Artist, obviously.

The basic wood box of the Maverick-type is a good tone platform - it's just that the mechanics are very limited and the whole thing built very cheaply. Bob's guitar took a lot of work, and that would be something you would do because you WANT to - not to make a profit on it!
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Forum Index > Pedal Steel		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic