missing bigsbys list

Daniel McKee · From: Corinth Mississippi

i would like to start a list of missing bigsby instruments not just steel guitars if you know of a missing bigsby please post its information who owned it or what year it was made or whatever you know about it.

Jimmie Martin · From: Ohio, USA

Ask Bobbe . He knows about as much Bixby's as anyone.

Robbie Lee · From: New York, USA

I'd bet the missing Bigsbys are the ones we don't know about Wink

But seriously I've wondered about this too. I assume you mean: guitars that are known to exist, but whereabouts currently unknown.

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

Since it's not just about pedal steels I've moved this topic to the Music section.
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Michael Johnstone · From: Sylmar,Ca. USA

We could start with Murph's early 50s S-8 5 pedal reverse headstock "Bixby".

Last seen in the San Diego area in the 1960s - I'm told.

It's spelled Bigsby Bigsby Bigsby

Jon Nygren · From: Wisconsin, USA

That thing is too cool. Thanks for sharing that pic.

Daniel McKee · From: Corinth Mississippi

that is a nice bigsby what tuning did he have on it.

Mitch Drumm · From: Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake

As far as I know, this one is still missing:

Michael Johnstone · From: Sylmar,Ca. USA

Deke Dickerson · From: California, USA

Jeremy Wakefield and myself are pretty sure that we saw Joaquin's original Bigsby lapsteel at one of the early 90's vintage guitar shows in Santa Monica. We are talking about the 1945 lapsteel featured in the Three Stooges short on youtube.

At the time, we both remarked, "Hey, that thing kind of looks like a Bigsby, doesn't it," but we were confused by the Rickenbacker horseshoe-style pickups, not realizing that the first few Bigsby's had horseshoes before P.A. designed the blade pickup. It was painted green, and was in poor shape, and the guy wanted $400 for it, which was a lot of money for a funky lap steel in the early 90's.

I can't remember if the one we saw had the three-on-a-side tuners with the 7th and 8th string tuners mounted on the top of the peghead, nor did I take any pictures. But I'm personally 90% sure we saw Joaquin's original 1945 Bigsby that day. I think J.W. tracked down the dealer a while back and the guy had a vague memory of the instrument, but it was long gone.

Soo....if any of you steel guitar forum guys bought a green painted lap steel with odd looking horseshoe style pickups....let me know! ha ha

Deke

Billy Tonnesen · From: R.I.P., Buena Park, California

Back in the 50's a friend of mine known as Barney Barnes played a Bigsby. He was the brother of Sid Barnes who played Steel and Piano. Has Barney's steel ever been accounted for ? I have no idea if he is still around. I beleive Sid lives somewhere in the midwest.

Jussi Huhtakangas · From: Helsinki, Finland

Yes Billy, Barney's guitar was featured in a Vintage Guitar calender few years ago, it is also pictured in the Bigsby book, as well as a -55 newspaper article of PA building a steel for Sid Barnes. Barney's guitar was a much earlier one than Sid's, dating to May -48. I believe it was originally a non pedal guitar and Bigsby added pedals later ( it has the bridge changer which PA didn't use in -48 )

Darryl Hattenhauer · From: Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Does anybody know about Vance Terry's Bibsby, or Tiny Moore's Bigsby 5-string mandolin?
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Daniel McKee · From: Corinth Mississippi

vance terrys bigsby was pictured in the bigsby book.

Deke Dickerson · From: California, USA

Darryl--

I just wrote an article about Tiny Moore's Bigsby mandolin, it will be in Vintage Guitar magazine sometime in the next couple of months.

Tiny's mandolin wasn't in the book (except for a small photo of a Tiny Moore album cover) because we didnt' know where it was. Then I was told that it is in Sacramento in a collection. I went there and photographed it (and Tiny's other mandolins--his Gibson EM-150 and the Roberts Bigsby-style mando) for this article. It was a major error that Tiny's mandolin wasn't in the book, but hopefully this article will correct that situation somewhat.

Deke

Darryl Hattenhauer · From: Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Deke,

That's great news. Thanks for the post. So that I don't get off topic, I'll pm you about Tiny.

dh
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Steel crazy after all these years.

$100 reward for info leading to the purchase of a fender D8 white, yellow, or butterscotch.

Herb Steiner · From: Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064

About 4-5 years ago, the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum, here in Austin, had a display depicting the history of western swing and among the instruments in the presentation was Tiny Moore's Bigsby mando. I believe Ray Benson had a hand in acquiring the instruments for the museum. On loan, of course. The instrument was undoubtedly returned to its current owner.

Missing, but assumed in Canada, is Buddy's T-8 Bigsby. Also, as far as I know, the whereabouts of Speedy's guitar is unknown, though it's been said that the large maple apron has been separated from the console itself. Jussi might have more info about that.

Also missing: Smokey Rogers' Bigsby spanish guitar, viewable at least once a in Western Caravan photo.
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Darryl Hattenhauer · From: Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Thanks Herb. It's great to know that Tiny's Bigsby is appreciated.
_________________
Steel crazy after all these years.

$100 reward for info leading to the purchase of a fender D8 white, yellow, or butterscotch.

Jussi Huhtakangas · From: Helsinki, Finland

I wish I had more info on Speedy's but I don't. Smokey's guitar however is the same guitar Hank Garland played with Eddy Arnold.

Daniel McKee · From: Corinth Mississippi

in the post that said buddys t8 bigsby assumed to be in canada did that mean buddy emmons bigsby .

Herb Steiner · From: Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064

correct-a-mundo, Daniel.
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My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

Deke Dickerson · From: California, USA

Herb--

Smokey Rogers' Bigsby guitar is the same guitar as the Hank Garland Bigsby guitar. If you look in the Bigsby book that issue is addressed somewhat, but you have to be paying careful attention to see the reference.

That was the only Bigsby guitar made with three knobs and two switches. It originally appeared in Smokey's hands for one photo session with Tex Williams' band and for a Bigsby ad in Tex Williams' Western Life magazine in 1949/1950.

Other than this one photo session, however, Smokey was never seen with that instrument on any other occasion, preferring instead to play Gibson archtop guitars.

Several photos taken 1953-1955 show Hank Garland playing the exact same guitar--three knobs, two switches. Smokey and Hank knew each other and the best educated guess is that Smokey sold the guitar to Hank.

There is a collector you probably know about on the east coast with a number of Bigsby instruments. He has a guitar we photographed for the Bigsby book with a replaced pickguard that had three knobs and two switches--sure enough we matched the birds-eyes in the birds-eye maple top to the Hank Garland promo picture, and it was the same guitar. The guy had owned Hank Garland's guitar for 20 years and didn't even know it--he bought it at a vintage guitar show in the 80's.

So...to make a long story short the Smokey Rogers/Hank Garland guitar is present and accounted for.

On the other hand, Butterball Paige's Bigsby guitar that he played with Ernest Tubb in 1949 is missing in action. I talked to Butterball's widow and she recounted that they had a flood in their basement around 1956 and that Butterball lost everything he had--photos, suits, memorabilia, guitars, etc. So chances are likely that guitar was destroyed.

That guitar will be easy to identify if it ever turns up, however, Butterball's instrument was the third of only three true solidbody guitars made by Bigsby, before he switched to a neck through with hollow wings design. Also, bizarrely enough the guitar also had the pickup switch on the bottom EDGE of the guitar--the area where you would normally rest the guitar on your knee. So if it ever turns up, it'll be pretty easy to spot.

Deke

Darryl Hattenhauer · From: Phoenix, Arizona, USA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYI10zlUtLw
_________________
Steel crazy after all these years.

$100 reward for info leading to the purchase of a fender D8 white, yellow, or butterscotch.

Daniel McKee · From: Corinth Mississippi

i was on youtube and watched hillbilly fever by little jimmy dickens who was that on the bigsby with i believe one pedal i think jimmy said play that guitar jack. does any one know also how many double ten single eight bigsbys were made.

Herb Steiner · From: Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064

The steel player on the Jimmy Dickens clip is Walter Haynes.

Here's Jimmy with Buddy Emmons playing a very hot Murphey-style solo, though with a short amount of camera time.
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

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