Sho-Bud T-11-11-16 Permanent

chas smith R.I.P. · From: Encino, CA, USA

About 2 decades ago, when I would buy anything with 3 necks, I got a Sho-Bud T-11-11-16 Permanent, cabinet end guitar that needed work. And I totally underestimated how much work it was going to need. The wood work and marquetry is stunning, and the metal work was, and I'm being generous, kind of a hack job.

One of the things about a Permanent is the adjustable pillow blocks on the changers, which means that you don't have to drill accurate holes to center the changer relative to the 12 fret. Adding the 11th string meant the holes were too close to the edges and the pillow blocks got damaged. Instead of 1/2" axles for the 11-string changers, 5/8" axles were used which meant that the strings were 3/4" above the fretboard at the bridge, however, the height of the roller nuts, on the keyheads, was 7/16" above the fretboard which meant that there was a 5/16" incline on the strings. If I let go of the bar at the 15th fret, it would break the speed limit by the 3rd fret. So...first I needed to make new pillow blocks which also meant picking up the hole patterns, on each neck, relative to the center of the axles to the bridge and the 12th frets.

Then I had to add metal to the changer housings to widen them for my pillow blocks and so that I could countersink them 1/8".

Next up, add a 3/16" plate to the bottom of the nut
rollers, which means picking up each key head's hole pattern and drilling it into the jig that the pieces will be bolted to when they're welded back together.

The end braces that held the legs and the changers were supposed to bolt to, needed to be replaced with machined pieces, which also meant picking up the original random hole patterns.

While I was at it, I decided to machine a "rod holder" for the front.

The lowers for the Permanent changer are spring release. The lower assembly, on the left, seemed excessive so I machined a replacement.

Michael Johnstone · From: Sylmar,Ca. USA

You are gonna buff out that weld on the keyhead? Cause it sure looks ugly. Don't make me have to come over and do it myself.

chas smith R.I.P. · From: Encino, CA, USA

There can't be very many of these guitars around.

I haven't made knee levers for it, yet and I'm just now starting to "dial it in". By making the "positive" braces for the ends, the changers now have something to bolt into and take advantage of all that wood. This is a very nice sounding guitar. At the moment, the 16 string neck is tuned, with octaves up to the 1st F#, then unisons for the top A, D, F#:

F# (E)
D
A
F#
E
D
A
D

Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

Dang, Chas. That is one beautiful guitar. Love the inlay.
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Ricky Davis · From: Bertram, Texas USA

Are you FREAKIN Kidding me?? I hate you Chas Smith..ha...OMG....you are an amazing guy my brother.
That is a KILLER looking steel and awesome mechanical/structural work.
Ricky
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Paul Graupp · From: Macon Ga USA

chas: Your comments on these items took me back to the 50's...watching Bobby Garrett backing up Jim Reeves. Something was very wrong on his E9th neck and Jim told him to get on the other neck and play some Jerry Byrd which is exactly what Bobby did.

Despite of repeated attempts to tune it out, he couldn't get it to stay right. Then as I watched the changer to see which strings were moving, I noticed the outside pillow block lifting up a little and I mentioned it to Bobby. A quick tightening with a philips screwdriver cleared up the trouble.

I was rewarded for my good deed when JR asked BG if I was bothering him !! Muttering

Regards, Paul

Bob Muller · From: Oregon, USA

Chas, great job on the restoration of a very unique guitar. It's hard to believe that could be very many like that one. It's interesting that it's a cabinet end permanent that has a fingertip style undercarriage. Very unique and beautiful cabinet, this is certainly an interesting piece of Sho-Bud history. It would be interesting to know what year this was made.

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

amazing!! thats about all you can say about your work and the instrument.

a few years ago i answered either a craigslist ad or something on ebay, i forget, but a guy had a guitar similar to that in calif. it had been stored in an outside shed, but the body was all there and decent. we just couldnt come to a deal on it. a couple years later he advertised it again. it had gotten put back in the shed and water had gotten to it from the rain...totally falling apart and rotting...really sad. its so nice to see yours was in the right hands!!

Alan Berdoulay · Posted 18 Jan 2012 4:44 am

Beautiful.

Peter Freiberger · From: California, USA

A stunning instrument. Your machining and welding is as well!

Frank Freniere · From: The First Coast

Jeez-o-pete - that is a museum piece!

Don't suppose you could post sound clips from each of the necks, Chas?

Todd Clinesmith · From: Lone Rock Free State Oregon

Chas, you are amazing. Great job getting that beautiful guitar up and running better than ever.

Storm Rosson · From: Silver City, NM. USA

Killer job Chas, great work.....Stormy Very Happy

Jerome Hawkes · From: Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA

wow - i should have send my ol' perm off to you Chas - amazing work

i'm interested in this part:
=The lowers for the Permanent changer are spring release. The lower assembly, on the left, seemed excessive so I machined a replacement. =

i dont have anything resembling either of these on my perm - mine is like this one with the later changeable undercarriage
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Dale Rottacker · From: Walla Walla Washington, USA

Wow...I think I just got a brain cramp...Incredible... Very Happy

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CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

another WoW ! Whoa!

chas smith R.I.P. · From: Encino, CA, USA

Gentlemen, thank you. It means a lot to me to get a good comment from the masters.

Michael, that "ugly" weld got a good sanding, in fact, the die grinder got a work out, on both ends. Bob, I was told that the guitar was made in 1964. Bill, why someone would allow a beautiful instrument get destroyed, is beyond me. Not to mention what happened to the "Blade". I got a note from Larry Petree that there was a guitar, similar to this one, for sale in Bakersfield and he was wondering if this was it. Nope, I got this one from Paul Warnik. Frank, the sound clips will have to wait for a while.

Jerome, the spring release lowers go back at least to Bigsby guitars, where originally they were horizontally mounted levers, then later, each finger had an attachment that was the precursor to the all-pull finger. The fingers on this guitar are nothing more than rectangular bars with some holes drilled in them. The string is tuned to what the lower will be, then the spring pulls it up to "open pitch". The pedal pulls the opposite side of the lever, releasing the spring, to get the lower pitch. However, on the E9 neck, I want the E to Eb lowers as well as the C pedal raises and what this means is the C pedal has to be able to pull the 4th string all the way from Eb up to F#. No small feat.

Jake Gathright · From: Foreman, Arkansas, USA

It's absolutely unbeleivable. WOW!!!!!!! Shocked

Benton Allen · From: Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA

Bill Ford · From: Graniteville SC Aiken

Charles my friend, you never cease to amaze me. Awesome job.

BF

Also a question..It looks like veneer was used as a "wrap" between the banding for the body.
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James Morehead · From: Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.

Chas, I do believe more than a few of us are humbled by your work. I got a headache wrapping my mind around that project of yours!!
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Bent Romnes · From: London,Ontario, Canada

Chas, absolutely astounding work! You restored this Sho Bud to a condition that is better than original. I would really love to learn from guys like you.
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Jay Jessup · From: Charlottesville, VA, USA

Chas,

While others seemed to have found voice on this thread as evidenced above--Ricky's being closest to my current state--all I can say is that words fail me completely!!! Stunning seems far too mild a description IMHO!!

I can say that that the steel guitar world is extremely lucky to have you as one of us!! To have someone of your vision, added to your machinist/mechanical skills is a rare occurrence in and of itself but on top of that to have the patience to stick with this project as time allowed for so many years because you knew the result would be worth it are also worthy of the highest praise--which again seems like too mild a statement.

To the rest of the steel guitar world, if you have never played a well adjusted pull-release type changer like these permanent's were, it is something you must do at some point in your career if only for a few hours to help you understand how pedal action can add to your playing palette of colors--just take my word for it.

My only question for Chas is? Those look like stock SB pickups from that era. I am lucky enough to also own a permanent from the early 60's which is supposed to have a stock pickup, however the full value on the ohm meter is about 20K and the cut is about 10.5 and I know the jackson folks did some work on it in the early 70's, would you mind sharing the output of those pups with me?

Thanks, Jay

Tony Williamson · From: North Carolina, USA

ALL YOU STEEL GUITAR GUYS MACHINISTS TOO? I NEVER SEE BANJO PLAYERS BUILDING AND FABRICATING S##T FOR THE BANJO..? WTH Shocked

Jay Jessup · From: Charlottesville, VA, USA

LOL No Tony, not all of us are machinists--or even that good mechanics truth be told--but as the PSG is as much machine as musical instrument it does lend itself to people of that bent I have found. However, while there are a handful of good machinists that play steel guitar there are not many musicians who happen to also be good machinists. The events recorded by Chas above are not likely to be seen again--and when he gets it tuned up and gassed and has the inclination to record some stuff I am sure you will hear some good music out of that instrument.

By the way I still own that Snakehead A I bought from you about 10 years ago--doesn't come out of the case much these days but with that classic vibe I have not been able to consider selling it either.
Jay

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