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Topic: Bos-San Guitars |
Fred Layman
From:
Springfield, Missouri USA
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Posted 10 Jun 2002 3:43 am |
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| Any Bos-San owners online? I need a photo of the undercarriage. I have a Bos-San brochure that has a partial photo of the undercarriage, but I need a fuller view. |
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Damir Besic
From:
Nashville,TN.
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Tommy Detamore
From:
Floresville, Texas
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Posted 10 Jun 2002 5:31 am
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Fred,
Don Fullmer, a forum member, might be able to help you out. Hope you are doing well.
Damir,
The Bos-San was a fascinating steel guitar built by the late Harold Spain in Hopewell, Va. He was an innovator and a true gentleman. The guitar featured changers at both ends, with tuning keys affixed directly to the changers. Several guys in that area played this guitar (Don Fullmer, Sid Hudson) and as well as I can remember it was a great playing guitar and it sounded terrific. He used beautiful woods also, as I recall.
I would love to see pictures of the Bos-San myself. I have never forgotten the kindness of Mr. Spain and his handiwork certainly deserves to be displayed to the steel guitar world. |
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C Dixon
From:
Duluth, GA USA
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Posted 10 Jun 2002 5:31 am
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A Bos-San PSG was built by a man in Richmond VA. He made it from scratch. Even milling the end plates from a solid piece of aluminum in his small home garage.
One of the recipients of this unique guitar was Don Fulmer who often plays at the Hawaiian shows in Joliet and Indianapolis and of course other shows. If my memory serves me right, he may have posted on this forum some time ago. Not sure.
The Bos-San guitar is one where raises are done on one end and lowers on the other end. It is the only PSG I ever saw which did that. But I believe there may be others doing it now. Not sure.
Fred, If you need for me to do it, I will try to contact Don and see if he can get in touch with you,
carl |
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Steve Feldman
From:
Central MA USA
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Posted 10 Jun 2002 3:33 pm
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| Last couple of times I was there, Billy Cooper had a Bos-San on the floor. |
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Larry Clark
From:
Herndon, VA.
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Posted 10 Jun 2002 4:13 pm
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| I was wondering why that name sounded familiar. Thanks Steve, I remember seeing one at Billy's too. Wish I had looked it over a little closer. |
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Damir Besic
From:
Nashville,TN.
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Chuck Martin
From:
Clifton, Virginia
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Posted 10 Jun 2002 5:17 pm
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Carl,
Some of the BMI's have that same set-up with the raise on one end and the lowers on the other. Take a look at this photo and you'll notice that it has tuning nuts on the left end. 
Chuck
[This message was edited by Chuck Martin on 10 June 2002 at 06:18 PM.] |
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Fred Layman
From:
Springfield, Missouri USA
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Posted 10 Jun 2002 7:32 pm
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The BosSan pedal steels were built by Ken Boswell and Harold Spain in the Richmond, VA area during the 1980s. They showed them at St. Louis during that period. Their brochure says that the two of them had over 70 combined years of steel guitar playing and machine shop know how.
There was a changer at each end of the guitar, one to raise strings and the other to lower them (Patent # 4007658), each with it's own tuning screws. The changers were keyed, not keyless as in the BMI, and the keys were attached to L-shaped changer mechanisms. They anticipated the later split-tuning facility in that any string could be lowered when it was raised or raised while it was lowered. The guitars were characterized by beautiful woodwork and excellent machining throughout.
I have two of the BosSans with all of the parts, but that were never assembled. When Mr. Spain died in the late 80s/early 90s, Harold Flynn bought out from Mrs. Spain what was left of the machinery and inventory. This included a D-10 and a S-10 and all their parts. The D-10 body was completed externally, including the changer mechanisms, but the undercarriage was not assembled. When I bought the Flynn company and inventory from Harold's heirs, the guitars came with the purchase. The BosSan brochure gives a partial view of the undercarriage, but I'm trying to find some complete photos of the undercarriage so I can finish the guitars in their original format. Any such photos will be greatly appreciated. |
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Jay Jessup
From:
Charlottesville, VA, USA
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Posted 12 Jun 2002 8:34 pm
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As of a month or so ago there was still a Bos-san 12 at Billy Coopers.
I would like to add that I was one of the benificiaries of Harold Spain's kindness back in the mid 70's when I appeared at his home machine shop with a homemade copy of a D-10 push pull that was almost unplayable. He fixed it up for me very quickly and I doubt he charged me a lot for doing it either! It was a long time ago but I met Don at about the same time and this was also when Harold was coming up with the idea for his guitar. I was tempted to buy the guitar at BC's just out of respect for the help and advice Harold gave me back then. Harold was a real perfectionist and was also soft spoken and modest, a wonderful gentleman. |
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bob grossman
From:
Visalia CA USA
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Posted 13 Jun 2002 9:00 am
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Fred:
I sent this earlier, but it apparently didn't make it there.
Around 1976, Winnie W. took some photos for me at St. Louis. Some were of the BosSan, I think incl. the undercarriage.
I gave my vast collection of pedal steel bvrochures, pictures, patent dwgs. to Tom Bradshaw. He should have something. |
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Bill McCloskey
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Chris Lucker
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 26 Feb 2023 4:40 pm
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I had one for a while. Very confusing when tuning because of the tuning pegs at both ends of the guitar. That looks like Mike Cass holding the guitar so I must have gotten it from him.
_________________
Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars. |
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Henry Matthews
From:
Texarkana, Ark USA
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Posted 27 Feb 2023 3:01 pm
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Oh my, that looks complicated 😊
_________________
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. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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