Jerry Byrd's Oahu steel?

Don Sutley · From: Pensacola, FL

I walked into Jubilee Music in Fairhope, AL today and was floored at the number of steels they had. The man there said they had over 90. He showed me a Rick frypan and I was commenting that I thought Jerry Byrd played one of these at one time. He said they had a steel that once belonged to him for many years. It was an Oahu "Tolano Console" double six string steel with Stringtone changers which evidently let you change tunings. Cool. It was in very good original condition. The tuners were deteriorating, however. It came with a case and he wasn't sure if the legs (3) were in there. They were asking $650 for it. I don't know if there is any way to verify this was if fact Mr. Byrd's steel but it was a pretty hip steel either way. He said it came from Branson, Missouri.

They had some really nice steels including a Fender Custom Triple 8, 2 bakelite Ricks, and some beautiful Nationals. They also have quite a selection of vintage Gibson electric archtop guitars.

I don't work for and am in no way associated with Jubilee Music but I have done business with them in the past and they are an established reputable dealer (and nice folks, too).

They can be reached at (251) 928-1003.

Jack Byrd · From: Kalamazoo, Michigan

Whoa there a minute! Be very careful about this guitar. Jerry's first and only guitar until he got his Rickenbacher was a Spiegel mail order guitar he got while still in high school. He played that until he got his Rickenbacher which he played for many years. This guitar and amplifier are in the Country Hall of Fame today. Many people are trying to sell guitars that Jerry once supposedly owned or played. To my knowledge he never owned an Oahu guitar so be careful if you are considering buying this guitar.

Don Sutley · From: Pensacola, FL

Thanks for your post, Mr. Byrd. I guess that clears things up.

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

Speaking of Jerry, (whom I admire greatly), many years ago I bought an old Ric frypan in Hawai'i which I still have. This old beast looks as though it were used as an outrigger paddle, it had seen better days. Anyway, I was playing it with the Hawaiian group at the Elks Club in Waikiki when I spotted Jerry at one of the tables. Of course, I froze on the spot. I invited him to sit-in however he didn't have his picks or bar with him. I just happened to have exactly the picks and bar he uses so he played that old frypan while I played r/guitar. Man, it sounded so great!!! Afterwards, he returned the picks and bar to me. Those picks are now mounted on the frame of a picture of Jerry here at home. They were never used again.

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Hey Keoki! You're such a Romantic! Your action doesn't surprise me in the least. Can't say I blame you tho'. By the way, are you the fellow that used to trim your hair, dye your hair, walk and talk and play like Jerry Byrd..........or was that someone else? Just curious, I guess.

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

Ray...it weren't me !!!! I have very little hair left.

c c johnson · From: killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.

Jack,Skip, Keoki; I think this is another of these deals where people use Jerry's name to aid themselves. If I had a dollar for every person that told me they taught Jerry how to play, advised him on amps, guitars, etc, I'd have enough cash to move to Edmonton and live it up like Keoki. CC

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

Ya gotta be kiddin' CC. I just told the story as a human interest item. At my age, (74), I sure as hell don't need to cash in on Jerry's name, 'nor would I ever. I have too much respect for the guy! Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning ?

c c johnson · From: killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.

Keoki,I tried to write that post in canadien so I guess I screwed it up. I enjoyed your post very much and was not refering to you. I am sure that you have heard these prople that say they taught Jerry hoe to play etc. I remember this one guy that said he taught Jerry while they both were students at Ohio State.. CC

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

About this Oahu steel purportedly belonging to Jerry Byrd.....and THanks to Jack Byrd for giving us the true skinny on the subject....but I remember disbelieving that JB ever played ANYTHING other than Rickenbachers and TrotMores.........until I found some old JBFC memorabilial with JB right there with his custom made FENDER Steel Guitar. Oh well. Originally, I tho't the man played in only ONE tuning! When I witnessed Chet Atkins retuning his guitar on stage during his one man act.....I then began to realize that the truly great ones do whatever they want; whatever comes to their great creative minds; whenever they choose to do it. None the less, I too, I had never seen any evidence that JB had ever played the described brand.

Kenny Dail · From: Kinston, N.C. R.I.P.

Ray and anyone else that may be interested. All players have their instrument(s) of choice. Jerry's was the short scale Frypan and Bakelites primarily because of the "style" he played. Not to say he never played another brand. I have a video at one of the conventions in Jolet Ill. and he played a triple neck Fender Stringmaster. I am sure if he had a choice, he would have played a different guitar. Under the conditions he had to play under, I could tell by observation he was not at all happy. His intonation was good but he was under a lot of pressure because he was not use to the instruments intonation differences. I am sure we have all "been there and done that". Choa....

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kd...and the beat goes on...

[This message was edited by Kenny Dail on 27 May 2002 at 02:33 PM.]

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

That triple neck Fender he played at Joliet was probably owned by Frank Miller. JFYI.
O.K. cc, I forgive you. I thought you might be accusing me of something for which I am not guilty. I love JB's work and would never insult him by even trying to copy his style, and there is certainly nothing I could ever teach him !

Al Marcus · From: Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)

Ray-You are absolutely right. I am not one of the great ones by any means.

But yes, we changed tunings on those 6 string lap steels many times during the night.

It was usually easy to do C6 to A6, drop G's to F# and raise C's to C#. A6 to C#minor drop A to G#. A6 to E7, drop C# to B and A to G# raise bottom C# to D and many more like A9th ,B11.

They had string changers that you could put on your guitar to get 2 or 3 tunings, but I never did like to use them.

JB has shown how much beautiful music can be played on a 6 string lap steel....al

Rick Aiello · From: Berryville, VA USA

I have that video of the HSGA convention where JB plays the Fender .... DON'T play it for long though

He sits down pretty quick in that nights performance and plays a JB frypan for the rest of that evening and for the 2 other appearances he made ... I believe that was his last Joliet show (88?).

I must have watched it a millon times ...

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Al Marcus.......tell us now, when you changed those tunings during the course of an evening, did you do any worrying whatsoever about the string guage being used at that time? Or, did you replace the entire set of strings in order to play in this/that tuning? (tongue in cheek)
I"ve learned a great deal here on the Forum of late, about the necessity to do those kinds of things, things I'd never tho't about during all of my years of playing single neck. Nice to know there IS someone that has done it as I myself have done.

Joe DeLeon · From: FairHope, Alabama, USA

Hi, I'm Joe and I'm new the Forum, and I'm glad to be a part of it. The Oahu in question, is mine. I purchased it a while back from HRC Collectibles in Branson Missouri, and it came with a certificate of authenticity, and a Picture of Mr. Byrd holding, and posing, with the guitar. HRC is a very well known dealer of celebrity artifacts, and I have no reason to doubt the authenticity of this piece. I've read the comments made so far, and I have a hard time believing, that any musician, with the talent and schedule, that JB had, would limit his "stable" of guitars to a Silvertone and a Rick. The only reason that I mention to my customers any history about one of my instruments, is that I think it gives them charactor, they do have historic meaning, and I think that it's nice to know, that saomeone of great talent, probably hit some of the same wrong notes as the new owner will, with the same guitar. I don't try to make a buck off of somebody else's name, although, I do think that it does add value to any piece. I'm Looking forward to learning a lot from all of you, and I thank b0b for letting me in. Thanx, Joe

Pete Grant · From: Auburn, CA, USA

In all this talk about what Jerry Byrd plays and played, I don't recall seeing Dobro mentioned. I saw a video from a TV show in the late 50's early 60's with Jerry backing up Marty Robbins, I believe. He was playing a 7-string Dobro and it looked like the 7th string had been added.

Kenny Dail · From: Kinston, N.C. R.I.P.

The 7 string Dobro was probably built by Sho~Bud. The Dobro in the video was also, in all probability, Shot's personal instrument He Chose a 7 stringer for his personal instrument.

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kd...and the beat goes on...

Jack Byrd · From: Kalamazoo, Michigan

I asked Jerry awhile back about that guitar. He said he had borrowed it but didn't recall from whom. I assume you are talking about the two vidoes he did with Marty Robbins sitting on the pier in front of a ship that Marty was getting off of. Jerry said the video theme required the dobro as electric would have been impractible supposedly setting on a boat pier. Jerry has Pua Alemeda's dobro and has used it on several recent video's.

Kenny Dail · From: Kinston, N.C. R.I.P.

Jack, the Dobro that Jerry used that was previously owned by Pua was a National Tri-cone. To my knowledge Shot never built a tri-cone and again, to my knowledge, National never built a 7 string Tri-cone. As is often the case, someone will come on line and clarify this for us.

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kd...and the beat goes on...

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Jerry was indeed a master at changing tunings often. He has done it at steel shows on numerous ocassions. The thing that makes him SOOOOO very unique is his awesome ability to do it sooooo quickly and soooo accurately.

It is just one more God given talent he was born with, I believe. And NO body can do it as well. He does NOT dilly dally. He simple walks down the strings from top to bottom changing any that need changing and of course tweaking any that are out of tune.

He only takes a second. And he rarely has to go back and forth as soo many of us do.

Finally, he often plays a 3 note chord and blends one string to match what ever tuning he wants as he is walking down. It is a rewarding and enlightening thing to watch. There is NO other like him. And there never will be.

When the lap steel was invented, it was invented for Jerry Byrd. Just like when the pedal steel was invented it was invented for Buddy Emmons.

Those two geniouses will never be equaled or bettered. EVER!!

May God richly bless them both, and all of YOU,

carl

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

I've always said, I'd by a ticket, just to watch/listen as Jerry Byrd TUNED his geetar.

Jack Byrd · From: Kalamazoo, Michigan

Back to the Oahu guitar. I just received a letter from Jerry and this is his quote. "I never heard of an Oahu instrument that was described in the guys description."

I don't know who certified the accuraccy of the ownership of this instrument, but it was NOT owned by Jerry. Just another instance of someone trying to make money off of someone else's name and fame.

So I go back to my original post, be careful if you are buying this instrument because you think Jerry owned it or played it.

[This message was edited by Jack Byrd on 05 June 2002 at 02:00 PM.]

Jim Smith · From: Midlothian, TX, USA

We seem to have conflicting stories here. Joe DeLeon, can you post the photo you have of Jerry Byrd holding the guitar, or email it to someone who can? I don't have the capability to do so at the present time.

Jack Byrd · From: Kalamazoo, Michigan

What does a photo have to do with it? In todays world with these computers and digital photography anyone with a half decent program can doctor any photo so show whatever it is you want to show. I have done it many times in the past in my job before I retired. We had to do it for the work we were doing.
Jerry said it was not his guitar!!! That should be enough for anyone, but if you want to buy the guitar go ahead.

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