Hold on to Your Pro 1's! Ebay.........

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

5 days left and a 3+1, 6139 is already at over $1,000 and the reserve's not met:

click here

I know it's mint, but still I think this is an indication of where Pro 1's are headed in market value, even 3+1's. I'm curious to see what it eventually fetches. My guess is at least $1,400 by auction's end. When it's all said and done, a vintage Pro 1 3+4 will soon be worth as much as several new SD-10's.
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James Morehead · From: Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.

Hey Chris, you see a trend, too. I sure like those Pro I's, they are just a cool guitar with great tone and karisma! I'm partial to blondes, myself.

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

This one on Ebay is exactly like mine, except mine is 3+3 and has a "Pro 1 Custom" decal, compliments of Coop (who also provided me with a knee lever kit). Same year, same colour, everything. And it sounds, looks and plays really sweet:

How can you not want one?
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Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Hard to tell where the market might go. Several SD-10 steels are already over 3 grand, new. An enterprising soul could add 3 levers to this one for about $50, and save a bundle.

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

Luckily, most people in the market for a Pro 1 would not dare butcher the guitar with $50 worth of generic, crap knee levers. Hopefully those days are gone, just like the days of Floyd Rose whammy bars on '58 Les Pauls.
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James Morehead · From: Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.

I see ALL the shobuds climbing in price. What trips me out is the prices that the lowly Maverick is bringing. I never beleived I would see a brown ashtray Maverick bring $1000!

I don't follow other brands of steel guitars, how are they doing?

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

Not sure, James..........I haven't been watching either. An MCI distracted me for about 3 days, but I'm over that now. Smile

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Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

Mint Condition adds about 30% to any vintage guitar. Mint Condition is in a class all it's own, and should not be used as a measure of what other guitars will sell for.

If this Pro I ends up selling for a lot, it will be primarily because of it’s “factory new” condition. It does not mean that other Pro I's will sell for a lot, and it does not mean that there is suddenly a hot market for Pro I’s. Here are the seller‘s words in his description: “immaculate condition”, “like-new”, “like the day it left the factory”, “absolutely beautiful”, “looks brand new”, “almost mint finish”, “looks like it was built yesterday”, “like brand new”, “mint”. Those are his words, and that is why the guitar will sell for a lot. In addition, the pictures are excellent, and they show how sparkling clean the guitar is. This one is in a class all it’s own… at a price all it’s own.
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Joe Eisenhart · From: Pennsylvania, USA

And that was my $1000, I'm gonna guess closer 2 grand she goes. I have the early release model of the ProI, 3 & 3, w/ no decal on the front. Mine has a toggle switch and 2 black knobs on the front of the deck, and teardrop head frame and knee levers. These old Maple Buds are on fire now and most likely will climb rapidly. Truth told, I'm after this one as an investment, but won't mind a 5 year trial a bit. Bobbe Seymore has the finest Permanent I've seen on his website. Mark my words folks, these will appreciate faster than diamonds, and diamonds won't sing to you...............Joe

Alvin Blaine · From: Picture Rocks, Arizona, USA

I just bought one last here on the forums Classified Ads, from fellow forum member Neil Lang.
It's a 3X2 red one, and I love it.

I would like to add a couple of more knee levers to it, but I'm having so much fun with it I don't want to have to send off to John Coop. How much work is it to get the parts(from Coop) and do it yourself?

On another note, I just emailed to seller of the above auction to let him know that it is against eBay policy to charge extra for pay-pal use. They(ebay) WILL end the auction if they find out he has that in his listing. It's also a violation of some state laws to have a surcharge for using electronic payments or credit cards. So his listing is breaking eBay policy and state laws.

Joe Eisenhart · From: Pennsylvania, USA

Chris, does your Pro1 have a metal neck and square front? Mine has a rounded front and what appears to be a plastic fret board, glued down, rather than screwed. Also a toggle switch and 2 black knobs on the deck. How about any of you other guys w/6139? Mine was said to be a predasessor of the Pro I, just trying to get a handle on what exactly I've got here..........Joe

Jim Walker · From: Headland, AL

Everytime I see a 6139 in the natural finish it make me want to cry. I had the chance to buy one 5 years ago with the original case, Sho-Bud vol pedal and Sho-Bud pack-a-seat for $600.
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Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

James Morehead · From: Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.

Doug, I'm not basing what I said, by what this particular ebay auction is. I've been watching the trends for 2 years now, and across the board, it's my opinion that interest in shobud guitars is steadily on the rise, from Mavericks to Pro III's.

I was lucky enough to snag an early blonde Pro I off ebay with a "buy it now". It is a blonde 6139 roundfront, with knobs on the back shelf. It was advertised as mint. When I talked to the seller, he said he was selling it for a friend who bought it new, and played in his home occasionally. So that would make me second owner on a 1968 guitar. The condition of this guitar makes me believe the seller was straight with me, but who knows. Ebay is Ebay. We are half way done with a Coop Conversion--waiting on the chrome shop to catch up. It will be a 3X4 Emmons setup for my Daughter.

Alvin, yes you can order direct from Coop and install your own parts. If your nice, he will even coach you through your project. John Coop-- Cshobud1@wmconnect.com

Joe, Sounds like someone replaced the original fretboard with the plastic "dust catcher", and your better off because of it. If your dust catcher is the one that has 26 frets, yours is the most mathematicaly correct, meaning, your intonation will be right on. Coop designed his fretboards after the "Dust Catcher". He gets about $35 for a fret board, white or black, by the way. Alot of folks don't realise that the metal shobud fretboards are incorrectly designed, and it shows up between the 12 and 24th frets--you have to really "adjust" your bar to have correct intonation. Unfortunatly, some of the after market fretboards were designed off of the early metal inaccurate boards. But the Dust catcher boards are right on. Just ask Ricky Davis, he caught that little glitch a couple years ago. He got with Coop, and they designed off of the dust catcher. That's the kind of "eye for detail" Ricky and John have about these old buds.

Joe, the metal necks came out in the Pro III era in the mid '70's.

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

"The Pro-1 was a mid-range guitar, at best."

In your opinion, Donny. I have to respectfully disagree. The undercarriage of my Pro 1 works smoother than any modern guitar I've owned, with the two-hole pullers and brass swivels. I don't see a problem with the mechanics at all, actually. It's easy to change pulls, and it's practically noiseless - and that's more than I can say for some modern guitars. And most importantly, its sound has a unique character - warm, rich and fat. These Pro 1's are not museum pieces. They're being used extensively at gigs and in the studio. An excellent, top-notch E9 machine, in my opinion.

Joe, mine is a '76, square front, with a wood neck. Mine came with two factory knees and I added a LKL to raise the E's. It is a 6139 but I added the Coop decal. The only Pro 1 I've seen with a metal neck was one that showed up on the forum recently. It belonged to a British owner. I can't remember his name. Maybe he'll chime in with a photo.

Alvin, James answered your question about installing knee levers, but I'd like to add that I didn't have any problem installing mine. Coop sent me all the parts and I used the correct drilling measurements (thanks, James) and a picture of another undercarriage as a guide. It took about 10 minutes to install.
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Kyle Everson · From: Nashville, Tennessee

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

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

... the Telecaster was, after the development of the Strat, Jaguar, and Jazzmaster, considered a "mid-level" guitar, with the Duo-Sonic and later the Musicmaster being "entry-level.

Especially by Gibson! Wink

Look at the current values of the Deluxe Guitar (S-8 w/Stringmaster features). Prices for those are almost equal to the D8 SMs!

All of which makes no nevermind, anyway; I'm also of the opinion that Sho-Bud considered the 6139 to be the mid-grade guitar. Which has no bearing on current vintage values. A 1963 Telecaster in average condition brings more than a mint Jaguar of the same year of manufacture.
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Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

But the Pro 1 had to be considered by Sho~Bud a mid-level guitar only because it was a single neck. After all, isn't a Pro II just a double-neck version of a Pro 1? Same undercarriage and changers, same wood......I don't get it.

Seems to me they judged levels on options, not quality. How is an LDG superior to a Pro 1 besides body size? Originally it was because it had two extra levers. A 3+4 Pro 1 is no different than an LDG quality-wise. If I'm wrong, please correct me.

And yes, Kyle, you can flip around in your hands like a baton when taking it out of the case. Smile

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Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

Skip Edwards · From: LA,CA

I never did quite understand the logic - or lack of it - when Sho-Bud had 2 sgl neck gtrs in their inventory. The original 6139 was, in essence, a sgl neck version of the Professional, with rack and barrel undercarriage. This was before the Pro series came out, and it came from the factory with one knee lever. It was called just the 6139, or the sgl neck Professional.

The 6139 - with the new undercarriage - was carried over in the model line-up after the Pro series came out. In 1974 Sho-Bud introduced the Pro series, and along with the Pro I, they also had the other sgl neck which was refered to as the Sho-Bud Professional Model 6139. I know, the Professional was a D10, but at least in the '75 catalog this particular sgl neck is referred to as a Professional. Go figure... This 6139 was identical to the Pro I, with the exception of lacking the Pro I decal, and it came from the factory with one lever instead of two. Other than that, the two models were identical. If there were any other differences, I'd like to know about them. And then, of course, above the Pro I was the LDG, which had the double body and came with 4 knee levers.

So I guess as far as the model line is concerned the 6139 is one step above the Maverick and right below the Pro I, but for all practical purposes they were the same guitar. Same changer, undercarriage, body, p/u, etc.

Like I said, I never did understand the logic behind having these two models in their line-up, and I guess they didn't either, because the 6139 was dropped shortly thereafter and the Pro I continued for a number of years.

The first Pro I's had 2 hole pullers with brass barrels, and those are pretty darn cool gtrs. I've got a '72 6139... single neck Professional with rack and barrel undercarriage, and it's a sweet guitar. I'll never get rid of it. And yeah, it does seem like these old Pro I's are appreciating in value, as are sgl neck p/p's.

Russ Tkac · Posted 6 Feb 2007 10:56 am

I had a D-10 "rack & barrel" Sho~Bud from 1975 - 1980 and liked it. Wish I had it back. Very Happy

Russ

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

The auction's been removed. ??
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Kyle Everson · From: Nashville, Tennessee

I guess he should have read Alvin's email a little sooner.

James Morehead · From: Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.

Skip says:

"if there are any other differences, I'd like to know about them them."

The interesting thing about the S-10, was, since the late '60's---to the mid '80's, there has always been a 6139. For every model D-10 that Shobud came out with, there was an S-10 counterpart, labeled 6139. But, I have yet to see or hear of a 6139 with an aluminum neck like the Pro III. The earliest I know of was the blonde ROUNDFRONT 6139 with the two knobs and toggle switch on the little shelf. I am told by "those who know", that guitar is about a '68. I own it.

As the D-10's came out, so did an S-10 counterpart, right into the mid '80's. From the early ROUNDFRONTS to the later SQUAREFRONTS. The mechanics evolved right along, as well as the outward appearance. What stayed the same was the little shelf, and the 6139 label underneath.

Even the LDG evolved this way---early ('73) roundfront/wide pedals, two hole pullers to the squarefront/narrow pedals/ super pro undercarrage---all called the LDG.

By the way, the early mavericks apeared in 1970, with a birdseye maple body and raised neck. The body never had the little shelf in back like the 6139's all do. The brown mavs.(1976) didn't even have a raised neck, and went to cables.

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