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Topic: Early Sho Bud Pro III with wide pedals - worth restoring? |
Brandon Schafer
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 31 Mar 2013 4:55 pm |
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My first pedal steel is an old mid 70's Sho Bud Pro III. It is a D-10 and was rode hard and put away wet. It's all there, but many of the C6 pedals don't seem to do much. It needs refinished and some of the pedal rods are a bit corroded. But, it does sound good. I seem to have to adjust the changer regularly on the E9 neck for it to be in tune when using pedals. I can never get the C pedal to tune up quite right either.
Now, I got this thing for a song (pardon the pun) and I do have a sentimental connection to it. I see guys regularly restoring the older Sho Buds, but not so much with the aluminum necked Pro IIIs. Is there a reason for this? I'd think that if I had this restored, it'd be amazing. I use a GFI to take out and about. I love its tuning accuracy and light weight. I won't let go of it for my "gig guitar". But, the tone of this old Sho Bud is really great. It just weighs a ton comparatively.
The original owner put Geroge L's E-66 pickups in both necks too.
Now, I've only played these 2 pedal steel guitars that I've owned. Am I foolish to think that a total restoration on an early Pro III with the wide pedals is worthwhile? Or should I just find another Sho Bud and forget this one?
Curious to see what you Sho Bud experts think about this.
Thanks!!! |
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richard burton
From:
Britain
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Posted 31 Mar 2013 9:25 pm
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If it sounds good then don't mess with it, just get it working mechanically, which is usually a simple enough job.
The tone of some steels can be lost when incorrectly re-assembled |
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Ken Byng
From:
Southampton, England
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Posted 1 Apr 2013 5:19 am
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I'm not a Sho~Bud expert, but here's my tale. I had my Pro III Custom refurbed from this
to this
Here is the guitar stripped, sanded and ready for staining and lacquering.
The guitar had a coating of nicotine from over 30 years worth of gigs, and the lacquer was incredibly crazed. All the metal parts underneath were polished to a mirror finish, including the endplates. I had a George L E66 in my E9 neck once. It was OK, but didn't bring the guitar to life anywhere near its original tone. I changed my microphonic Bud pickups to Wallace Truetones. Infinitely better than the E66 in the Bud. The only other pickup I would consider is the Lawrence 710 if I wanted to go for another humbucker.
Was the guitar worth renovating? Absolutely - it is better than it was new, and plays and sounds wonderful (to me at least). 
_________________
Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E,
Last edited by Ken Byng on 1 Apr 2013 7:18 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Bob Knight
From:
Bowling Green KY
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Posted 1 Apr 2013 7:09 am
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I seem to have to adjust the changer regularly on the E9 neck for it to be in tune when using pedals. I can never get the C pedal to tune up quite right either.
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Put some new nylon tuner nuts on it.  |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 1 Apr 2013 7:14 am
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Worth restoring? It depends on "worth." A bottom-up restore and refinish (like Ricky Davis or James Morehead) will end up costing more than the guitar's bottom line value. But I'd spring for it if I had the guitar and the money.
I'd actually pay someone to do the cabinet and do the mechanical myself.
I'd pull the C6th changer, clean it, lightly lube it and put it back together. Once you have it working, then consider doing the front neck.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Bob Muller
From:
Oregon, USA
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Posted 1 Apr 2013 9:00 am
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Brandon, guitar restoration is certainly a matter of opinion.
Purely from economic standards it may not be the best thing to do, but the experience you will gain by doing it could be invaluable in the end. You'll most likely end up with very nice old guitar if the work is done properly. It has been done many times before, probably with varying results, but from my point of view the work is well worth the finished product. Read the story below if you haven't seen it yet, it will give you an idea of the process.
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=217475&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight= |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 1 Apr 2013 11:04 am
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my worthless opinion is to buddy up with some friend who is knowledgable about basic mechanical set up, tune that thing up top and bottom and play it. you'll probably find it's a great working and sounding steel for just a few bucks.
you can always pour money into an originality destroying total refurb later if you can't halp yourself. |
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Bob Muller
From:
Oregon, USA
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Posted 1 Apr 2013 3:14 pm Re: Early Sho Bud Pro III with wide pedals - worth restoring
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| Brandon Schafer wrote: |
My first pedal steel is an old mid 70's Sho Bud Pro III. It is a D-10 and was rode hard and put away wet. It's all there, but many of the C6 pedals don't seem to do much. It needs refinished and some of the pedal rods are a bit corroded. But, it does sound good. I seem to have to adjust the changer regularly on the E9 neck for it to be in tune when using pedals. I can never get the C pedal to tune up quite right either.
Thanks!!! |
I believe the above quote refers to the original question. By reading this I would assume the guitar needs more than just strings and tuning, so the question is how much restoration is necessary. I think it kind of depends on what the owners expectation is for the finished project. A lot of restoration work is purely labor and time, if most of the parts are good they can be re-used by cleaning them and installing them in original condition. If the parts are missing, worn-out, broken, Rusty, then you have another problem. It gets into parts cost and availability, that's where you must make your decision. To restore the guitar is a lot of work, time, and possibly money depending on what's needed. To restore the guitar for profit probably does not make sense. Myself I like really nice vintage guitars in the best possible condition they can be returned to. If you like relic style guitars, then leave it in its present condition dirt and all, maybe even play it with the original strings. If you want it to look and play like the day it left the factory all shiny and clean with everything working, then certainly restoration is in order! |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 1 Apr 2013 3:41 pm
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| my point is that in many cases when the steel isn't operating properly it is merely due to unorganized and unadjusted parts. a logical eye can assess and fix this....for free!! |
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Brandon Schafer
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 1 Apr 2013 3:53 pm
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Thanks for your perspectives!
Ken, all I can say is wow! You took an extremely tasteful route in restoring your Pro III.
Bob, what a neat story! Congrats on restoring a dear friend's steel.
Not really interested in restoring it to flip it. I'll get a picture posted maybe later. Luckily, all the parts are there, but the A and B pedals are quite worn, but still functional. Someone refinished it in the past, but didn't do too great of a job. It has some light corrosion issues, but nothing like what you dealt with, Bob. I'm thinking mine is closer to Ken's start point, but slightly more wear/corrosion and the weak refinish.
I think I'm going to start saving some dough and go for it. It may not be a 66 Emmons, but I know it can be made into a guitar that is better than many newer offerings. At this point, complete originality doesn't mean much to me. I want it to be in the spirit of what it was when new. The only concession I might make would be related to color choice. I think two tone might be nice... But we'll see. |
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Brandon Schafer
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 1 Apr 2013 3:59 pm
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| Chris, you are correct. I do need to work with what I've got and see where I can get it. I admittedly get a little overwhelmed when I look "under the hood". I can set up a 6 string in my sleep, but "advanced horn maintenance" is uncharted territory for me. |
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Bob Muller
From:
Oregon, USA
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Posted 1 Apr 2013 4:16 pm
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| Brandon it certainly appears that you are approaching the project from the correct perspective. I find the finished Pro III to be a very nice old guitar. Plays and sounds fine, not bad to look at either, what more could you ask for. As to color choice, just pick your favorite color, the original is already gone anyway and besides they came in several different colors. If you have the time and desire I'm sure you will be satisfied with the finished product. I think one reason you don't see a lot of restored Pro III guitars restored is because they didn't make a lot of them in the first place compared to the wood neck models. Good luck on the project. |
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Ken Byng
From:
Southampton, England
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Posted 2 Apr 2013 1:01 am
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Brandon
My changer rollers had some severe grooves in a number of them, and before I had it refurbed it sounded much like a sitar on some strings. The rollers were ground and polished as below, and so far have held up nice and smooth. I had a few people whinging about keeping the guitar all original, but it was a working guitar for me for the best part of my working life. I figured that it had earned me a lot of money in its life, and the least I could do was to get it back in good shape again. Just do what you are comfortable with.
There must be someone in your area who could help you to get it playable initially. I think the Pro III is a great guitar.
_________________
Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E, |
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Marco Schouten
From:
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Posted 2 Apr 2013 7:23 am
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Keeping a guitar original is nice, as long as it's playing well. If it's not playing well anymore, it's better to get in a playable condition than to not use it anymore. A full restoration has its price but you end up with a great sounding vintage guitar that will play as smooth as any modern guitar and last the rest of your playing years. That's my opinion anyhow.
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JCH SD-10 with BL XR-16 pickup, Sho-Bud Volume Pedal, Evidence Audio Lyric HG cables, Quilter Steelaire combo |
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Ken Byng
From:
Southampton, England
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Posted 2 Apr 2013 8:31 am
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Well said Marco.
_________________
Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E, |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 2 Apr 2013 8:59 am
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The cost of restoration may be high, but, if you're a professional musician, it's the tool of your trade, and the cost of restoration is small in comparison to what you will earn with it.
So the question becomes, if you need a working guitar, is it more economical to restore an old instrument or to buy a brand new one? |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 2 Apr 2013 9:54 am
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| hey ken....did ya hit yer thumb widda hammer? |
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Ken Byng
From:
Southampton, England
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Posted 2 Apr 2013 10:48 am
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| Alan Brookes wrote: |
The cost of restoration may be high, but, if you're a professional musician, it's the tool of your trade, and the cost of restoration is small in comparison to what you will earn with it.
So the question becomes, if you need a working guitar, is it more economical to restore an old instrument or to buy a brand new one? |
Alan
It's the downtime while the restoration takes place that is the problem. A major restoration that includes a body refin will take weeks or even months. No good if it is one's only instrument and you have regular gigs.
Not me Chris - it was the guy who did the refurb. He tells me that he did when he was hammering the pickup back in.  It made my eyes water when he sent me the photo.
_________________
Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E, |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 2 Apr 2013 2:13 pm
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I see your point, Ken.
I've never thought of a professional pedal steel guitarist only having one of them. |
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