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Topic: 1639 Sho Bud |
Chris Sattler
From:
Hunter Valley, Australia
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Posted 1 Sep 2020 8:38 pm |
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I am hoping the Sho Bud crew out there can tell me what I have. This guitar was so cheap it was criminal not to have bought it. But I am thinking it is a little different to what it should be. The tag (which is adhered to the case and not on the underside of the guitar) says it is a model 1639 with serial #4284, dating it to late 1973. That matches the number on the guitar itself
My understanding was that all 1639's were rack and barrel. This isn't. The bellcranks seem much later. Are they even sho Bud? The cross shafts are round except the right knee crossshafts have a little flat on them.
The cabinet has been smothered in some Polyurethane clear by the look of it. It is dripping off the underside of the guitar and has got into the tuners and up the side of the neck and changer and the endplates. A real mess.
However, it does play well and Is so much like the first steel I ever had that I am going to fix her up and keep it. Should I try to get an original pickup for an authentic Bud sound or is the GL a good replacement? Any information at all is helpful.
It is certainly not a thoroughbred with impeccable pedigree, but I've always liked the mongrel a bit.
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Ian Worley
From:
Sacramento, CA
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Posted 1 Sep 2020 11:33 pm Re: 1639 Sho Bud
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The correct model number is "6139". It's hard to know from the pics how well it is setup presently, she looks like she's been 'rode hard', but it should be a very serviceable git with a little TLC. The top surfaces of the changer fingers look a bit rough but that may just be the lighting and reflections in the pics. They are aluminum so they can be re-surfaced.
You are correct, the bell cranks are not Sho-Bud, they look homemade, but reasonably well made. Overall it looks like it was setup by someone who knew what they were doing (except for that sloppy mega-dose of clear coat!)
The earlier Buds with the 1/1 changer are somewhat limited when setup with fixed pull rods like this vs. the original barrel tuning setup. Yours has double raise fingers on strings 4 and 5 to accommodate the additional raises on the C pedal. The pedal/knee setup is fairly standard, if this matches your preferred setup you're in luck, but if you need some additional pulls on certain strings it might take a little finagling.
You can always do a hybrid setup with some two-hole bell cranks and barrels on some strings if necessary, not ideal but do-able. Michael Yahl has all the parts you'd need, shipping to Oz is probably pretty pricey though.
I also wouldn't worry about the inauthenticity of the George L's pickup, they're good pickups, assuming it's working correctly. I personally prefer a humbucker.
Have fun! |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 2 Sep 2020 2:44 am
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your guitar was converted from rack and barrels at some point, to a later pull system with nylon tuners and later 2 and 1 changer fingers for the 4th and 5th strings,, I have seen other buds with the same mod, it was fairly common and not a bad thing. made the guitar a little quieter,easier to tune, etc... bob
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I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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Chris Sattler
From:
Hunter Valley, Australia
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Posted 2 Sep 2020 4:01 am
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| Yes, Bob it is not a bad thing at all. It plays very nicely and so far has held its tuning very well. I will need to dismantle the whole thing to refurb the cabinet but other than a thorough clean and proper set up to suit me, she will go back together as is now. It all seems nice and tight to play, a little stiff on pedal C but there really no issues as such. Thanks for your input. |
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