Sho-Bud Pro III Custom Model 6155 Pedal Steel Electric Guitar (1974)
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Item #7141
Sho-Bud Pro III Custom Model 6155 Model Pedal Steel Electric Guitar (1974), made in Nashville, TN, natural finish, maple body with aluminum necks, original road hard shell case.
This beautiful Sho-Bud is not only a fantastic player's instrument but has an extremely illustrious history in the hands of its only owner, the illustrious session musician David Mansfield. The guitar has seen extensive stage and studio use, including on every date of the Rolling Thunder Revue tours -- one of the signature musical events in Bob Dylan's career. David was kind enough to offer to tell his history with this steel in his own words:
"I started playing pedal steel in my mid-teens. Somehow I managed to find an affordable beginner steel in NYC, a Sho-Bud Maverick. I was in a popular band that developed quite a following in the NJ/NY area-we made an album for Warner Brothers in the early 70s, played up and down the East Coast and played the NY clubs like the Bitter End, CBGBs and Max's Kansas City. It was there that we had a seminal experience for all of us. We were the opening act for Gram Parsons on his first solo tour in the spring of 1973 (the 'GP' tour). He had a young jet-black-haired Emmylou Harris singing harmony.
We were beyond starstruck, and Gram and the Fallen Angels band took a liking to us. The pedal steel guitarist was an amazing player named Neil Flanz. He took me under his wing, coming out to the house in NJ where we all lived and giving me lessons, and he later picked out this instrument for me off the line at Sho-Bud's Nashville factory. It was top of the line back then! Between our new friendship with Gram, Emmylou, Phil Kaufman and the rest of the gang I was highly motivated to start woodshedding to try and become a better player.
I soon found myself on call in NYC as a session pedal steel guitarist. I found myself playing and recording with Eric Andersen, Chip Taylor, even working on a posthumous Jim Croce album. By the time I got the gig for the Rolling Thunder Revue I was a scant 18 years old, but had a fair amount of experience.
This was the instrument I played with Bob on both Rolling Thunder Tours (1975 and 1976), and you can hear it on 'The Bootleg Series, Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue', and 'Hard Rain', the NBC TV special and CBS record that documented the end of the 1976 tour. Being Dylan, there are many other bootleg recordings from that time. There is also a film he shot, 'Renaldo and Clara', that has a lot of concert footage. We recorded and filmed quite a bit of the Rolling Thunder Revue, I would not be at all surprised if some day a concert film is released. Don't quote me on that!
The rig I was using on the first tour was a 70s-era Fender Twin, and a Maestro PS1A phase shifter. I also used a Yamaha mixer because I was also playing violin and mandolin through the same amp (this was pre-DPA clip-on mics!). For the 1976 tour I swapped out the PS1A for a MuTron Bi-Phase (which I still own!), and the rest of the rig was the same. I continued to use that basic rig through the years I spent with T-Bone Burnett and Steven Soles in The Alpha Band. Of course in the studio I scrapped the mixer! You can hear this instrument on a number of albums from that time; Roger McGuinn's 'Cardiff Rose', Eric Anderson's 'Sweet Surprise', Joan Baez's 'Gulf Winds'. It was also the instrument I used live for many years, with John Denver, Tanya Tucker, Chip Taylor, and others. For another good example of the sound, listen to the live album I did with Victoria Williams, 'This Moment in Toronto with the Loose Band'.
This instrument is a double-neck with eight pedals and four knee levers. It has been serviced by John Widgren who updated the original copedent to a modern Emmons copedent, and added a split on the 6th string. There are a few spare parts included (some bell cranks, a couple of rods, etc.). The case is a custom CushCase, rugged enough for club work. Also included is an Anvil flight case that the CushCase fits into, necessary for serious truck or airplane-based touring. When double-cased it is extremely heavy!
A few more details:
� Model 6155, the "Sho-Bud Pro III Custom";
� Serial number 5341, which puts the date of manufacture to April of 1974;
� The serial number also marks it as one of the first Pro-IIIs ever built, if not the first. It still has the changer mechanism from the Pro-II Custom (they probably had inventory to use up);
� "Square front" bird's-eye maple body;
� Blonde finish;
� Older-style "wide" pedals;
� Classic "Teardrop" knee levers;
� Two aluminum necks with Sho-Bud "dust-catcher" fretboards.
I switched a number of years ago to a smaller, lighter single-neck steel, but this instrument has a beautiful tone and holds a lot of memories. I hope it finds a good home."
-David Mansfield, April 2016
We are absolutely thrilled to be able to offer this instrument, which is simply one of the nicest old Sho-Buds we have ever seen.
Overall length is 33 1/2 in. (85.1 cm.), 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm.) width, and 5 in. (12.7 cm.) deep. Scale length is 24 in. (610 mm.). Width of nut is 3 in. (76 mm.).
As might be expected, there is some play wear on this instrument, but overall it has been kept in exceptionally fine condition considering its colorful history. The only place there is much finish wear is in the "gully" between the necks, where there is a lot of chipping and nicking from play. There is some finish checking overall, and dings and chips overall. Everything is working very well, and this is an exceptional player's instrument as well as a truly historic steel guitar, certainly one of the ones heard most in a rock and folk-rock context. Excellent Condition.
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This beautiful Sho-Bud is not only a fantastic player's instrument but has an extremely illustrious history in the hands of its only owner, the illustrious session musician David Mansfield. The guitar has seen extensive stage and studio use, including on every date of the Rolling Thunder Revue tours -- one of the signature musical events in Bob Dylan's career. David was kind enough to offer to tell his history with this steel in his own words:
"I started playing pedal steel in my mid-teens. Somehow I managed to find an affordable beginner steel in NYC, a Sho-Bud Maverick. I was in a popular band that developed quite a following in the NJ/NY area-we made an album for Warner Brothers in the early 70s, played up and down the East Coast and played the NY clubs like the Bitter End, CBGBs and Max's Kansas City. It was there that we had a seminal experience for all of us. We were the opening act for Gram Parsons on his first solo tour in the spring of 1973 (the 'GP' tour). He had a young jet-black-haired Emmylou Harris singing harmony.
We were beyond starstruck, and Gram and the Fallen Angels band took a liking to us. The pedal steel guitarist was an amazing player named Neil Flanz. He took me under his wing, coming out to the house in NJ where we all lived and giving me lessons, and he later picked out this instrument for me off the line at Sho-Bud's Nashville factory. It was top of the line back then! Between our new friendship with Gram, Emmylou, Phil Kaufman and the rest of the gang I was highly motivated to start woodshedding to try and become a better player.
I soon found myself on call in NYC as a session pedal steel guitarist. I found myself playing and recording with Eric Andersen, Chip Taylor, even working on a posthumous Jim Croce album. By the time I got the gig for the Rolling Thunder Revue I was a scant 18 years old, but had a fair amount of experience.
This was the instrument I played with Bob on both Rolling Thunder Tours (1975 and 1976), and you can hear it on 'The Bootleg Series, Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue', and 'Hard Rain', the NBC TV special and CBS record that documented the end of the 1976 tour. Being Dylan, there are many other bootleg recordings from that time. There is also a film he shot, 'Renaldo and Clara', that has a lot of concert footage. We recorded and filmed quite a bit of the Rolling Thunder Revue, I would not be at all surprised if some day a concert film is released. Don't quote me on that!
The rig I was using on the first tour was a 70s-era Fender Twin, and a Maestro PS1A phase shifter. I also used a Yamaha mixer because I was also playing violin and mandolin through the same amp (this was pre-DPA clip-on mics!). For the 1976 tour I swapped out the PS1A for a MuTron Bi-Phase (which I still own!), and the rest of the rig was the same. I continued to use that basic rig through the years I spent with T-Bone Burnett and Steven Soles in The Alpha Band. Of course in the studio I scrapped the mixer! You can hear this instrument on a number of albums from that time; Roger McGuinn's 'Cardiff Rose', Eric Anderson's 'Sweet Surprise', Joan Baez's 'Gulf Winds'. It was also the instrument I used live for many years, with John Denver, Tanya Tucker, Chip Taylor, and others. For another good example of the sound, listen to the live album I did with Victoria Williams, 'This Moment in Toronto with the Loose Band'.
This instrument is a double-neck with eight pedals and four knee levers. It has been serviced by John Widgren who updated the original copedent to a modern Emmons copedent, and added a split on the 6th string. There are a few spare parts included (some bell cranks, a couple of rods, etc.). The case is a custom CushCase, rugged enough for club work. Also included is an Anvil flight case that the CushCase fits into, necessary for serious truck or airplane-based touring. When double-cased it is extremely heavy!
A few more details:
� Model 6155, the "Sho-Bud Pro III Custom";
� Serial number 5341, which puts the date of manufacture to April of 1974;
� The serial number also marks it as one of the first Pro-IIIs ever built, if not the first. It still has the changer mechanism from the Pro-II Custom (they probably had inventory to use up);
� "Square front" bird's-eye maple body;
� Blonde finish;
� Older-style "wide" pedals;
� Classic "Teardrop" knee levers;
� Two aluminum necks with Sho-Bud "dust-catcher" fretboards.
I switched a number of years ago to a smaller, lighter single-neck steel, but this instrument has a beautiful tone and holds a lot of memories. I hope it finds a good home."
-David Mansfield, April 2016
We are absolutely thrilled to be able to offer this instrument, which is simply one of the nicest old Sho-Buds we have ever seen.
Overall length is 33 1/2 in. (85.1 cm.), 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm.) width, and 5 in. (12.7 cm.) deep. Scale length is 24 in. (610 mm.). Width of nut is 3 in. (76 mm.).
As might be expected, there is some play wear on this instrument, but overall it has been kept in exceptionally fine condition considering its colorful history. The only place there is much finish wear is in the "gully" between the necks, where there is a lot of chipping and nicking from play. There is some finish checking overall, and dings and chips overall. Everything is working very well, and this is an exceptional player's instrument as well as a truly historic steel guitar, certainly one of the ones heard most in a rock and folk-rock context. Excellent Condition.