Brad Sarno

Potting is definetly a good idea and if you are successful with it or find someone that can do it, I am interested. Drop me an email.

Also, I'm in the middle of designing a ZB roller-nut upgrade kit. My prototype parts will be here soon. It basically converts the fat roller axle to the thin, Emmons type and uses little cylindrical spacers to fit the small axle to the rollers and the axle holder. This should eliminate the roller friction problem so many of us have. I'll give an update after I give the kit a try.

Brad Sarno

I was recently contacted by Zane Beck's daughter, Carrie, who has been in contact with Zane's wife Faye. We continue to have a lovely exchange of emails about Zane Beck.

For those of you who are interested in serial numbers and dates of early ZBs - it gives me great pleasure to post a link to a website that Carrie has put together with a complete list of ZBs made in the mid - and early - 1960s. This was the period that Zane owned the company. Here's the link: http://home.comcast.net/~cdmarcone/zb.htm

My deepest thanks to Carrie and to Faye for this valuable information for any of us who love and respect Zane Beck's magnificent musical creations!

All ZBest,
Larry

[This message was edited by Larry Chung on 20 May 2004 at 07:14 AM.]

#1014 was on Ebay awhile back, dont know who got it
#1034--John Borchard
#1037--Greg Jones
#1039--Tom Brumley
#1044--Jonathan Gregg
#1053--Phillip Morgan
#1077--Larry Chung
#1092--Chris Rohde
#1096--Dave Flavin Jr. (I currently have this one for a full restoration}
#1108--Steinar Schroder (I have this one too for restoration)

Keep em comin folks!!! Let us know where these guitars ended up!!!!

Wonderful history here!!!!

This works. I got this from the late great Danny Shields, the creator of the ZB pickup. If you take the metal plate off of the bottom it will clean up the sound also, as per Danny.

ZB Nut Roller Upgrade:

So, the new ZB nut roller experiment seems to work great. I got the parts today and gave it a try. Now the 4th string returns from a lower just right. It used to come back about 6 or more cents sharp and then you could nudge the nut roller a bit and it would come back. The nut rollers just dont roll real well on those fat axles. This new one comes back from a lower only about 1.2 cents sharp which is pretty normal based on the string hysteresis factor. Then if you just pick the string it's back to zero.

The new roller is a skinny 3/32 axle like on an Emmons and probably many others. Then there are 21 little bushings, 3/32" hole on the inside, 3/16" on the outside just like the stock ZB axle. Each bushing is as wide as a roller. I crazy glued a bushing inside of each roller. Then I loaded up the axle alternating with a bushing and a roller/bushing. The bushings sit in the nut, and the rollers spin on the skinny axle but now with far less friction than before due to the increased mechanical advantage that the string now has over the roller. Basic physics. Easy fix. I had a machinist make me that parts on a test run for $20. I bet some steel maker with all the machining tools could make tons of these little bushings for cheap. Better yet would be to find some steel or aluminum tubing that's 3/32" ID and 3/16" OD and then slice them off appropriately. Very simple fix that seems to work flawlessly. Also you'd never notice the change by looking at the guitar unless you look at the end of the axle and see that it's really a bushing with a skinny axle inside. I took some pics and I'll try to post them soon.

Brad Sarno

DZ

------------------
Dave Zirbel-
Sho-Bud Super Pro, 8 x 5, ZB Custom D-10 8 x 5, Dobro Cyclops reissue, 1967 Fender Telecaster, Webb 6-14E, Fender Super Reverb
The Mother Truckers

My heart just dropped when I first saw this guitar; it was beautiful--I was wondering what it would like (and sound) like once it had some TLC. I am happy it is now in the hands of a forumite. Send me some pics once you have it all buffed up.

#1092 was my brother's steel, that I traded for a Dobro just a few years ago here on the forum before ZB's became so popular again.

#020 (BMI) Don Buzard's D-13 is probably around Phoenix somewhere.

quote:

---

I certainly don't want to clutter the Forum

---

------------------
Zumsteel S12U

Yo, Man! homepage

Way to go with the pictures site, Dave.

Perhaps a new entry for your archives? (Follow the links to this guy's gallery.) I also posted this to the thread asking about availability of ZB D-10s...even though this is a D-11.
http://www.guitarnotes.com/forum/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=12;t=000353;p=

Many of you have contributed, but please feel free to send me pics of your ZB at the email address in my signature.

------------------

"I've got the "ZB Jeebies™" !"

1998 Zumsteel U12 "Loafer" 8&6 :: 1973 ZB Custom D-10 8&5 :: Vintage Fender 'Tube' Amplification

www.dvanet.net :: zbcustom73@dvanet.net :: www.lasttrainhome.com
:: My Tribute to the Hot Club of America in Hi-Fi

[This message was edited by Dave Van Allen on 09 July 2004 at 12:10 PM.]

PS...Sorry guys, but I just bought a Marlen too. Can I still be a member of the club???

[This message was edited by Duncan Hodge on 16 July 2004 at 05:50 PM.]

I saw the post for the ZB in the Buy and Sell section and thought better of asking for a serial number... but ya came through anyway.

Thanks so much for the serial number, Bob. Your ZB is most likely a 1968 or early 1969 made in Phoenix, I think. Greg Jones, this sound about right? That's what my info tells me and it sounds like a wonderful guitar.

It's a pleasure to hear that you're enjoying your steel so much already! (:

One more word ... TESTIFY!

All ZBest,
Larry

------------------
Larry Chung
ZB D-10 8+4
ZB Custom S-11 4+4 Dekley S-10 3+4

The two early guitars I had both faded over time.