Kevin - please send the photos to me whenever you have a chance.

An unusual feature that Sonny had built into the guitar is a guitar cable that is attached to an old screw-on microphone connector (like those found on old lap steels) that is mounted on the threaded end of the right front leg. When the leg is screwed into the guitar, the mic connector makes contact with a spring-loaded contact in the guitar body (in the leg hole). The guitar cable runs from the top of the leg, through the inside of the leg and exits through a hole in the side of the leg about 2 inches above the rubber tip. It has about a 5 inch length of cable hanging out - just enough to reach the volume pedal. This is an absolutely COOL feature, I think. Every steel should have this. Gets rid of cable mess AND there's a jack under the guitar that you can use in the regular way OR use to tune while the guitar remains plugged in and ready to go. I've only had to replace this cable once since I bought the guitar from Sonny in '72. Great sounding guitar! I'll see if I can find a photo. I haven't entered the digital camera era yet. this guitar was featured in an article on Sonny in the December '71 edition of Guitar Player Magazine.

The E9 setup is A&B pedals, no C pedal, LKL raises E's to F, LKR (inside) lowers D# to D, LKR (outside) raises F#'s to G, RKL lowers E's to D#, RKR raises high E to F# (combined with A pedal gives you the C pedal change). The C6 copedant is pretty much standard. I'm not much of a C6 player and it's been a while since I played it on the ZB (my Mullen is A LOT lighter), so I'll have to get it out for an accurate description. Hope this is helpful. Good luck.

John Borchard

[This message was edited by John Borchard on 21 November 2002 at 09:08 AM.]

Larry, I checked the copedant on the C6 and is as follows (remember, no 3rd pedal on the E9 neck):

Pedal 3: raises high A-B

Pedal 4: raises high G-G#, lowers low G-F#, raises bottom C-D, raises F-F#

Pedal 5: raises high E-F, lowers low E-D#

Pedal 6: raises high C-D, high A-B

Pedal 7: lowers high C-B

Pedal 8: boowah

I'll try to get photos to you at some point.

John Borchard

[This message was edited by John Borchard on 22 November 2002 at 08:45 AM.]

On the date of your guitar, I am going on what Tom told me. If the serial numbers are consecutive, then the 3 of ours are pretty close family. Keep in mind too that Tom said he RECEIVED the guitar in early Jan. 66'. I suppose it could have been built in 65'. Who knows? The orange belly and solid stainless changer fingers limit them to a pretty narrow time frame according to Tom.

When Tom and Bill started building them in Bakersfield, they started a new serial number scheme, beginning with 0001. I had 0014 at one time, the blue one, you may remember the music store smelling like lacquer for 2 weeks!!!! LOL I think I just about killed poor ole Lost John!!! Wish I had that guitar back.

Catch up with you when I get home. I will bring the camera and we will get some pics of that guitar.

Greg, let me know when you're coming up. If you're up for it, I'd love for you to take it and do the Greg Jones overhaul magic. And yes, I do remember the blue ZB. I think I lost a few brain cells of my own in that lacquer fog! See you when you get here.

Still thinkin' about that ...

Please keep the great info and stories coming - I'm pleased to say that a rough history and some critical dates are starting to fall into place. I just listened to one of Zane's albums the other night and THE MAN COULD PLAY. He could also build a very beautiful guitar, too.

zbguitarinfo@yahoo.com

Happy T-Day and please keep the good ZB information coming.

The auction is over but you might want to contact the buyer and/or seller for info. It seems a bit unusual as it appears to be built in an aluminum frame a la Fender 400s, etc. I didn't know ZB made anything like that. Perhaps Greg Jones or other knowledgeable persons could shed some light, eh?

John Borchard

[This message was edited by John Borchard on 29 November 2002 at 05:50 PM.]

All this took place in England, by the way, in the '70s. The ZBs were imported by Eric Snowball of 'The Steel Mill' in Maidstone, Kent - I wonder if Eric still has records of all the steels he imported? For a number of years, ZBs were all we could buy over there.

I have a picture of me playing the D10 on a TV show with George Harrison - but, by then, I'd removed all the C6 stuff( ), and Gordon Huntley had made me a pad for its back neck.

I knew so little about steels then - I had a 'knee' lowering my 5th and 10th and, amazingly, the 'split' with my 'C' pedal ('Day') was perfectly in tune. When I sold the guitar and replaced it with a used Sho-Bud 'Pro III', I was dismayed to find that this change was out of tune! It was then I learned that I'd just been lucky with the ZB - there was no gaurantee that the 'splits' would work out!

After that, I went to LeGrandes, just to be SURE I'd get the 'split'.

We're moving 'house' right now - when I come across my old receipts, I'll see if I can let you have serial numbers and dates.

I miss my ZBs - they were like crafted furniture, and looked so beautiful. I haven't played one in fifteen years - I wonder how they'd feel to me now?

I'm amazed, though - I thought all the 'Students' were 10-string only....

I do remember that these were available in red, blue and black - there may have been other options, but I don't think so. The big selling point was that, unlike the other student guitars, the ZB' mechanics, while its body was somewhat 'utility' in character, were the same as the 'pro' guitars. It was quite possible to add pedals and 'knees' to them, 'though I suspect most chose to upgrade to a lacquer guitar.

I thought they sounded fine, but I was no judge back then! Two weeks after getting my first steel, I had the ignominous and humbling experience of having Buddy Emmons (then on tour with Roger Miller in the UK) walk in to the pub where I'd elected to perform my 'steel guitar debut'; I think he stayed to finish his drink, at least.....

PS: I bet I have a couple of '70s catalogs somewhere, too.

[This message was edited by Roger Rettig on 30 November 2002 at 07:45 AM.]

I have a student S-10 (it's red w/ 3+1) and it sounds just fine. It's sitting at my girlfriend's house - she's a goooood girlfriend as neither I nor the steel have hit the pavement yet!.

Anyway, yes it does look very similar to the S-11 on Ebay and sounds identical to the one you had, Roger. It's the lightest ZB I own, too! Hee hee. The changer on the student models is the same as on the top of the line, and it keeps it's tuning well and also every one of the pulls is in tune!

Roger - I'd love to see photos and/or records of any ZB info you can find - especially if you have the serial numbers from your previous guitars and also photos of the catalog(s), esp. the dates, models and features inside. Any idea where I can find Eric Snowball?

Thanks so much! I'll let you all know what I find out.
larry

It's not Thanksgiving Day we have a problem with, it's that 'other' one near the beginning of July.....

As for Eric's whereabouts, I have no idea - I suspect that he's still in the Maidstone, Kent, area of southeast England. His business was also called 'E.S.E.' (or ES Electronics), but it's been over ten years since I saw him. Maybe some of the UK Forumites can help.

It'll be a few weeks before I can unearth anything, but I'll keep you posted - maybe you can send me a personal e-mail so I can 'log' your address. I think I still have the credit sale agreements on these guitars - maybe the serial numbers are on them.

Regarding the Student 11-string, I'm mystified as to how the plastic (or whatever composite it was) molding could accommodate the wider changer - surely they'd have all been mass-produced from the same template? I never saw an '11' before, though obviously any combination was available on the lacquer guitars.

Please keep the ZB info coming!
thanks
larry

I don't remember having any tuning problems on my 'student' ZB - however limited my knowledge and technique may have been back then, my 'ears' have always been reasonably sharp - I think I'd have found it unacceptable if the guitar had been at fault in any way.

Doubtless, I would have exceeded my abilities on occasion and my intonation may have been wanting, but that's a different story! On my D10, I remember that I had a recurring problem when I pushed two pedals at once - it was sometimes a bit of a lottery as to where the strings would raise to! The guy that used to maintain my steel found the problem - there was a slight gap between the maple and the end-plate at the changer end; depending on climatic conditions, the end-plate would flex under the pressure, with a resulting variation in the 'raise'. He cured it by slipping a metal shim into the tiny gap. It was fine after that.

Could the wood have shrunk within the end-plates? It seems unlikely, but something happened to allow that gap to open.

Yeah, we went to Sunshine's and it was great fun. No steels, but lots of banjos! We'll have to catch up and do some pickin' and grinnin' soon. (:

No plans for New Year's right now. Happy holidays!

More ZB info from the rest a'ya, please.
Happy Jingles!

More info is good info! Happy Holidays!

As with everyone else on the Forum, I will send you all of what I find out!

Best,
larry

Thanks for making my day! ZBZBZB!