My Pro III is a little beat up with bar dings around the back neck, but from the front it looks fine. There are only a few lacquer cracks, and those are between the necks. It has new TrueTone pickups and new Grover tuners. It is a modern type all-pull, with nylon hex tuners all at the end-plate. It has the Super Pro 3/2 changer, undercarriage parts, and pedals; but it has the traditional long, bent-tear-drop keyheads. Eventually I would like to add a vertical lever, and maybe a center cluster for the 6th neck. But for now I just want to do a little cosmetic sprucing up and could use some advice.

This will never be my main guitar. I play unis now (Zum and Emmons p/p). I just want the old Sho-Bud to sit in my living room and look pretty. And I wanted to have a classic D10 around to keep my hand accustomed to, for when I want to try someone else's guitar.

It has the raised fret plastic fret boards. The red paint on the hearts and diamonds has faded to pink. What kind of paint should I use to restore those? What about finger-nail polish? Or does anyone sell these new?

I have read some posts about polishing the aluminum necks, keyheads and end-plates. Does one do this by hand, or with a buffer (what kind of buffer attachment)?

I have heard that Sho-Bud began using pot-metal or pewter for some parts sometime in the late '70s and early '80s. Does my Pro III have any of those? How do I recognize them?

Thanks for any advice. After I've spruced it up a bit, I'll post a picture.

Oh, yeah, how does it sound? It sounds very good, but falls a little short of the Emmons p/p (early '80s) and Zum (mid '80s). All three guitars have TrueTone pickups and aluminum necks. So I can do a fair sound test. The Emmons of course is the brightest, and has the best string separation and sustain. The Zum is next in tone, and the Sho-Bud comes in last, but is not very far behind. I doubt the listener would ever notice the difference between the Zum and the Sho-Bud. I think it can hang in there well with any modern pedal steel. Bobbe Seymour has said the Pro III may be the best guitar Sho-Bud made in terms of modern mechanics and finish. This one certainly seems on a par with most modern pedal steels. Ricky Davis thinks the early Pro IIs with the two hole bell cranks and barrel tuners are the best sounding, because of the bigger body, and more solid mechanism. Some day I'll have to try one of those. But for now, I've got the one that has had my name on it for 30 long years.

[This message was edited by David Doggett on 13 July 2005 at 10:09 AM.]

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SHO~BUDS, Steelkings,
Fender guitars,
Hilton pedals, Preston
covers, and Taylor(Tut, that is)Resos.

Still Country after all these years....

[This message was edited by Larry Robbins on 13 July 2005 at 02:11 PM.]

The catalog lists (with b&w photos) a wood neck Maverick with nut rollers, 3&1, for $425; a Lloyd Green, round front, 3&4 for $1,195; a Pro I, round front, 3&1 for $995; a Pro II, round front, 8&2 for $1,595; and a D10 Custom, square front, 8&2 for $1,650. The latter must have been the fore-runner of the Pro III. The catalog is black and white, except for the cover photo, an end-on close up of the Grover keys of a D10.

The brochure is in color throughout. On the back it says "Form No. SBG-75", which I believe means Sho-Bud Guitars 1975. On the cover it says "Sho-Bud distributed by Gretsch." The square-front Pro III Custom on the cover (Model 6164) has the standard charcoal finish. There are no prices. It is listed as 8&4, with "polished aluminum necks for more sustain and cleaner sound." It mentions positive individual nylon tuning, double raise and double lower, and redesigned undercarriage for quiet action. It has tear-drop knee levers and the traditional wide pedals. The Super Pro came out in '77. My Pro III has Super Pro parts: 3/2 changer, flat knee levers, narrow pedals. So it must have been made after '77.

Also listed in the '75 brochure, with beautiful full page color photos, are the Pro II Custom (square front, Model 6155), 8&2, in walnut; the Pro I Custom (square front, Model 6148), 3&2, red; the Lloyd Green (square front, Model 6150), 3&4, with an additional small b&w photo of Lloyd resting his elbows on the pad; Single 12-string (square front, Model 6150, 3&2, blue; Double 12-string (square front, Model 6165), 8&4, walnut, with small b&w photo of undercarriage; the Professional (round front, Model 6139), S10 3&1, natural; and the "all new Maverick" (Model 6152), 3&1, covered with "durable Burl Elm vinyl," and with no neck and an ash-tray keyhead.

My Pro III has hex cross-shafts, so I guess they are pot metal. They are all in good shape and working fine. Is there any point in changing them? I can't imagine the cross-shafts have any effect on tone. I will say that the Sho-Bud undercarriage is noisier than my Zum or Emmons.

Any advice on painting the hearts and diamonds on the necks, and polishing the aluminum parts?

[This message was edited by David Doggett on 13 July 2005 at 04:14 PM.]