Jackson reinventing as Sho-Bud

[bob adams]

Are you aware????

Jackson about to reappear as Sho Bud! Check to current prices, some going up to $18,000

https://www.jacksonsteelguitar.com/

[hickenjr]

Yep, was announced on social media a couple of weeks ago! They've managed to buy back the name from Gretsch. Slash of Guns and Roses will be getting serial #1.

I'm really enthusiastic coming from a Sho-Bud family. Unfortunately...the bitter and cynical side of me thinks they'll be unaffordable for the average Joe like myself.

Regardless of price, I hope they aren't just a rebadged modern Jackson. I know Jacksons obviously have a lot of Sho-Bud influence, but I hope they go down the route that Emmons took of redeveloping the vintage designs with modern technology. There's of course, still room for improvement and innovation of those designs, I just hope that they stay true to the 60s/70s.

A fingertip design or early professional brought into the 21st century would be ace. Jackson already did build something along those lines as a "Madison '63" model but quickly discontinued it.

Emmons and Sho-Bud being back sure is exciting though. For steel historians and players alike.

[hickenjr]

Sneak peak of Slash's cabinet.

[hickenjr]

Just to add on to the previous...when the first designs were released I was left a little disappointed. They screamed rebadged Jacksons. Although they are amazing steel guitars, I was hoping that they would have gone down the route Emmons did. I.E. bringing back the vintage designs and then improving consistency with modern production.

This might be changing from a post I saw last night. Nothing is confirmed so don't shoot the messenger, but Robin Green (Lloyd Green's son) was at Jackson with Lloyd having an alteration made to his LDG. Robin stated that Sho-Bud are potentially bringing out an "LDG Classic" and an "LDG Elite". Whether the "Classic" will be a faithful replica with all the old cast metal will remain to be seen. There's obviously the bad reputation of the later pot metal used on models, but after some discussions with a few respected people, I think casted major parts such has keyheads contribute massively to tone of that era.

It remains to be seen how much these will cost as their current models remain to be Jackson prices. Unaffordable for me. I can imagine the Classic could end up being a cheaper steel guitar if it lacks all the bells and whistles the current models have with ball bearings everywhere, etc.

[Ken Byng]

This is a great post, if nothing more than an opportunity for the new Sho~Bud company to amend the inherent issues that have affected Sho~Buds of various incarnations over the years. Unlike the Emmons push pull, that was almost a perfect design from day one, Sho~Bud's quality control was very hit and miss over the years. I'm so pleased that Gretsch have seen sense and relinquished the brand name to its rightful owners.

It's well documented that Shot Jackson would give jobs to steel players back in the day who were short of gigs but were not skilled steel guitar mechanics. While Paul Franklin Snr, and Duane Marrs were highly knowledgeable guys in the early days they, like Buddy Emmons, found Shot Jackson to be quite intransigent when it came to modernising the Sho~Bud guitars of the day, and all of them moved on and put their thoughts and ideas into their own pedal steel companies.

I think Harry and David Jackson have seen the new Emmons steel guitar company resurrect the Emmons brand, and design very modern looking and sounding guitars using the best materials and engineering designs with a huge nod to the past. The Jacksons have some great ideas in their Jackson guitars, and the new Sho~Buds will benefit from better engineering and higher quality materials. The legendary Sho~Bud brand will now have zero resemblance to the knock 'em out quickly days of using stamped out zinc parts. Interesting days ahead for steel guitar, and I think that the immediate future of the instrument will see an upsurge in interest and take up, as long as the price structure is made affordable.

[bob adams]

...............'as long as the price structure is made affordable'................ ????

Have you seen their flagship Ken! $18000 ????

[Ken Byng]

...............'as long as the price structure is made affordable'................ ????

Have you seen their flagship Ken! $18000 ????

Yes I've seen the numbers Bob, and that's why I wrote that comment. I recall MSA being criticised on-line for its pricing of $6K for a D10 just a few years ago. In terms of new pedal steels back in the early 1970's and now in 2025, inflation hasn't hit pedal steels that greatly. I used to try to sell D10 ZBs and Sho~Buds back in the early 70's, and potential buyers would look at a new ZB and then a new Ford Escort car and would see that there wasn't a great deal of difference in the price. 18 grand wouldn't buy much in the new car market these days!

As with anything in the retail world, all goods are sold as part of a supply and demand system. I reckon that the demand for new pedal steels in the UK is not that great. For someone starting out nowadays building new pedal steels, the investment would be phenomenal. The old days of a man in a shed or garage using a basic lathe are almost long gone. in order to work efficiently, a pedal steel has to be constructed as a high precision instrument. I've seen Dave Wheelhouse put in many hours into the building of his guitars, and I heard some people in this country have a whinge about the price of Dave's guitars. I've said to a few of those people - try building a guitar of the same quality as a Sheffield for a cheaper price! No takers.

Back to Sho~Bud, it remains to be seen whether the new company will sell many of their new flagship models at the suggested retail price of $18,000. The law of supply and demand will soon determine the commercial success of that. Time will tell. One thing for sure, the originator of the use of stamped zinc parts or pot metal (Harry Jackson) won't ever consider short cuts like that on his and David's new Sho~Buds. You can be assured that the new guitars will be of the very best design and materials, but they will come at a price.

[hickenjr]

...............'as long as the price structure is made affordable'................ ????

Have you seen their flagship Ken! $18000 ????

Yes I've seen the numbers Bob, and that's why I wrote that comment. I recall MSA being criticised on-line for its pricing of $6K for a D10 just a few years ago. In terms of new pedal steels back in the early 1970's and now in 2025, inflation hasn't hit pedal steels that greatly. I used to try to sell D10 ZBs and Sho~Buds back in the early 70's, and potential buyers would look at a new ZB and then a new Ford Escort car and would see that there wasn't a great deal of difference in the price. 18 grand wouldn't buy much in the new car market these days!

As with anything in the retail world, all goods are sold as part of a supply and demand system. I reckon that the demand for new pedal steels in the UK is not that great. For someone starting out nowadays building new pedal steels, the investment would be phenomenal. The old days of a man in a shed or garage using a basic lathe are almost long gone. in order to work efficiently, a pedal steel has to be constructed as a high precision instrument. I've seen Dave Wheelhouse put in many hours into the building of his guitars, and I heard some people in this country have a whinge about the price of Dave's guitars. I've said to a few of those people - try building a guitar of the same quality as a Sheffield for a cheaper price! No takers.

Back to Sho~Bud, it remains to be seen whether the new company will sell many of their new flagship models at the suggested retail price of $18,000. The law of supply and demand will soon determine the commercial success of that. Time will tell. One thing for sure, the originator of the use of stamped zinc parts or pot metal (Harry Jackson) won't ever consider short cuts like that on his and David's new Sho~Buds. You can be assured that the new guitars will be of the very best design and materials, but they will come at a price.

Totally agree as regards inflation. When you look at inflation even since Covid, everything has gone mad. Before Covid, I was eying up old Scimitars to have on my drive. I could have had a decent one for £4k...now you're needing £4k to get into a shed or a less prestigious 80s model. Unless you're wanting to get into Franklins and original wraparounds, used steel prices have stayed pretty sensible. As regards Dave, his steel guitars are exceptional and I wouldn't hesitate to buy a new build from him.

I'm really happy to see Sho-Bud as a name back in action. Obviously, I have the sentimental attachment to my dad being a Sho-Bud man. Also people like yourself with some great recordings for Rose Marie. As a historian though, the name is now back in it's rightful place. Gretsch ran the quality into the ground and then abandoned it. I love my dad's Pro 1. He got a good one from the early 80s, albeit with some additions from Ronnie Bennett made later. That being said I've heard horror stories with other ones and the pot metal certainly didn't help when they introduced it, in I believe the late 70s.

The boys at Emmons really found out about the vintage tone when they experimented with old school cast on the non moving parts. I'm hoping Sho-Bud go the same way on the new vintage models. Replace all the cruddy pot metal but keep the premium cast in the key-head and etc. I'm no engineer and I will never claim to be...but I've been told by numerous people I really respect that this makes a difference to helping eliminate offensive frequencies compared to CNC'd from billet...and it really makes sense. My dad's Pro 1 is a little rickety these days and needs a service, but there's just something about the sound (even as an undesirable model from the purists).

18 grand is for the mental one off ones with all the artwork on. I'd be too scared of playing them! Should just leave them in a museum as soon as they leave the shop floor. I believe the prices are closer to 10-12k although can get more expensive if you want custom paintjobs and etc. It is pricey but you've got to remember that the average wage in the US is much higher (healthcare aside), and also us Brits get shafted at the port, which ultimately makes them more unrealistic for us importing. I'd already own a new Emmons if I didn't have another grand to pay in VAT...

[Jif]

Interesting thread. Does sound a 'bit' on the pricey side. I bought my 12 string MSA Legend for around $5k if memory serves. That wasn't that long ago, are these steels going to be that much better than a Legend? I suspect that the selling point is going to be tone rather than just playability.

18 grand is for the mental one off ones with all the artwork on. I'd be too scared of playing them! Should just leave them in a museum as soon as they leave the shop floor.

That's a really good point, even if you are saying it half in jest. I also frequent The Gear Page, mainly a guitar oriented forum. I've read many posts there from guitarists who won't take their $25k vintage Gibson LP to their gigs, they take an Epiphone copy instead, in case it gets damaged, marked,, stolen etc.

[hickenjr]

Definitely! A few years back, I could never understand why people started swapping their lacquer Show Pro's with S10 GFIs at gigs...but I recently experienced the reality of soundmen lobbing cables across the stage. I was lucky enough to get it off...but others aren't so lucky.