Hi guys and gals,
A bit of history.
As most of you know, Sho-Bud started business in 1957. In the period since then, they have built many different models of steel guitar … singles, doubles, triples, pedal, non-pedal and used many different changer configurations and on and on. Some of these guitars were truly brilliant as well as being some of the finest steels ever made. But just like Ford and General Motors had their Pintos and Corvairs, a couple of these models didn’t really ring the bells of the professionals … namely, the Baldwin cross-over and the last generation Mavericks. However, this company did design and build one extremely sought-after, very valuable model called the Super Pro II. The name is very misleading because it is not a Super Pro and it is not a Pro II but a totally different guitar. As a matter of fact, very few parts that Sho-Bud ever built interchange with this rare guitar. This guitar was supposed to be the ultimate, supreme, albeit most expensive Sho-Bud ever built. Only 7 ever were built. They were designed and built in 1984 and most went to name players for promotion purposes. These guitars have many innovative features like glow in the dark Sho-Bud fretboards, grooved end castings, rollercam (meaning a brass roller was installed in the end of each finger to eliminate wear and sliding in the changer). The single coil pickups were unique in several ways … one of which is they had the Sho-Bud logo etched in the top of the quarter inch magnet pickup. The entire mechanical undercarriage of the guitar was pure aircraft aluminum and was totally different than any Sho-Bud before or since. All 7 guitars were made from the finest, choice birdseye maple available. The several unique features of these high-quality guitars contribute to their present value of approximately $12-15,000 each, which puts them undoubtably among the most collectible of all steel guitars and definitely the most valuable Sho-Bud ever made.
After Fred Gretsch bought Sho-Bud in 1985, the company under his guidance, built several Sho-Bud guitars that had the Super Pro II decal on the front and used the Super Pro II end castings and bodies, but used the standard Super Pro changers and undercarriage. These guitars should not be confused with the original 7 Sho-Bud II prototypes. However, they are also very good and desirable Sho-Buds.
So the next time you hear someone mention Super Pro II, you’ll be aware of it’s history and true value and how unique and desirable it is in the world of steel guitars. I encourage anyone having any questions about these guitars to contact me. Look for an upcoming photo essay on my website.
Your buddy,
Bobbe
P.S. I’m working in the studio on a very special new CD entitled “The Bobbe Seymour Legal Defense Fund CD” and I hope each of you buy 2 copies for yourselves. I will keep you posted of the progress in this newsletter and let you know as soon as it’s available. The profits from this CD will be used to ward off the villians of free speech in the world of steel guitar.
