This letter is one of many letters written detailing the development of the pedal guitar, and the birth of the Emmons Guitar. It also includes standardization of the tuning and copedent, as well as historical commentary.
The letters were written from Ron Lashely Sr. to Mr. Paul J. Graupp, the editor for "Pushin Pedals", the pedal guitar section of Fretts magazine, which was published by Fender Sales.
Scroll down for the complete transcription of this letter. The spelling and grammar shown below is exaclty how it was written by Ron Lashley Sr.
TRANSCRIPTION
April 22, 1963
Hello Paul,
I’m just in from school and thought I’d drop you a line. O./T. on your hometown etc.
I went to Nashville last weekend from Friday ‘til Monday over the Easter weekend and enjoyed my trip very much.. I talked with lots of my old friends and met some new ones also.
I got into Knoxville Friday around noon and stayed over ‘til that night and did a TV show with the Country Boys which I used to play with regularly. I drove on down to Nashville and stayed out at the Sho~Bud Shop all day Sat. and half the day on Sun. I enjoyed playing around on the Sho~Bud guitars but I had hoped to have picked up a few pointers on the construction but I couldn’t tell any difference from what he was making last year.
I have a double-ten Sho~Bud myself but I’m gonna have to get rid of it or burn it on something, ha! Do you know Lloyd Green? I class him 3rd best steel man in Nashville with Buddy Emmons first and Walter Haynes 2nd. By the way, Walter has a new album out on Mercury # Mg 20175. Also Shot Jackson and Buddy Emmons’ album is out (SLP 230 - The Singing Strings of Steel Guitar and Dobro Sho Jackson) as listed in Ernest Tubbs Record shop catalog. I was unable to get Jimmy Day’s new album because they had sold out.
Buddy Emmons didn’t get the job with Hank Thompson so he is back with Ray Price now. Ray was on vacation this past week-end and Buddy was drifting around back stage at the Ryman and I got a chance to talk with him 30 minutes and then he and I went down town for about an hour at Tootsies Restaurant. I really picked up alot of good information from him.
He is preparing a jazz album for Mercury and he really sounds great on it. He played a little of it for me.
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