The Hot Rod Maverick
This is the story
of two Mavericks becoming one.
This Maverick was beat up when I first got it.
Came from out in Illinois. A seasoned guitar player wanted to get into steel but it was just too rough.
The pickup was very beat up and had no output.
Everything was rusty, crusty and dirty.
Looked like someone took a hammer and a blunt object to the changer axle and parts were laying in the bottom of the case.
About the same time I had a burled Maverick shipped in that also needed work. All the way from Texas. I was in the middle of another project so they hung out in the corner for awhile.
Eventually the time came for another project.
I set them up side by side. Poked at them, stared at them, flipped them over and contemplated.
The Maple one was in far worse shape but it was a more rare and gorgeous birdseye Maple…The burled one didn’t need as much work and I could get it in the hands of a player much quicker…
As I expected, the decision would be to save the Maple one first. So I decided to tear it down completely and use the burled one as a donor upon reassembly.
So I got to cleaning and polishing.
Everything, including the wood, cleaned up very nicely. I saved anything bent or broken just in case and started putting it back together.
Then came time for the donor to help out. I grabbed some tuners, fingers, wires and other various parts but my stomach was sinking the whole time.
As I was working on it an idea came to me.
This might be an opportunity….
I hear a lot of players talk about wanting a classic big Bud steel but in a small package for a decent price.
For quick rehearsals or small gigs.
Something that’s "grab and go” without sacrificing tone and feel.
So I figured this was the time to give it a shot.
I had an old D-10 rack and barrel laying around too. I went back and forth with ideas and really considered the issues Mavericks are known to have.
The main problem with them is that the changer fingers act as pedal stops.
When people mash the pedals, they take all the abuse.
So do the wires and plastic ball joints.
It just needed standard pedal stops really.
So I robbed parts from the D-10.
I got it back together and installed the stops. Tight fit but they worked out.
After a lot of adjustments and fidgeting, I'll admit.
Now the fingers float and are relieved of double duty and the rest of the mechanisms aren’t being abused either.
After getting all that settled in I decided to take a shot at installing one more knee lever.
Pull and release doesn’t allow much for option.
The first string was open. I robbed the lever mechanism from the burled one and a tear drop lever from the D-10.
After some grinding and fabricating I was able to install it 180 degrees into a LKR. Took some more parts and was able to get a first string raise.
Next obstacle…
I thought the pickup was bound for the trash.
I gave Nick Fryer a shout and he was more than confident about restoring the pickup.
So I said “Great, do your thing!
Make it a hotrod pickup".
He restored it cosmetically with some original patina.
Re-magnetized the pickups and wound it with the
classic Sho-Bud coil tap option.
It is easily the best sounding Bud style pickup I’ve ever heard.
Looks great now too.
Before
After
I was a certified mechanic
and car nut/collector a few years back.
Whenever I'd sell a car for parts or such I’d always keep the emblems for projects.
I’d been hanging on to a couple of 70’s Ford Maverick emblems after a hot rod project went south on me. Perfect finishing touch!
Never understood why Ford chose a Bull for that emblem but I always wanted to slap one on a Sho-Bud.
After a lot of tinkering it was ready for a gig.
Steels need time to settle in, I find, after getting done up and I don’t like to send them out unless they’ve made it through a gig or two.
I get the whole “never seen a gig” thing but when rubber meets the road it’s a race no one wants to lose!
Made it strong through the first round but needed some adjustments and intonations.
Second round was great. A few minor adjustments on the fly.
Then, before I knew it, I was bringing it to lots of gigs.
Haven’t had to adjust it once. Rock solid and sounds absolutely amazing thanks to Nick.
I had a Don Blood armrest I modified so there was a nice tray for holding picks, bars and beers.
This steel found a new home with an unnamed and avid lap steel player in New York.
He has bought a few other steels but was always enamored with Sho-Buds. Wanted something light and bold that fit his taste well.
Hopefully we’ll hear more someday!
