Why Are All Of These Steel Parts Being Sold?

[Dennis Detweiler]

Over the past couple of years, I've seen lots of steel guitar parts for sale (changers, necks, key heads, end plates). It's like a salvage yard of steel parts. I assume the bodies are just being thrown away. Is it more profitable to dismantle steel guitars and sell the parts rather than the whole guitar? I know some of the older guitars are a mechanical and electronic mess because I've worked on a few and it's time consuming to make them playable again.

[Ken Pippus]

D-10s getting stripped and sold as SD-10s.

God, I hate that.

[Wayne Brown]

Actually Dennis the parts are usually sold off of a D-10 because of
1) customers wanting less weight to carry around
2)it is much easier to keep the guitar they already are comfortable in playing
3) the customer does not play the C-6 neck much

Ken, what the customer wants the customer gets. It is not for us to say what they should or should not do with there own guitar. One time I changed a Rack and barrel Sho-bud to a modern all pull guitar for a customer. The customer got what he wanted and loved it but I got a lot of flack (emails, Phone calls) from purists saying I should have never changed a original Sho-bud.....That is NOT for me to judge.
Thanks
Wayne

[Robert Miller]

There's a non-destructive upside. You might be able to recommission and upgrade an old friend you've been toting around for 10 years since the last time it saw battle (maybe I'm admitting to being a packrat), because someone decided to part with the pieces of theirs in similar disarray. Better on my guitar than in someone's attic, I always say....OK, maybe I've never said that, but it's true enough, at any rate.

[Bobby D. Jones]

At one time not to long ago. There was a bunch of Derby steel guitar parts for sale, Floating around on the Inter-net.
When the man who built Derby Steel guitar in Louisville KY passed away. His heirs turned them over to an Auction Company, They broke them up into different lots and sold them.

[Wayne Brown]

That's true Bobby as Outwest Music Has bought most of those parts. Everything from necks, key heads, complete and parts for changers, all the way to a bunch of pedals. We intend to use these parts along with our own designed under carriage etc. to manufacturer some S-10 and SD-10's for some customers that need Pedal Steel Guitars.
thanks
wayne

[Dennis Detweiler]

Sounds like a guitar put on the after-death donor list. Or, Johnny Cash, "One Piece At A time."

[Robert Miller]

"It's....ALIVE!!!"