Pete Grant

     notes by Rick Shubb

I’ve known Pete Grant since we were both teenagers learning to play bluegrass banjo. We’ve done a lot of fun things together over the years involving our various mutual interests: music, art, computers, and I forget what else.

A few years ago when I set about to develop a Dobro capo, I knew I should get some expert advice, so I called on Pete. His bread and butter instrument is the pedal steel guitar, but he’s equally skilled on its acoustic relatives. With input from Pete, I developed prototypes based on my regular capo design adapted to the Dobro (or if you prefer, Reso) neck setup. Pete would test-drive them, and tell me what they needed. Once he was satisfied, and I had repeated the process with Sally Van Meter, the Dobro capo design was ready for prime time.

Not long after that I found myself in the guitar steel business. (or tone bars, as some call them.) I’d brought out the SP1 designed by John Pearse. A good bar, and still the favorite of many, but my old friend Pete Grant thought there should be another model — a bit heftier, and more refined. So the SP2 was born, made exactly to Pete’s specifications.

Pete and I still get together now and then; not always to design products, sometimes just to have fun. You can learn more about Pete Grant’s various musical adventures, his eye-popping computer animations, and more at his website.