I began building steel guitars in 1959 after selling my Fender 400. I loved the guitar but it was horrible about breaking strings. However, buying a new one was out of the question – too much money. Therefore I decided to build one. The rest, as they say, is history.

My first steel was a double neck 10 with 4 knee levers and 8 floor pedals. It was rather crude in cosmetics and mechanics, but it played like a dream and it didn’t break strings. After several of the local steel players saw my work, they decided to have me do the work on their own steel guitars. Simple things like adding knee levers, moving pulls, and basic maintenance. So as I worked on more and more steels, I began to see where each of the major manufactures could be improved and went about it whenever I built one of mine on the side.
In the early 1960’s I was introduced to Shot Jackson’s son, Harry at the old Sho-Bud factory in Nashville. Harry and I became good friends and by 1965 I was working on Sho-Bud’s for Shot and the gang. We had an arrangement where Sho-Bud owners would send their guitars to me, instead of the Nashville factory, since the turn around for a guitar sent to me was far less than those sent to the factory. To this day, when a person calls Gretsch and inquires about a Sho-Bud or parts, Gretsch will forward them to Rayline.
While doing the repairs for Harry and Sho-Bud, I continued to develop my own steel. By 1975, I had developed the system and design that I put in to the steel I make and play today. My Rayline steels are hand built from the ground up using stock aluminum and wood. Every piece is hand machined, except for the keys and pedal rack. I still wind the pickups by hand. If one doesn’t sound right, I pull it off, strip the wire and start again. Simply making do does not work. If a guitar isn’t right, I won’t sell it. Whether it’s a new RayLine, a new Sho-Bud or a used steel guitar.
So now in the year 2001, thanks to the Internet, I’m able to share my Raylines and Sho-Bud products with people all over the world. I hope you enjoy our site and our products. If you have any questions please feel free to drop us a note or give us a call.

William “Bill” Ray
RayLine Steel Guitar