merle haggards gray ghost

Songman · April 20, 2016, 03:55:36 PM

They originally were trying to get $250k for it. I hadn't heard that it had been sold. It can make a decent bus for someone for the right price. But like I said, it was a first time converter, and Merle did buses a little different anyway. He liked his kitchen in the back, and he had a dinette back there and that's where he spent most of his time. He never changed to a bed. Always slept in a bunk... but it was a full size bunk. Even the new Prevost was that way. Every rendition of the Super Chief has been a side aisle design to make that possible.

luvrbus · April 20, 2016, 04:22:38 PM

? are those handrails on the ceiling or just decorative woods I like the idea if those serve a purpose as handrails

Dave5Cs · April 20, 2016, 04:28:04 PM

Thanks for sharing Dale. I do like the 84 the best also and the Prevost was nice. Great stories.

Merle will be sorely missed, one of the greats!...
Dave5Cs
Dave Walker

DoubleEagle · April 20, 2016, 07:41:26 PM

Quote from: luvrbus on April 20, 2016, 09:44:17 AM
Shame about the J4500 problems but he kept it going for 8 years though I heard it sold for under 90K

One of the problems of the J4500 when they first came out was the repeated cracking of those large windshields in normal use. The bus charter company I worked for had one crack within the first month. When the replacement cracked, the company returned the bus for a different model. May Merle Haggard rest in peace, he will be missed.

luvrbus · April 20, 2016, 07:50:58 PM

The J4500 is still the best looking bus on the road IMO

DoubleEagle · April 20, 2016, 07:58:02 PM

Quote from: luvrbus on April 20, 2016, 04:22:38 PM
? are those handrails on the ceiling or just decorative woods I like the idea if those serve a purpose as handrails

Must be, some of the other coaches had round metal rails in the center. The newer one with the side aisle has a hand hold bar along the top of the narrow cabinets. It would be a practical idea for moving around while on the road. Maybe it is a copy of Santa Fe railroad design.

Songman · April 21, 2016, 01:23:34 AM

Exactly right. The handrails are part of the Santa Fe theme. In this case, they look pretty cool too.

bigred · April 21, 2016, 05:35:55 AM

I went back to the Hemphill web site and had a enlightening experience on the Haggard bus that they were selling for 99,000 dollars.The ad said "One owner bus tenderly cared for by Merle Haggard " how ever on down toward the bottom of the add past where most people ,including me either don't read or pass over to quickly ,it stated that" This was Merle Haggards BAND bus.

Songman · April 21, 2016, 06:57:31 AM

OK... Now I'm starting to piece together where the confusion is coming from. First, I didn't think Merle's bus was ever on Hemphill's site. Second, I knew the guy who was trying to sell it was asking $250,000. Hearing that it had sold for $99k had me confused...

Now, I went and looked. The bus on Hemphill's site is the band bus. It says right in the title that it is an E4500, not a J4500 as Merle's bus is. Plus, it has no graphics. So that explains that bus, and why it is so cheap... Also, I don't think this is a one owner bus. Seems that I remember it was used when it was acquired. It was black originally, and was later painted silver to match Merle bus.

When Merle got the two new buses last year, he traded his J4500 and the band's E4500 in to Hemphill. In their place, he got his X3 that I posted above and a black XLII for the band. The J4500 was immediately acquired by a Hemphill employee, who has been trying to sell it ever since. As far as I know, he has still had no luck.

Here is some info about the J4500 for sale, with some pictures of the interior.
http://www.wideopencountry.com/merle-haggards-customized-is-on-the-market/

eagle19952 · April 21, 2016, 10:02:03 AM

so...how many vintage train horns were there....