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Topic: '53 Stringmaster #0069 |
Geoff Cline
From:
Southwest France
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Posted 22 Jul 2011 7:19 am |
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I picked up this incredible guitar from a local (Austin) forum member. It has seen some hard times and had been drenched in black paint! So, I took to scraping and discovered that the original finish had been 98% removed (!) before the "painting." Anyway, lots of scraping, sanding, Goof Off, elbow grease and a bit of Tru-Oil and its ready for MANY more years of music. Meet my new #1 gig guitar...26" scale and what appear to be factory installed "stutter" buttons/switches (behind the vol. and tone knobs)!
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Mark Roeder
From:
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 22 Jul 2011 2:49 pm
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I have a long scale 53 that I play in A6. The tone and touch are really fun....you can get a replacement decal from Bobbe Seymour.
Have fun with them long strings.
_________________
www.deluxe34.com lap steel stands, Clinesmith, Gibson Console Grande, Northwesterns, The Best Westerns
https://www.facebook.com/TheBestWesterns |
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Geoff Cline
From:
Southwest France
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Posted 22 Jul 2011 4:00 pm
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Cool Mark. THanks for the Bobbe tip.
BTW, I LOVE my stand for the Clinesmith. I have got my steel needs covered. |
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Mike Harris
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2011 5:01 am
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| Man, that was quick work! So glad you bagged this one. |
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Geoff Cline
From:
Southwest France
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Posted 23 Jul 2011 6:30 am
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| Mike Harris wrote: |
| Man, that was quick work! So glad you bagged this one. |
Thanks Mike. I couldn't stand the black paint...much happier with the "reliced/rat rod" aesthetic. Best of all the thing SOUNDS killer!! |
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Mark Roeder
From:
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2011 7:01 am
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Geoff
I noticed the nickels under the bridge. So it looks like the covers are pulled all the way up. I may be wrong on this but it could be that the previous owner has put the springs between the flanges on the PUs and the covers creating space between them and making the cover not adjustable. The springs should be on top of the covers so you can adjust the height of the covers and PU together. I'm just guessing on that.
_________________
www.deluxe34.com lap steel stands, Clinesmith, Gibson Console Grande, Northwesterns, The Best Westerns
https://www.facebook.com/TheBestWesterns |
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Geoff Cline
From:
Southwest France
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Posted 23 Jul 2011 9:21 am
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| Mark Roeder wrote: |
Geoff
I noticed the nickels under the bridge. So it looks like the covers are pulled all the way up. I may be wrong on this but it could be that the previous owner has put the springs between the flanges on the PUs and the covers creating space between them and making the cover not adjustable. The springs should be on top of the covers so you can adjust the height of the covers and PU together. I'm just guessing on that. |
GOOD CATCH...most appreciated. I thought there may have been an adjustment screw missing on the "saddle" but now I know how to fix it (although I don't mind the nickels...I just need to find four 1953 nickels  ) |
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Mark Roeder
From:
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2011 12:18 pm
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Glad to help....also, mine had a thin layer of tape between the pole tops and the cover. Seemed like masking tape but I'm not sure. This could be to keep the magnetic poles from direct contact with the cover. But I am out of my knowledge range here and don't really know if that is important. I know mine sounds great though.
Mark
_________________
www.deluxe34.com lap steel stands, Clinesmith, Gibson Console Grande, Northwesterns, The Best Westerns
https://www.facebook.com/TheBestWesterns |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2011 1:04 pm
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| Seems to have been assembled, at least in part, by Freddy Tavares! Cool! Well, unless there was another Fred working there. |
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Geoff Cline
From:
Southwest France
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Posted 23 Jul 2011 5:58 pm
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John...I believe you are right...it is THE Fred(die)...TOO COOL!!!
Freddie Tavares was perhaps the most admired and revered person in the early days of the Fender Guitar factory. Long-time veteran Bill Carson said of him, "He was the greatest man in both musical talent and personal integrity that I worked with at Fender." Affable and modest, the Hawaiian-born Tavares always had a ready smile and a joke to share, and he often composed songs for employees and serenaded them on their birthdays. Freddie was an accomplished artist in both the Hawaiian Steel and Spanish styles. With his musical skills, engineering intuition, Hollywood connections, and workbench know-how, he played a pivotal role in helping Mr. Fender translate the evolving needs of musicians into workable designs. Humble by nature, Freddie deflected any credit for his accomplishments, and yet he made invaluable contributions to some of Fender's most historic products, including the Stratocaster® and the four-10 tweed Bassman® amp. Also known as rendering the steel guitar glissando on the Looney Tunes cartoon theme song. |
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Mark Roeder
From:
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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John Bruce
From:
Fresno, California, USA
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Posted 24 Jul 2011 11:02 pm
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Hi Geoff,
If I may, I'd like to ask a question about the neck of the Stringmaster. I've only seen photos and I've never seen a photo of one stripped down. Is the wood that the fret board is attached to a seperate piece, or is a Stringmaster one piece of wood that's had the sides routed? Any info would be appreciated, and I hope I didn't go too off topic.
Thanks,
John. |
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Geoff Cline
From:
Southwest France
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Posted 25 Jul 2011 8:16 am
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Hi John:
Each "neck" is a single piece of wood, with routing/shaping to distinguish body and neck. Fingerboard is metal attached with brads. Tuner pan, pickups and controls are deeply routed and screwed in. |
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Bill Quinn
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Posted 27 Jul 2011 7:10 pm
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Geoff think about a few coats of one of the ReRanch Fender colors before applying that decal from Bobbe.
http://www.reranch.com/colors.htm |
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Nate Hofer
From:
Overland Park, Kansas
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Posted 31 Jul 2011 8:01 am Fender Triple 0781
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Curious to know what the serial number means. I have a 26" Stringmaster from 1953 or 54 with a number "0781" on it.
Dumb question: does that mean it's the 781st one to be produced? |
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