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Post new topic Please help with identifying model of Fender Lap Steel
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Author Topic:  Please help with identifying model of Fender Lap Steel
Becky Horning

 

From:
New York, USA
Post  Posted 19 Mar 2013 6:52 pm    
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I'm unable to identify the model on this. Plate in center says FENDER Fullerton, California.

Also, a price range would be helpful, as I'd like to list this item soon.

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Jerry Overstreet


From:
Louisville Ky
Post  Posted 19 Mar 2013 7:00 pm    
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That's a Dual Pro model with some serious modifications on the pickups and control panel. The chrome trapezoid pickups at the extreme right end are the original ones. Those cream and black ones with the exposed pole pieces have been added. Ditto the pickguards and control panel.

If there were ever any models manufactured in this configuration, someone here will know but I don't think so.

You can search the Buy and Sell steel guitars for sale ads from the classifieds here to see what others have sold for.


Last edited by Jerry Overstreet on 19 Mar 2013 7:04 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Stephen Cowell


From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
Post  Posted 19 Mar 2013 7:01 pm    
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That is a very hacked-up Pro D8... now it's an 8/6.
Pre-1954, probably.
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Becky Horning

 

From:
New York, USA
Post  Posted 19 Mar 2013 7:07 pm    
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I'm planning on cleaning it up, restringing etc. Any suggestions on string sizes?

I thought it had been modified. There is a name plate on front that says Dimarzio Powered. I assume it's from the modified pickups.

Hey guys, where do I start for a selling price?
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Jeff Mead


From:
London, England
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 12:10 am    
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Stephen Cowell wrote:
That is a very hacked-up Pro D8... now it's an 8/6.
Pre-1954, probably.


By my count (and also the pole pieces on the new pickups) it's currently a 6/6.

It also looks like the finish has been stripped.

I've attached a picture of what it used to look like.



Best scenario would be that it was owned by a "rock" guy who added the 6 string pickups to get his sound and that the original trapezoid pickups are still in there and maybe even functional.

Similarly, the tuners may all work fine and he just wanted to use 6 string tunings.

If that is the case you may just need to get the electrics re-wired and put blanking plates to replace the old pickups.

It's a shame that the pickup plate on the back neck has been cut down to accommodate the second pickup.

Regarding string size - depends on what tunings you intend to use and that in turn depends on what sort of music you want to play on it. If you wanted to play rock and blues you could just leave it as it is.

Regarding price - good condition ones go for around $1500 but yours is far from that. I think people would most likely be interested in it for spares and it might be worth parting it out so that some other Dual Pros can be restored to their former glory. There are potentially 2 tuner pans, 2 fretboards and one complete pickup assembly as well as the legs and sockets which are all sought after parts if in good condition. Even the hacked pickup assembly could be used if someone has a damaged top cover or of there is still a pickup inside it (if the pickups are still inside the covers they can be re-wound even if broken).

By the way, Stephen, what made you say pre-1954?
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Nate Hofer


From:
Overland Park, Kansas
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 4:44 am    
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Jeff's pricing ideas sound about right. And I see his point about it being a parts guitar BUT I don't think this one is. I would encourage you to keep it together. Don't part it out. Just because it's not perfect doesn't make it irrelevant to potential players. Perhaps its price is more geared for a player and not for a collector. (What that price is I'm not sure.)

Speaking personally, these old pieces have soul! They aren't made any more so it would be sad to see it killed and ebayed for pieces. And the mod this one has is kind of interesting. It has a story.

In fact, it looks like there's a lot of good things this old piece has (and maybe it needs work and maybe not - just depends on what's desired). Potentially it has a lot of good honky tonkin' years left in it! Smile.
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John Ely

 

From:
Minneapolis Minnesota, USA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 5:49 am    
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Regarding your question on string gauges, you might find this site helpful:
http://www.hawaiiansteel.com/learning/gauges.php
Good luck,
John
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Brad Bechtel


From:
San Francisco, CA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 6:48 am    
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If it has a case, maybe $400 USD. If not, maybe less. That's not going to be an easy restoration, but it might be a decent player's instrument.
I see them offered in good working condition with original pickups, case, and none of the changes on this guitar for around $1100-1500. This would be a harder instrument to sell, but I'm sure someone will be happy with it.
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Jeff Mead


From:
London, England
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 7:04 am    
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Brad Bechtel wrote:
If it has a case, maybe $400 USD. If not, maybe less.


That was pretty much my point - as much as I agree that these instruments should be loved and played, I reckon 2 tuner pans, a pickup assembly, maybe 2 working pickups and a set of legs would fetch a lot more that - add in the case if there is one and the other sundry parts (even the Dimarzio pickups might be half decent and worth a few bucks at least to someone) and it doesn't make sense to let it go for $400. The OP has already stated she wants to sell it, not restore it and keep it.

I have seen people on this forum and others that are in desperate need of these parts to bring otherwise lovely instruments back to life. Where else can they get the parts from apart from a "donor" instrument?
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Jeff Mead


From:
London, England
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 7:21 am    
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Just noticed there are a few frets missing off both fret boards.
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Tom Gray


From:
Decatur, GA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 7:41 am    
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Whatever else has happened to this guitar, I believe the finish looks original. I've have a D-6 like it and have seen several other old Fenders that color.
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 7:45 am    
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Quote:
I'd like to list this item soon


Quote:
If it has a case, maybe $400 USD. If not, maybe less. That's not going to be an easy restoration, but it might be a decent player's instrument.


I agree, Brad. I'd say the value is closer to $350 as it is... a dual 6-string (it now has 6-string pickups), body cut, nearly all of the original electronics are gone. There is some value in the parts, the two tuner pans, the uncut trapezoid pickup (if it works), the legs, and the fretboards.

Restoration would be very expensive, way more than the value of the guitar after the restoration IMO. The missing parts are extremely rare, hard to find, and expensive. The body has been cut to accommodate the current pickups.

I agree with others who say that this could be an interesting "player guitar" and some players may like it, but I do think that value has been stripped out of it... literally.
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Last edited by Doug Beaumier on 20 Mar 2013 8:00 am; edited 2 times in total
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Jeff Mead


From:
London, England
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 7:53 am    
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Doug Beaumier wrote:
a dual 6-string


It is a dual 8 string - just strung with 6 strings currently.
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 7:56 am    
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Not really, Jeff... those 6-string pickups make it a 6-string guitar. It won't work with 8 strings any more, just two sets of 6 strings. It's possible that the original pickups work, but we don't know that, and going by what I see in the pictures I would say this is now a dual-6.
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Last edited by Doug Beaumier on 20 Mar 2013 8:07 am; edited 1 time in total
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Jeff Mead


From:
London, England
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 8:04 am    
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Doug Beaumier wrote:
Not really, Jeff... those 6-string pickups make it a 6-string guitar. It won't accommodate 8 strings any more, just two sets of 6 strings.


I understand what you're saying but there are still 8 tuners and presumably still an 8 string bridge at the other end (with maybe working 8 string pickups under those chrome covers) so it would still accommodate 8 strings per neck (even if none of the pickups worked) - so it shouldn't be worth less than for example a double 8 with broken or missing pickups. If you removed all the pickups from the guitar it would still be a double 8 body - or would it be a no string body because it had no pickups?


Last edited by Jeff Mead on 20 Mar 2013 8:08 am; edited 1 time in total
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Becky Horning

 

From:
New York, USA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 8:05 am    
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Thanks for all your help so far. I would like to sell as much on here as possible.
I do have the case.

I am selling for a deceased friends family.

There is also THE Russ Hicks "RED JCH D10" that he used on HeeHaw, (very nice),


a 1973 Emmons D10 p/p (very nice), another single neck 6 string Fender lap steel, a Maranti 2008 George Board (mint), 1966 Rickenbacker 12 string 360 Electric Guitar(very nice), Danelectro Silver Baritone Guitar and some pedals. Until they get cleaned and readied, I'll entertain offers.
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 8:14 am    
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Jeff, I agree that it was a D-8 and it still has some 8-string parts on it, but based on what I see in the pictures I would sell it as a D-6. We don't know if the original pickups work... I'm assuming that they don't because someone took the trouble to install 6-string pickups, and cut the body to do so. We just don't know unless we test the original pickups. Becky said she want to list this for sale soon... so I am thinking strictly from a seller's perspective. I would list it as a D-6 and explain in the description that it was originally a D-8 and was converted.
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Brad Bechtel


From:
San Francisco, CA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 8:37 am    
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Becky,

If you're going to be selling these instruments, please post the details in the section titled For Sale: Steel Guitars.

I don't mind posting requests for information about what you have in this section, but sales belong in their proper section.

Good luck with this project. It sounds like you have a lot to do and not much information to start.
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Becky Horning

 

From:
New York, USA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 9:26 am    
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Brad,

Sure will. Got carried away with this project. This Former Dual Pro has got me baffled on what to do with it. It's great to have so much input.
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Jerry Overstreet


From:
Louisville Ky
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 4:46 pm    
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I don't see so much hacking going on as modifications and additions. The body appears to be in decent original condition. Obviously the electronics are severely altered but may be restorable.

It would help to know if the original trap pickups are there and working or not, yes.

The value might depend on the market. Purists and collectors might condemn it while someone who wants it as a player might not find the alterations to be all that big a deal.

I never want to suggest a selling price for someone else' merchandise, but if you research the sales in the archives here and on the auction sites, you'll probably be able to determine a pretty good estimate as to it's worth.

Good luck with your sales.
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Stephen Cowell


From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 7:54 pm    
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Jeff Mead wrote:
Stephen Cowell wrote:
That is a very hacked-up Pro D8... now it's an 8/6.
Pre-1954, probably.


By the way, Stephen, what made you say pre-1954?


I thought that's when they discontinued them... ?
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 20 Mar 2013 8:15 pm    
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It's probably pre-1954, but there was a transitional period of a couple of years, about '53 until about '56 when Fender made and sold both styles... the new Stringmaster style and the earlier trapezoid pickup style (like the one in this thread), according to Jody Carver who was a Fender steel guitar rep back in the 1950s. Leo Fender believed in using up All the stock in the factory, and wasting nothing. The exact year of the guitar has no affect on the value, from what I've seen.
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