Another one bites the dust..

Cartwright Thompson · Posted 13 Aug 2015 4:27 am

I guess it's a good thing when hard to find parts can revive an otherwise incomplete guitar, but it is sad when a superb guitar like a 50's Stringmaster is worth more parted out than whole.
http://tinyurl.com/nojmf37

I have no connection with the seller, just wanted to pass it along in case anyone is looking for parts.

Russ Cudney · From: Sonoma, California, USA

"Hankaroo" strikes again.....
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1958 D8 Stringmaster, 1958 T8 Stringmaster, 1955 Q8 Stringmaster (in basket), 1949 Gibson BR9, 1953 Silvertone, 1957 Harmony H4 (yeah the cool black pearloid one), 1947 National Princess, 1969 Shobud S10 3X1

G Strout · From: Carabelle, Florida

I have watched "Hankeroo" for several years. There is no doubt in my mind that he has destroyed more vintage instruments than Katrina and the Nashville flood combined. On the other hand, not siding with his process, but, likely many of the parts go into keeping other vintage instruments "up and running." I have bought a few things from him over the years to keep my instruments in working order.
Any forum members around the Memphis / North Mississippi area that may be acquainted with Hank?? I am curious as to how he acquires the volume of stuff that he manages to part out.

Jeff Mead · From: London, England

Last time Stringmaster parts came up on Ebay (a few weeks ago) the hardware, without bodies or legs, went for about $500 per neck.

Martin Curnan · From: Lihue, Kauai

I too have also bought parts from Hankaroo over the years and I appreciate it. Without him a lot of stringmaster rebuilds and repairs would not be possible. Mahalo to Hankaroo

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I believe (but am not absolutely positive, I've only dealt with Hank in-person) that's Hank Sable, formerly of Rod 'n Hank's Vintage Guitars, but he does his own thing now. They have been around the vintage guitar business for a long time, I see them at most any major vintage guitar show I go to. Guys like this are well-connected to the biz and have lots of sources to get stuff.

I have not seen these guys part out cool guitars that were complete, original, and in good condition. But a refin'd or otherwise messed up vintage guitar may well be worth a lot more in parts than whole. Or if a guitar is already missing a bunch of parts, it may cost more to get the parts to complete it than it's worth completed. Don't know if that's the case here, but it is something to consider before drawing conclusions.

Looking at the prices he's getting for these parts (look at sold listings), it strikes me that if it was complete, it would be worth more whole. I have seen Hank bring nice old Fender steels to shows intact. Not everybody that sells parts rapes nice pieces to get them.

Cartwright Thompson · Posted 14 Aug 2015 8:04 am

It is Hank Sable, and yes, he parts out lots of complete guitars. I'm not saying that that is a despicable act, just making an observation. I think that from watching recent auctions, even with ebay fees, when it comes to Stringmasters they are worth less as complete guitars, which I don't understand and think is kind of sad. But as it's been said here many times, one must die so others may live...
I've bought guitars and parts from him, he's a good guy to deal with.

Jeff Mead · From: London, England

Mark Eaton · Posted 14 Aug 2015 10:46 am

It's possible Hankeroo already sold some parts from what had been a complete '56, but then again maybe not?

The parts shown in the current eBay listings are short of making up a complete D-8. Maybe some parts didn't cut the mustard and aren't worth selling.

Which would be the reason for a Stringmaster owner to buy some of these parts, because they might have some on their guitars that aren't cutting it and need replacing.

I wouldn't automatically assume that every Stringmaster Hank gets his hands on was 100% intact and functioning correctly and he opts to part them out.
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Mark

Cartwright Thompson · Posted 14 Aug 2015 1:00 pm

Look at the completed auctions and you will see that he parts out complete guitars, lots of them. Again, it's not necessarily a bad thing.
I guess my point with this thred is that Stringmasters are seriously undervalued.

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I don't see clean, original, and complete T8 Stringmasters generally going for $1200-1300. I won't say it never happens, but I think that's more the going rate for an average D8, at least here on the forum. I just looked up two, I'm pretty sure one was my 24" scale D8 Stringmaster that I traded a couple of years ago for a guitar. That was a great, original guitar, but hardly a closet-queen. It had the mojo of a well-played 50s Telecaster. I think the general market for a clean T8 is more like $1500-1800 or more, like this one here - http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=285097 or the one Steve Takacs has out there right now. Of course, the scale length matters too. Shorter scale seems to command less money.

But I'm also talking about clean, original, and complete guitars with original case, and so on. The vintage guitar world devalues heavily for refins, changed/missing parts, and condition issues. The steel guitar world seems to care less about that. People here refinish steel guitars pretty routinely and many expect to get top dollar. But once you move into that other world, the rules change. Here's a refin/oversprayed/whatever T8 for $1300 - http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=283276

Ebay may be another story, but my take is that it's much harder to tell what you're getting on ebay. I consider this forum to be the primary marketplace for steel guitars. Perhaps more so for pedal steels than without pedals, but I still think this is the better market for old Fenders. Geez, single-neck guitars in the Stringmaster/Custom type configuration are pushing a grand. I see plenty of old Stringmasters and Custom (D8, T8, and occasionally Q8 ) at guitar shows, and they're only rarely reasonably priced. Every once in a while there is a deal to be had, but mostly prices are more in line with what I stated above. I see some sell at shows like this, although steels in the regular guitar world aren't exactly fast-movers.

On Hank's listings right now, I only see 3 sold Stringmaster parts - as Mark says, not enough with what he has out there now to make a complete T8. But I'll tell you one thing - most experienced vintage dealers I know will much prefer to keep intact a nice complete original and cool vintage piece than part it out. But they will not hesitate to part out one with significant issues. A guitar is either clean and original or it's not, at least in that world.

Jeff Mead · From: London, England

John Ed Kelly · From: Victoria, Australia

''....he parts out lots of complete guitars....''

Am I correct in thinking that this is an American way of saying (eg) ''he sells spare parts?

Keith Glendinning · From: United Kingdom

My reading of this article would be that he strips down guitars and sells off the parts! If the guitars are beyond reasonable restoration, that would seem like a good chance for others to pick up some genuine parts.

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

My response to those low ebay prices is that I think they would have probably have done (perhaps a lot) better selling them here, especially when you consider the high fees involved with ebay. I realize a lot of vintage guitar guys really don't know much about steels and many are not savvy to this forum. I frequently talk to them at vintage guitar shows and point them this way.

Hey, I'm also fine with reasonable prices on vintage guitars. And I know it's important that some parts be available - obviously, these old Fender steels haven't been made for a long time and the only way to get original parts is from other old examples. But my point is that I'm not clear that most of the guitars being stripped for parts are complete and original. I have a bit of an attitude about people stripping original, complete, unmolested vintage guitars for parts. Yeah, I know it's a free country, private property, and all that. But I think it's counterproductive to strip the really clean, unmolested examples to make parts available for those ... that aren't clean and unmolested? Say what?

Jeff Mead · From: London, England

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