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Topic: 1953 Fender Stringmaster Steel |
Jerry Kippola
From:
UP Michigan, USA
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Posted 13 Mar 2017 12:48 pm |
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One of these just landed at my house---think it's a Stringmaster. Three necks. Serial # 0108 26" scale
Dated 9/53. Tryin to get pix up, but mine are hi-rez
Last edited by Jerry Kippola on 13 Mar 2017 7:02 pm; edited 4 times in total |
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 13 Mar 2017 2:09 pm
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| If it has two pickups per neck, it's a Stringmaster. If it has a single trapezoid pickup on each neck, it's a Custom. Assuming it's a Fender guitar. Pictures please! |
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Posted 14 Mar 2017 12:37 am
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Yes, that is one of the early model Stringmasters, introduced in the 1954 catalogue. The later version, a couple of years later was only available in medium or short scale.
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 14 Mar 2017 8:05 am
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Here's mine from the same time frame, I bought it new:
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 14 Mar 2017 3:15 pm
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| I'm guessing by the pedal board, it had pedals added on at one point or another. Beautiful instrument, I bet the sound is amazing! |
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Jerry Kippola
From:
UP Michigan, USA
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Posted 14 Mar 2017 7:32 pm
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There's a pedal rod between the front legs, and some hardware installed underneath for what looks like two
raises on the middle neck. Looks to be pro installed, and good quality parts. |
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Tim Heidner
From:
Groves, TX
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Russell Taylor
From:
Dade City, FL
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Posted 15 Mar 2017 5:28 am
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You have a piece of history there. I had never heard of Harold Morrison, but following the link Tim put up here, I went there and then to spotify where you can hear Mr Morrison's music...I'm listening to him now...and I like what I hear!
https://play.spotify.com/artist/3UKl8xLutTLpua7GaUO2vq |
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Jerry Kippola
From:
UP Michigan, USA
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Posted 15 Mar 2017 6:36 am
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Thank You for the link Tim--it looks like this guitar was played on many hits from the '50s---
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Tim Heidner
From:
Groves, TX
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Posted 17 Mar 2017 5:43 pm
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| Any time I see one of those old steels with the name on the front, I like to google it just out of curiosity. I never heard of Harold Morrison before I saw that guitar, pretty cool to see some steel guitar history. |
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Nathan Laudenbach
From:
Montana
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Posted 17 Mar 2017 6:28 pm
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| Can anyone here speak to the tone differences between the necks, if any? I would assume that the furthest neck would have the best sustain since it has the thickest piece of wood. I am using a friends '53 Dual professional and the outside neck has a slightly "better" tone. |
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Mark Nason
From:
Maine, USA
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Posted 18 Mar 2017 7:03 am
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| I absolutely love instruments like these, with the performer's name on them. They tell so many stories, even when not being played! |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 21 Mar 2017 1:41 pm
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| Nathan Laudenbach wrote: |
| Can anyone here speak to the tone differences between the necks, if any? I would assume that the furthest neck would have the best sustain since it has the thickest piece of wood. I am using a friends '53 Dual professional and the outside neck has a slightly "better" tone. |
I have a Stringmaster D8 and I play the thinner inside neck more than the thick outer one just because it is closer and easier to play. I don't hear any difference in tone. The thickness is there primarily to elevate the neck and make it more playable. You can certainly set the pickup mix on each neck to achieve tonal variety.
Another thing you can do for tone is use different string gauges, as implied in the ad. A more massive guitar body will accomodate heavier strings. I have been meaning to do this with mine, maybe get some kind of baritone tuning thing going with it. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 21 Mar 2017 1:49 pm
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Fred,
On that particular model of Stringmaster, you cannot set the pickup mix. It has no blending wheel. That feature came on the later models. |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 21 Mar 2017 8:49 pm
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| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
Fred,
On that particular model of Stringmaster, you cannot set the pickup mix. It has no blending wheel. That feature came on the later models. |
Ah. That's interesting. Yeah I think mine is a 1956. Adding the mixer wheel was yet another stroke of genius. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 22 Mar 2017 8:06 am
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The early Stringmasters, like the one pictured here, has the bridge covers screwed down.
On the later models, the bridge covers pivoted on the ends of the bridge so you could access the blending wheels. |
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Alan Cook
From:
Kent,England
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Posted 22 Mar 2017 8:26 am Looks like my 1955 t8
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Made the same month and year as me 62 on Monday 27th.
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 22 Mar 2017 8:39 am
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I'll call and raise you one neck:
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 22 Mar 2017 8:51 am
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That is a beauty, Erv. The paint was all hacked up on mine, so I refinished it. In my defense, that was about 1978, and I had no idea about the correlation between original finishes and guitar values. I just wanted it to look good, and it does look much better than it did. Besides, I am not likely to sell.
Btw, the bridge covers stay off of mine, although I would make an exception for a photo shoot  |
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Herb Steiner
From:
Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064
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Posted 22 Mar 2017 9:14 am
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The owner of that steel wasn't Harold Morrison the banjo player.
There was Harold Morrison, a steel player who lived in Colorado, who owned and left to his son the only lacquer cabinet wraparound made, AFAIK. This is the guitar pictured with Buddy behind it in the 1966 issue of Country Song Roundup
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 22 Mar 2017 10:07 am
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Fred,
I re-finished the quad also. When I got it, it was painted blue, not once but twice. I won't play an ugly instrument so I tried to restore it as close as I could to its original condition. |
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Larry Lenhart
From:
Ponca City, Oklahoma
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Posted 22 Mar 2017 8:40 pm
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Harold Morrison's name seems familiar to me as a comedian on either Porter Waggoner or the Wilburn Brothers shows back in the 60s...I knew he played the banjo, but didnt realize he also played the steel guitar...I really like that steel...if it could only tell us stories ! I am sure it has tons of them !
_________________
Zum Encore, Remington D8 non pedal, Hallmark Mosrite clone, Gretsch 6120 DSW, Gretsch G5210T-P90 Electromatic Jet Two 90,1976 Ibanez L5, Eastman archtop, Taylor Dreadnaught, Telonics pedal, Squire Tele, Squire Strat, Fender Tonemaster, Gold Tone 5 string banjo, Little Wonder tenor banjo, 3 Roland cubes 30s and 80, Carvin combo bass amp |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 23 Mar 2017 9:20 am
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| Did you know that Fender made a single neck Stringmaster? |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 23 Mar 2017 9:21 am
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Did you know that Fender made a single neck Stringmaster?
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 23 Mar 2017 8:37 pm
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| You've got some cool rugs, Erv. And the guitars aren't bad either. |
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