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Topic: What is this, a fender quad mockup? |
Christopher Coats
From:
Hawaii, USA
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Posted 11 Aug 2020 6:11 pm |
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I bought this about 17 years a go from a guy in Las Vegas. I was taking lessons and wanted to be able to go back and forth on different tunings. I believe he said there was something on this forum about it. So I just joined to ask the community if they can help put this puzzle together.
It is early as the serial number is 504. I don't know enough about when these began production but think it's an early one. Looks like some testing went on with this as it has some nice metal work but the wood seems to have been hacked out at places. It also looks like it was well played. At some point, what looks like a pedal steel foot rig from another maker was added. It is interesting to me that there was never more than two inserts for legs, just the two that are on there now. I cannot see any place where there were any other inserts and no clue in the wood that there was in the past. I was thinking even if this was a three-necker originally it would have some evidence of leg inserts.
The guts
The small red button ties into the closest pot
Larger red button is tied to the further pot and that big capacitor.
There is a large 3 way switch as well as a 2 way toggle.
1st tuner plate is missing 2 screws (one screw is a different size but looks the same as the others).
No marking under the tuner plate
Looks like a copper base for the winding gear mounts. String four key is bent here.
The pick ups are numbered with a fancy cursive numbering
1 through 4.
It is also interesting to note that the closest neck is reversed (tuners are on the opposite side)
Switching:
3 way far position & 2 way toggle away = 4th neck on only
3 way far position & 2 way toggle near = all on
3 way mid position & toggle far = 2 and 3 on
3 way mid & toggle near = 2 3 and 4 on
3 way near & toggle near 1 only
Thanks for your help on this one, would like to know what you all think the value might be. My friend that is very knowledgeable says its a wild card....
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 12 Aug 2020 6:52 am
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This guitar looks like someone's attempts to turning it into a pedal steel.
The closest neck is fairly original, the other ones have been heavily modified ie: the tuning keys have been moved to the right and changer fingers have been placed on the left end. The changer fingers might have been from a Harlin Bros. guitar or a Gibson Console Grande.
There is NO way that it left the Fender factory this way. 
Erv |
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Fred
From:
Amesbury, MA
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Posted 12 Aug 2020 8:11 am
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I would guess that the only tuning pans and pickups are Fender. I’m pretty sure there’s not enough room behind the bridge on a Fender neck to mount a tuning pan.
In the early days you could easily order replacement parts from Fender. |
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Jon Light (deceased)
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 12 Aug 2020 9:22 am
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Off the top of my head, among the possibilities is that the bodies are 1953-54 26" Stringmasters (with this guitar being assembled to a shorter scale with Dual Pro/Custom etc. parts.)
Of course there's no reason the bodies couldn't have been fabricated from scratch. |
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Eric Moon
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 17 Aug 2020 1:07 pm
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Wow, you never know whose hack is going to be an inspiration....
This forum is gold! |
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Eugene Cole
From:
near Washington Grove, MD, USA
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Posted 12 Sep 2020 5:50 pm Changer by whom?
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I thought that the string hole on the Harlin changer fingers was much more horizontal. I do not doubt Forum members expertise on this sort of thing. It just does not look like the type of fingers which I am accustomed to seeing on Harlin’s. What era of Harlin would have had a vertical string hole in the changer finger?
The Gibson Console Grande was a non-pedal guitar; or perhaps I should say that mine is a non-pedal guitar. Then again mine predates this era of Fenders.
The Electraharp changers had bars over the changer fingers like the Harlin guitars (Gibson was sued for Patent infringement by Harlin In fact).
The welding on this changer is fairly neat so I would guess that it was done by someone with some degree of skill.
_________________
Regards
-- Eugene <sup>at</sup> FJ45.com
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Sierra U14 8+5 my copedent, 1972 MSA D10 8+4, and nothing in the Bank. 8^) |
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Jim Palenscar
From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
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Posted 12 Sep 2020 10:47 pm
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| Sure does look like a Fender/Gibson hybrid. The 2 red switches are from the Gibson stutter-switch for volume and tone. |
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