Fender Deluxe 8 String?

Mike Ihde · From: Boston, MA

A good friend of mine sent me an old Fender 8 string, 3 leg Lap Steel. It looks like the Stringmaster variety with its 2 black pickups and an adjustable bridge piece. The serial number is 000704, so I'm guessing it's fairly old. Early 50's maybe? My question is...there's a little circular thing under the bridge plate that turns 3 or 4 turns. Anybody know what that was for? I'm thinking maybe some kind of bending goody. Any ideas?

Ricky Davis · From: Bertram, Texas USA

That little wheel thing under the bridge Mike is; a blending pot knob...that blends the two pickups together...so more towards the front pickup and more towards the back pickup....and the back pickup always stays on.
Now: what color is the case??? Does the Deluxe have a Fender plate on it somewhere and what does it say??...and is the steel blond-ish or more white-ish or walnut color(brown)...and one final way you can for sure tell the date....is to loosen the strings...unscrew the tuning assembly pan and lift it up and look on the wood underneath for the month/year.
Ricky

Bob Schaedler · From: Southbury, CT, USA

The pot under the cover should turn less than 1 turn. The wheel is loose on the shaft if it turns more. Lift the wheel off the pot shaft and spread the split shaft a bit, then put the wheel back on. You don't want to lose the wheel.
This pot, as it turns clockwise, will blend in the bridge pickup which is overwound, stronger and darker sounding, while the second pickup alone (pot CCW) is brighter sounding.

Ricky is correct (of course), the date will be pencilled under the pan. Tweed cases and a "spaghetti" style Fender decal are typical for '50's; black tolex case and Fender Fullerton California badge go with later vintage.

These are nice steels, easy to play standing up when you're wearing a regular guitar.

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

Mike,

Your friend is a friend indeed.

The DeLuxe 8 is THE preferred lap steel among "sacred steel" players; a tone monster. But who knows, the Sierra Laptop may be changing that.

Enjoy.

Mike Ihde · From: Boston, MA

Thanks guys, I probably would have figured that out if I had strings on it and plugged it in. I'll be doing that today. I can't wait to hear it. Before I restring it, I'll check under the hood for a date.
The case is Tweed, the guitar is blond and the fender logo is a metal plate. I even have a set of 4 keys to lock the case with! Except for typical age cracks in the finish and a few cigarette burns on the edges (gives it character) it's in excellent condition.
What do you think it's worth?

[This message was edited by Mike Ihde on 13 September 2002 at 08:49 AM.]

Mike Ihde · From: Boston, MA

I took a look under the tuning tray and it has 1/58 written. Thanks for telling me where to look. It's nice to know how long this steel has lived so far.

Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

Mike,

Something spooky is going on here in Massachusetts... I just acquired the same thing (Fender Deluxe Cool

two days ago!

The Deluxe was introduced in 1946, but it took on "Stringmaster features" by 1957. Your's has those features (2 under-string pickups, blend control knob, etc). My Deluxe 8 is a 1966 and the serial number is 2321. Generally the serial numbers aren't very useful in dating Fender steels because each model has it's own number series. In this case the numbers are helpful because we have the same model. So you're steel is somewhere between 1957 and 1966, probably late '50s.

In general the Fender (guitar) cases run like this:
tweed until about 1959
brown Tolex from about '60 to'62
white or black Tolex w/logo '62 to '65
black Tolex, no logo '65 to '67
black Tolex w/logo 'from '68 on

Mike, maybe you'll be playing this Deluxe next week in RI? or the following week in Chicopee or in Waltham? I'm looking forward to the autumn blast of New England steel shows.

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Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

opps, I guess we posted at the same time. '58 it is. You will fall in love with that steel Mike. Fender steels have a real sweet thin tone that can't be found elsewhere. They really cut through in a band situation. Using the blend control will help you find a "sweet spot" that's pleasing to the ear. I usually leave mine on the full "thin tone" position because that's a sound I like. Enjoy your new friend.

Ricky Davis · From: Bertram, Texas USA

Wow you have a '58......that is swamp ash and that thing will sound as good as anything ever from Fender.
I'd pay 600.00 to 800.00 for that particular Fender.
Ricky

Bob Schaedler · From: Southbury, CT, USA

This post made me check both of my deluxes. The '58 pickups and blender are configured as I described above. I prefer the #2 (or neck) p/u alone - a little further from the bridge, it as nicer tone (ref. Doug's comments). I have a later model, black case, for which the pickups seem more evenly matched in windings, and with the blend pot CCW, only the bridge p/u is on, and the tone is bit harsh. This is a distinct difference - I intend to change it when I renew the strings. I'll bet there are other variations.

Tom Snook · From: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA

I just finished making an 8 string lap steel, with Duncan Stringmaster p/u's.Do'es anybody else get alot of hum? or am I just lucky?

Ricky Davis · From: Bertram, Texas USA

Tom; several things to check pal.
Did you put(one side sticky;other side aluminum foil) underneath the pickups on the wood??? Also can you describe what you have as far as the wiring??? meaning the pickups are wired to what(+&-)and what you have in line to the input jack(like volume pot; tone pot..capacitor..ect)and how they are soldered together.....and if your using an extra grounding wire from the pot or input jack and where you have it affixed.??
Sorry for all the questions; but I can as well as others help you solve this dang quickly with that info.
Ricky

Mike Ihde · From: Boston, MA

Ricky,
The "Tone" knob on my '58 Deluxe is essentially useless. I think it's working OK, it's just that it's either on or practically off. You could say it goes from treble to bass, but it's more like it goes from treble to nothing.
What would you recommend as a replacement pot for that so I can actually darken the tone without losing any volume?

Ricky Davis · From: Bertram, Texas USA

Mike you want a 1 meg pot in there pal..and I'm sorry but the compacitor that connects the Volume pot to the tone pot is not obtainable by me as my SS HAWAIIAN is in the studio and I can't remember which compacitor that is....but that's the tone pot I have in mine...and it is pretty quick and extreame on the tone sweep......but b0b had a great thought on this at one time but forgot that too....b0b you there???
Ricky
Ricky

Bob Schaedler · From: Southbury, CT, USA

Tom Snook -- Well-grounded, complete shielding of the body cavity and under the guard/control plate is essential -- other wise you basically have a hum antenna. Check also for any flourescent lighting on the same AC circuit or in the general area. What's your guitar look like? Can you post pics?

J Fletcher · From: London,Ont,Canada

Regarding hum, the pickups are wired in series, and one pickup is physically reversed with respect to the other, and I think this makes them hum cancelling. Like a Precision Bass pickup. Hope that makes sense.....Jerry

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

The one that I had, I didn't really like. The tone and sustain sort of died on the high frets.

I heard that the guy I sold it to cannibalized it for parts. Thanks a shame. It wasn't a great guitar, but it didn't deserve to be destroyed like that.

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Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic) Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

Dan Tyack · From: Olympia, WA USA

My friend and steel nut Andy Marshall changed the tone blender on my Deluxe 8 so that it went from blending only the neck pickup to an equal mixture of bridge and neck. The standard fender wiring went from only the bridge to the neck and bridge.

Al Terhune · From: Newcastle, WA

...uh...I bought one of these on ebay about three months ago -- really just because of all the hoopla here on the forum about these "Stringmasters" and their ability to blend the pickups (I know this is a Deluxe). When I got mine (which is supposedly a '64 -- chocolate in color and in really nice condition, great case -- it had sockets but no legs, so I just switched out with the sockets I got from Bobbe, so it's got legs now) I was just completely, totally disappointed with it because (a) the tone was incredibly thin, and (b) the damn thing didn't blend the pickups! It had a tone control (that, yes, goes from treble to complete darkness) and a volume control. I wanted to post and get all puffy-jawed about this over-rated Fender, but knew I was the only one who felt this way...and I've felt this way until I read what that curious little wheel was under the bridge cover.

Whoops.

Thanks, Ricky, for describing what I'm sure has been described before -- although I promise you all I pulled up many, many past postings on Stringmasters/Deluxes trying to get all the info I could.

After plugging in and turning that Wheel of Fortune, I was so excited about my "new" guitar that I bounded up to my wife who was watching t.v., and was once again reminded that only a musician can get excited about a hunk of wood with strings.

Dumb and Happy in Washington

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