Fender 4 neck Steel Guitar

C. Brattain · From: Balch Springs, Texas, usa

I bought a very nice Fender 4 neck steel guitar sunday at the Arlington, Texas, guitar Show sunday. Does any know about how many 4 necks Leo made?? I lived in Santa Ana, Calif, in the 40s, 50s, and 60s and knew Leo very well but I played a Fender triple because the 4 neck was very hard to carry so I just never check them out. Thank you, Chuck

Ricky Davis · From: Bertram, Texas USA

Well it depends on which Fender it is?
Stringmaster??
Custom??

C. Brattain · From: Balch Springs, Texas, usa

It is a stringmaster. I thought that they used to have a little wheel by the back cover to adjust the tone of the pick-up, this guitar did not come with any wheel. It did come with 2 pick-ups and the cover on each neck but 2 covers are missing.
The SN # is 0634. This guitar looks new, Thanks, Chuck

Karl Oberlander · From: Austin, Texas, USA

Chuck,

It appears that you got hold of one of the long neck Stringmasters. There were three scale lengths 22.5", 24.5" and 26" I believe. The two shorter scales had the balance pot under the bridge cover but the long neck did not. Some say the long neck has the best tone but that is just a matter of opinion. My triple neck stringmaster has the short scale 22.5" and the balance pots and it sounds just dyn-o-mite! Finding some replacement bridge covers may be difficult.

I'm not sure how many Quad necks were made but certainly less than any other. Does yours have the heavy selector switches like the ones on a Jaguar? If so it is one of the earliest. These were discontinued first in 1968 I believe.

Jody Carver might be able to add some info as he had first hand knowledge.

Good luck!

Kobe

------------------
Gibson D-8 Console Grande - Stringmaster T-8 - Alkire EHarp D-10
Fender Super Reverb
kobe@austin.rr.com
http://home.austin.rr.com/kobeco

C. Brattain · From: Balch Springs, Texas, usa

Yes, it has four black slide switches to turn each neck on and off. It is a 26" scale.
I want to thank you very much for your info.
Chuck

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

If yours has the chrome pickup covers and the black slide switches, it would be about a 1955 model. I have a T-8 like that. No blend controls either
Erv

Karl Oberlander · From: Austin, Texas, USA

Chuck,

Pull the tuner pans and see if there is a date. I believe the chrome p/u covers were only used in 1953/54. I believe that Herb Steiner's 1955 T-8 has the black covers and it has the push button switches. You can see a picture of it on his web site. The only picture I ever saw of Leon MCauliff's quad showed the slide switches.

Kobe

------------------
Gibson D-8 Console Grande - Stringmaster T-8 - Alkire EHarp D-10
Fender Super Reverb
kobe@austin.rr.com
http://home.austin.rr.com/kobeco

C. Brattain · From: Balch Springs, Texas, usa

Thanks for all the info. I took this with a of salt but the guy I bought it from swore that this guitar used to belong to Leon and it took him ten years to get it. Thanks again, Chuck

Jody Carver · From: KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED

App 68 Quad 26" inch scale were manufactured
during those years, most people including Noel) thought the longer scale was a better
sounding guitar,but the quad was then discontinued in the 26" scale and the 24/1/2 and 22/1/2 took center stage. Sales analyisis showed a prefernce in the shorter scale.The 26" was tough on the 0.10 and 0.11 strings.

The 26" was a killer guitar. And if you have one,be grateful.

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

I'm not sure if Leo ever turned out 4 neck Customs...did he Jody ? (I have never seen one).

[This message was edited by George Keoki Lake on 20 October 2003 at 07:39 PM.]

Jody Carver · From: KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED

George
To my knowledge I would say NO. however there
are a few (2) that claim to be originals.One of them belongs to a Forum member.

I asked Leo this back in 1984 and he had no knowledge of this being produced ditto Don Randall who knew all see all. There is a strong possibility that the 4th neck was joined on to the triple Custom body.This would be easy to do for someone who knew how to build the additional neck.

Not to take issue with the Forum member who owns a 4 neck Custom..but again to my knowledge and told to me by Leo..It was never
manufactured. Which means it may have been an after market.But it sure looks nice and heavy too.

Bet it sounds great.

T. C. Furlong · From: Lake County, Illinois, USA

Chuck,

I too was at the Arlington guitar show. Did you buy the Salmon colored quad neck Stringmaster that I saw there? The dealer who had that one claimed that it belonged to Leon McAulliffe.

TC

Jody Carver · From: KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED

The dealer who had that one claimed that it belonged to Leon McAulliffe.

TC every guitar 4 neck guitar manufactured by Fender was previously owned by Leon. If you believe that,you can believe the Pope is Yiddish..thats a story told over and over and its getting stale.

True Leon had a few guitars,,but not the amount that people are claiming to have belonged to McAuliffe.

I had better look.Maybe I have one of Leons guitars

Not true..he had a fire engine red
Candy Apple Red..a blonde and a Lake Placid Blue,,my promo book shows all the endorsers
guitars and they total 4 for Leon...He had Leo refinish his quads in different colors but Leo was not about to furnish Leon with all the guitars people claim he owned. In fact Leo didnt want to do any custom colors for anyone.Fender stuck to stock colors and finishes and for a special reason. Too much
confusion and stock colors were enough at that time.

Hope this helps clear the air for you.

edited I have one of Leons guitars..The Yellow one

[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 20 October 2003 at 09:30 PM.]

C. Brattain · From: Balch Springs, Texas, usa

Yes it was the salmon colord one at the show
and no I did not take him at his word that it belonged to Leon but it sounds and playes great and is almost like new. The case is comming apart, it's in very bad condition, I thank I can get a new one made. I know Walter Lyons who played with Bob Wells and he showed me some pictures with him and Leon and Leon had a dark colored guitar. Thanks again, Chuck

Karl Oberlander · From: Austin, Texas, USA

I believe I know where one of Leon's guitars is now. It is with a friend of mine up in the Denton, TX area. He got it from a guy that owns a bar in the Tulsa area about a year ago and it was in very bad shape. It has a great deal of water damage. He's in the process of refurbishing it now. No way to tell for sure if it was one of Leon's but the bar owner had a slew of steel guitars in a storage container says my friend. Claims to have been colltecting them for a long time.

Kobe

------------------
Gibson D-8 Console Grande - Stringmaster T-8 - Alkire EHarp D-10
Fender Super Reverb
kobe@austin.rr.com
http://home.austin.rr.com/kobeco

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

The bit about Leon owning all those steels reminds me of a sign posted in Cajun accordion maker/player Marc Savoy's shop in Eunice, LA where he hosts a weekly Saturday jam session. I can't remember the real numbers, but here's the idea: "Approximately 500 violins made by Antonio Stradivari are known to exist in playable condition and 10,000 Cajuns claim to own them."

[This message was edited by Bob Stone on 21 October 2003 at 05:16 AM.]

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I own the hatchet that George Washington used to cut down the cherry tree!!! However, the handle has been replaced 6 times and the head 3 times!
Uff-Da!

Jody Carver · From: KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED

I have the cherry tree.

George Keoki Lake · From: Edmonton, AB., Canada

Gee, I have a guitar that says LEE-ON Mac KULLIPH ... Hey Jody, do you think I actually have one of his Fenders ?

Rick Collins · From: Claremont , CA USA

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Jody,
I've got you beat! I've got a jar of canned cherries FROM the tree!!

Uff-Da!

Garland Nash · From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA

4Neck Fender
Back in 54 Bob Wills OfferedBilly Bowman a brand new 4 neck fender stringmaster if Billy would come back to work for him.As you know, for many years Billy would only play that National double neck.Billy Owed his brother 250.oo and told Tommy, his brother that he would give him the guitar for the 250.oohe owed him. Tommy in turn sold the guitar to me for 250.00 I then took it to Shot Jackson aftertaking 2 necks off and shot put me 2 pedals on it I then officially had me a pedal guitar I wish I had it back cause it had a beautiful tone The last account I had is that it was in a barn over in Independence Va.

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