Ebay stringmaster with pedals--factory????

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

Ebay #3701663629.

4 neck stringmaster with some pedals on one neck. Seller claims this is from Fender like this.

Jody----the answer is???

John Bechtel · From: Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.

IMHO Nevah Hoppen'd!

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“Big John” Bechtel
http://community.webtv.net/KeoniNui/BigJohnBechtels

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3701663629&category=33039

Gary Morrison · From: Centennial, CO, USA

This is at least the second listing by the seller for this guitar. This showed up on Ebay maybe two or three months back and did not sell. I'm also sure Fender never sent out anything like this.

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

I'm with Gary on that! Whoever "RON" was, (or someone prior to him), obviously added those pedals to the STRINGMASTER as I am positive Leo never turned out a STRINGMASTER with pedals. Frankly, I wouldn't trust those pedals for proper intonation and it certainly devalues the guitar considerably. Buyer beware. JMHO

Chris Scruggs · From: Nashville, Tennessee, USA

I have Emailed this guy NUMEROUS times, explaning that this model guitar NEVER came with pedals.

I have also explained that the pedals, changer, and rods on this guitar are about as "Fender" as a Gibson Les Paul. He has ignored my Emails, and refused to alter the discription of the guitar.

Now I see he has a new Ebay account, and is trying this scam again. EVERYBODY ON THIS FORUM NEEDS TO EMAIL HIM AND SET HIM STRAIGHT. Maybe if he gets, say, 20 emails from different people telling him that this guitar is bogus, he will listen.

I say we report him to Ebay, I know he knows what he's doing.

[This message was edited by Chris Scruggs on 01 February 2004 at 02:27 PM.]

Bob Knight · From: Bowling Green KY

Chris,
I too emailed this guy, no acknowledgement.

quote:
Fender did NOT put the pedals on this guitar. This is a homemade setup.
You are about $1500 too high on your price, this instrument is considered "butchered".

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

I notice he states the DESCRIPTION as being "revised". I cannot recall what his original description must have been...?? But as stated above, this is a butchered guitar. If you blow up the pic as large as possible, you'll see what a mess that guitar is in. Obviously there is a valid reason for "NO BIDS"

[This message was edited by George Keoki Lake on 01 February 2004 at 11:01 PM.]

Paul Osbty · From: Seattle, Washington, USA

What about the "4th" neck being a "bass" neck? It does have heavier strings. Was this common for any multi-neck Stringmaster?

Gary Morrison · From: Centennial, CO, USA

Paul: From the little I know about stringmasters, the 4th neck (outside) was made to put on much heavier strings, so thus the 'bass' neck. I've got a quad or two, and they are made like this. I, like many others here, have also emailed this person, without receiving a response. So they are obviously trying to pull a scam on an unsuspecting buyer. I guess that's why we all stick to the Bob's forum; we don't have to put up with this type of person!

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

A buyer just put in a bid on this guitar at $1800. I emailed him. He knows that it is not original and does not care. Just wants it.

HowardR · From: N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville

Ok then. How about that Super Bowl?

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

I don't think the breast is original either.

Chris Scruggs · From: Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Maybe the bidder is planning to take out the crappy homemade pedals and fill it.

Or maybe the bidder is looking for a clever way to store his volume pedal, cords, and bar pouch.

At least he knows and doesn't care, but he might care when it arrives on his porch $1800.00 dollars later to see up close the "butcher" job he's bought.

That REALLY must affect the tone of those outside two necks. How about the blender on the third neck?

One ugly Fender Franken-master.

Chris Scruggs · From: Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Since this is a "factory original" Fender pedal steel, it really has no business here in no peddlers.

Jussi Huhtakangas · From: Helsinki, Finland

This "butchering" was no doubt made "way back when". I don't think it was someone, who intentionally decided to modify a vintage holy Stringmaster. I guess "Ron" just decided to add pedals on his Fender since he couldn't at the time afford a Sho Bud, Bigsby or a new Fender 1000. Come to think of it, there were a few other "butchers" too, who did the same thing to their Fenders; Shot Jackson, Bobby Garrett and Jack Evins come to mind. Evins used his quad Stringmaster with pedals on many Ray Price hits including Invitation To The Blues and Fallin' Fallin' Fallin'. I too, would rather see this particular baby as a nice factory original, but in a way, I see this as a kind of cool modification. 1800 or more is way too much though.

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

When Bud Isaacs changed the steel guitar world forever, many Fenders were modifed with string changer mechanisms. Some were well done, while others were not. I do not believe at that time ANY one knew these guitars would become collector's items.

All we knew was, we had to have that sound. So a myriad of coat hangers, bailing wire and every conceivlable hook, nook and cranny was installed to pull B to C# and G# to A on the E neck; so we could get that sound.

I am confident this is what happened to this guitar. And I must say, it sure looks better than some of the mods I have seen. It appears that a modified bridge-changer was installed; rather than a hook at the keyhead end. Which most of them did to pull the strings. So I imagine a machinist of sort did the work. If so, it was not really a bad job.

Yes, from a ventige point of view, it is a "butchered job". But if one considers the era and what was going on at the time, I feel no intent was made to butcher it.

From a "country" scenario, it possibly fulfilled its purpose quite satsifactrily. Just as pedal steel guitars do today. Albeit, much improvement has occured since then. I would add that in all likelyhood, the mecahnism worked better than many of the Multi-Kords. At least it probably still had the classic Fender sound.

Nevertheless, the seller SHOULD not say this guitar was built by Fender like that. A simple statement that 2 pedals were added after the fact would be sufficient, IMO.

carl

Karl Schaefer · From: Marina, California, USA

I too have one of the other 4 neck 'Stringmasters" that were converted on the 3rd neck. It's a '58 Blond with three pull pedals, which I purchased for $225 in 1970 in Delta Colorado.

I know a mint Fender 4 neck is the thread consensus, but it's satisfying to have an old hot rod too. O.K., it's been chopped, channeled, and shaved, but it represents the period referred to by C. Dixon when you had to have "that" sound. Well it still does.

So, not classic, but still cool if you look at it from out side of the box. I wonder what value my heir's will assign it after they read my will.

Tim Whitlock · From: Colorado, USA

This guitar represents a very cool piece of history, when everyone was adding everything from coat hangers to carburator linkage to their steels to get that Isaac's sound. I would love to own it. Too bad about the misrepresentation by the seller, and the outrageous price. I'm sure Jody Carver could verify once and for all that this is not a factory job. Jody??

------------------
Tim Whitlock
'58 Fender 1000, '56 Fender Stringmaster, '65 Twin Reissue, Niomi lap steel, old Magnatone tube amp.

John Bechtel · From: Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.

Although it's a lot more than I would want to pay, it does appear to be the best add-on pedal rig that I've seen! I really don't think the tone has been effected by this modification. It looks like a very neat-job to me, and I've been around PSG's ever since they became popular! Way back then, as was mentioned before; I'm sure devaluation was not the premise! Just ‘had to have that sound’! I did the same thing! I never considered future value going down, in fact; I though (at my young age) that I had increased it's value! Some sincere people are still interested in what they have working for them and are not as collector oriented as others! My '49–'50 Fender T-8 Custom (below) was unprofessionaly refinished by myself in 1979 and it's far from original in that respect, although the parts are; and I couldn't care less what anyone else thinks about it's looks! It's the sound that satisfies my needs. That's the most important thing to me, not monitary-value!

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“Big John” Bechtel
http://community.webtv.net/KeoniNui/BigJohnBechtels

Jody Carver · From: KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED

Take another look at the photo,and notice that on the third neck away from the player
has a knob which could have been installed as
a volume or tone control. This guitar was no
way a prototype or production model, but a good job whoever done it.The volume or tone control had been added on to the third neck where the tuning screws are located. This is
a good job and a good idea to have acess to another tone control other than the ones on the first neck closest to the player. I think
its worth the price. These dont come along often pedals added or not.The rest of the guitar look in fine condition.

The best job I ever saw was one that Bob Maickel owned which had three pedals and was next to perfect using coat hangers.

The only problem was the coat hanger was still attached to the guy who was wearing the coat.

[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 07 February 2004 at 08:21 AM.]

Bobbe Seymour · From: Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.

E-bay and ignorance strike again! The Fender would be worth twice as much if it hadn't beed butchered. $1800.00??? Boy, If I had it in stock it would be less than half that. Closer to what its worth.
The thing I keep thinking about is the fact that if you buy something off the e-bay auction site, you have paid more for it than anyone else in the world would pay for it. You are the high bidder. Great place to sell, a horrible place to buy.

Example: I sell Sho-Bud mavericks for $299 to $499.00, I see them go on e-bay for up to $800.00 very often. Obviously bought by folks that don't understand the values of steel guitars, or love auctions and have a lot of money.

If you want a pedal guitar buy one, if you want a Fender non-pedal guitar, then get one. Don't get a butchered convertion.
Just my humble opinion. Naturally.
bobbe

[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 08 February 2004 at 11:03 AM.]

Chris Scruggs · From: Nashville, Tennessee, USA

I'n not an "all origional" collector. Would I buy a steel in this condition? Sure. But not for that price and CERTAINLY not from that seller.

My problem isn't the fact that it has nonoriginal parts, but that the seller has been informed NUMEROUS times by NUMEROUS people about his DECIEVING action, and has made NO attempt to change it.

The first time he tried to sell this guitar, I Emailed him and told,"this was not an original Fender pedal guitar, but a nonpedal Fender Stringmaster from ther fifties that somebody converted". The next day he changed the auction's discription to include,"fifties Stringmaster". He even qouted comments I made about four neck Fenders being rare but not "custom order", which he originally stated.

He obviously recieved my Email. He obviously believed me, since he PARTIALLY changed the discription, but why did he withhold information affecting the value and condition of the guitar?

If he had listed the guitar,"Fender pedal steel guitar", I wouldn't of minded. But the fact that he insisted "FACTORY ORIGINAL PEDALS" shows me he is out to screw somebody.

This seller is the reason why Ebay doesn't work. He is a con artist out to make a quick buck. I would never buy from this seller. Maybe that's why he keeps changing his screen name.

Chris S.

Paul Osbty · From: Seattle, Washington, USA

Very odd. I tried being the nice guy and sent him some Fender photos. I got 3 replies from him today(?). The replies:

"Sorry that it took me so long to answer your request, problems with my computer.I have taken this unit to local guitar shops and based my information on thier "expert oppinion",all of them gave me the same information, I have no independant knowledge of this or any guitar.The only item noted as unusual is the bass unit."

Type in Fender and learn something. I found this at "Brad's page of steel" and
other places....

this information is all over the internet know your facts before interfering with a sale again!"

I guess nice guys do finish last!

Bob Knight · From: Bowling Green KY

I, too got the same response from this guy as Paul O.

I sent this reply,

quote:
The one you are offering is a " Quad Stringmaster" that has a HOMEMADE
pedal mechanisim. The Stringmasters were never offered with pedals from
Fender There are still several of the Old
Stringmasters and Dual Professionals etc. out there with after
market pedal setups on them, most being fashioned by Shot Jackson, and several others. Some of them functioned rather well, but most of
them didn't. Fender 400, 800, 1000, 2000s WERE pedal steel guitars and had
cable operated string changers. The Artist models utilized pull rod operated
string changers and were manufactured by Sho~Bud Guitar Co for Fender. The
PS210 was basically a prototype, with only a few of them being designed and
built by Gene Fields at Fender.

[This message was edited by Bob Knight on 10 February 2004 at 12:54 PM.]

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