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Topic: what is this steel worth? |
Garry Pugh
From:
Nashville Indiana
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Posted 13 Mar 2006 7:10 am |
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| I was on a show Saturday with a guy that had an old blonde Fender triple neck 8 string. I don't know the year it didn't have a serial number, but it did have 1951 stamped on it. It was in great shape. I told the guy I thought he had something of value but I wasn't sure what the approximate value was. Any idea what this might be worth? |
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Rick Alexander
From:
Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 13 Mar 2006 7:37 am
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Garry, if it's a Custom like this:
it's probably worth about $1200 - $1400.
If it's a Stringmaster like this:
prices are going up. 2 years ago they were going for about $1200, now they're fetching well over 2K. Supply and demand . .
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Garry Pugh
From:
Nashville Indiana
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Posted 13 Mar 2006 8:52 am
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| Thanks Rick, I think it's a Custom. I'll call the guy and find out for sure. |
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John Lang
From:
Las Vegas, Nevada
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Posted 14 Mar 2006 10:05 am
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| Gary, Rick is right about this, as I can tell you from personal experience. The prices on these guitars are indeed rising very quickly, if the recent activity on eBay is any indication. There were two Stringmasters sold on there recently (one on Sunday night); both went for around $2500 apiece. Oddly enough, the same person bought both of them. What the motivation for this might be, I have no idea. My fear is that these guitars may soon go the way of vintage Les Pauls, Strats, etc., and are being bid up far over their value as a means of speculation for financial gain, thus rendering them unaffordable to the average musician. I would recommend using the For Sale section of this forum as a more accurate means of determining values of instruments, as the players tend to set more realistic price levels among themselves according to true supply and demand. I had many bad experiences and frustration trying to buy one of these guitars on eBay, and have basically given up using it as a realistic price indicator. Fortunately I was able to locate a very nice, very old Stringmaster recently by other means, thus avoiding the silliness on eBay. |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 14 Mar 2006 10:36 am
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I think it is a shame that it's going this way-that the prices will inflate on these classic instruments to where they become the province of collectors and investors, and perhaps a lot of those folks don't even play.
I guess it does make the decision to purchase a modern state-of-the-art instrument like a SuperSlide a lot easier, instead of thinking, "gee, I'd sure like to have a vintage Stringmaster."
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Mark
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Mike D
From:
Phx, Az
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Posted 14 Mar 2006 11:47 am
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Considering inflation I'll bet the current prices are about what they were new. I don't know what a triple-neck cost but in the '50s a Strat cost about $150, more than an average mortgage payment.
In the case of most vintage steels it's the hardward and P/Us that make them so expensive and tough to re-create. Just buying bridges, pots, knobs, tuners and P/Us to make a modern equivilant is amazingly expensive, and that's without all the cool stamped parts like the covers and tuner pans.
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Half-assed bottleneck and lap slide player. Full-assed Builder of resonator instruments.
[This message was edited by Mike D on 14 March 2006 at 11:48 AM.] |
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Jody Carver
From:
KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED
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Posted 14 Mar 2006 11:54 am
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The selling prices on these Vintage Fender steel guitars will "continue" to escalate.
I had one of the first Custom Triple Neck Steel guitars manufactured and also have a Quad which was one of the first off the production line. Who was to know back then that this would be a fact, but it is and it will continue as long as the stars are in the sky. Great Instruments by the Genious Of Leo Fender.
The Knight Of Fender Tweed Has Spoken
www.jodycarver.com [This message was edited by Jody Carver on 14 March 2006 at 12:00 PM.] |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 15 Mar 2006 12:54 am
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As I said in a post a couple of weeks ago, we will see $4000 Stringmasters in our lifetime… no doubt about it. All Fender products from the 50s and 60s are skyrocketing in value: guitars, basses, amps, reverb units, and yes… even the steel guitars! I’m hanging on to my Fender gear  |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 15 Mar 2006 1:01 am
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When a guy buys two expensive guitars, it makes me wonder. Do you think the collectors are hanging them on wall displays?
That is what is happening to bakelites and frypans, and some others. |
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John Lang
From:
Las Vegas, Nevada
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Keith Cordell
From:
San Diego
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Posted 15 Mar 2006 5:21 am
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| It is absolutely true that lots of people buying up these instruments are investors. Buying them and storing them actually kills 2 birds with one stone; fewer instruments on the market drive the prices up faster, and they have the instruments. If I had some cash to put away that's where I'd put it. Buy a quad and a few stringmasters and sock 'em away. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 15 Mar 2006 8:49 am
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I think the Stringmasters are especially appealing to guitarists because they are about as close to an old Telecaster as a steel guitar can get. Same pickup (although most are 8 pole), same knobs, pots, finish, case, switch tip, output jack, and a similar ashtray style bridge cover.
My T-8 --->Stringmaster T-8[This message was edited by Doug Beaumier on 15 March 2006 at 11:02 AM.] |
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