Fender 1000 question

Len Amaral · From: Rehoboth,MA 02769

I received an email from a local fellow here in Seminole, FL that has a Fender 1000 and wants some tips to get started playing and also wants to adjust the guitar. I said I would be glad to help him out but knew nothing about his guitar. He said his Fender 1000 has rods, not cables.

I have no idea how to adjust a Fender 1000. Any help is appreciated.

Lenny

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

Any Fender 1000 with rods has been heavily modified, so it's hard to know even where to start without pictures. Are you sure he doesn't mean the pedal rods, and doesn't even know about the cables (maybe he got it with no case already set up?)?

If you can get any pics or more info feel free to email me directly, or we can flip the whole thing over to the Fender steel forum - but it still sounds like some pics will be needed to figure out what he's got.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Len Amaral · From: Rehoboth,MA 02769

Hi Jim, thanks for the feedback. As soon as I get together with this fellow I will take some pictures of the guitar and email them to you. Hopefully it won't be a mechanical nightmare.

Thanks,

Lenny

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

There's a good possibility it's not a 1000 at all. I've seen people refer to the Sho~Bud built Fender guitars as 1000's or 2000's. Razz

It also could be some off-brand that's had a Fender logo added. (One of them appeared recently on ebay!)

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

What Donny said.

I've had several emails from people with what they call 400's or 1000's that are instead the Shobud Maverick Fenders - the oneswith black tolex covering and an amp logo on the front. I probably get -5 emails a week with pictures and questions, and it seems like at least half have the models numbers mixed up.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Len Amaral · From: Rehoboth,MA 02769

OK, I got together with the fellow that has the Fender steel but it doesn't say 1000. It's a single neck w/3 pedals and 4 knee levers and has not been played very much as I didn't see any wear and it must have been sitting in a closet for many years. I cleaned, adjusted and lubricated the mechanism and rollers at the nut and restrung the guitar.

WOW...I have never heard or played this type of guitar before but it had a twang that was musically pleasing. I got this fellow started with the basics playing steel and recommended some instrucional material and will get together with him occasionally. I look forward to hearing this guitar again.

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

Len- can you describe the undercarriage, the finish and the types of pedals? So far it sounds like a Fender Artist - made by Shobud. Those are rodded guitars and the 3+4 arrangement was available on the better models. Not bad guitars, but not the type that interests Fender collectors, usually - since they're not Fenders at all, really.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Len Amaral · From: Rehoboth,MA 02769

The undercarraige seemed very stable and operated smooth and didn't clack when pressing the pedals. The pedals rods were also more of a standard configuration that had the slide barrel and ball that attached the pedal rod to the side of the pedal.

It had the typical stamped metal headstock with straight posts for the keys that made winding the strings a bit difficult as tapered posts let the string wind evenly. You strung the guitar by putting the string through the front of the bridge finger then pull it through and wrap it around the top of the finger. The guitar was black wood and the pedals were cast, not stamped. The fellow called it a Fender 1000 as that is the term he got from the party he bought it from. He said he paid %500.00.

I am not familiar with any Fender steel and the only marking on this guitar said Fender. It was an experience to view and play this guitar and it sounded very nice.

Bill Henry Plant · From: Victoria, Australia

Sounds like the guitar that I have just started out on. Sho-Bud pro from the 70's I believe.
Does anyone have any suggestions for a pedal as the one that came with it is too big to fit under the instrument?
Bill

Len Amaral · From: Rehoboth,MA 02769

Hey Bill, thanks for the picture. The Fender guitar looks very much like your guitar except the pedals were some what of the paddle type. The fellow that has the guitar will becoming back to my place for another lesson in several weeks and I will take a picture of the guitar.

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

Bill - contact Bobbe Seymour at Steel Guitars Nashville; he has extension kits that will raise the guitar up from 1/2" to 2" or so. That's the usual way to adjust for height. My GFI was made with longer legs and rods, and with new guitar you just order them to specific height if needed. A kit for a 3-peal guitar is under $25 as I recall - a lot less than replacing a volume pedal.

Len - if it's like the pictured one then it's definitely a Shobud-made "Fender Artist" model. The 1000's were all cable-mechanism guitars, and actually made by Fender. These are rodded guitars, made by Shobud.

The one in the picture has a raised neck, placing it as one of the better Artist or Pro (I forget the specific designation) models. If it has no raised neck,just a fingerboard glued onto a wood body, then it's essentially a Maverick - I've seen a few that have been modded with knee levers. Paul Redmond has one he plays quite often. But those are basic student models that started as 3+1 guitars with no provision for adding levers or pedals - all the modded ones have ben changed around by people who really know what they are doing.

If it's the raised-neck Artist model, though, it's a pretty decent Shobud guitar...and a steal for $500 if it's in playable condition!
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Bill Henry Plant · From: Victoria, Australia

Thanks Jim and Len, the owner of the Fender might be interested in a copy of the manual that was kindly supplied to me by Tamara James on this very forum.
Drat, I can't seem to attach it so I will email it direct.
Bill

Len Amaral · From: Rehoboth,MA 02769

Hi Bill, I replied to you email and I am sure the fellow that owns the Fender guitar will deeply appreciate a copy of the manual.

Craig Stenseth · From: Naperville, Illinois, USA

Don Walters · From: Saskatchewan Canada

The link to the Fender manual is on my server and is a late 50's Fender PSG that I bought around '58-'60; I can't remember exactly what year. AFAIK it was the first model Fender made. From what I've read on the SGF there were quite a number of different models since then. Keep that in mind when looking at this manual.

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

That manual will be totally irrelevant. It deals strictly with the 1000, dual-neck, 8-string cable pull guitars. It has nothing to do with the Artist model - for which you'd need some kind of Shobud manual.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

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