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Topic: When did they stop making THIS Fender Steel ? |
basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 11 May 2008 7:38 am |
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The seller says it's a 1954 model ?
Is that right, I was under the impression that the Stringmaster had taken over from October/November 1953...
1954 Fender Deluxe lap steel
Also the seller says :- "Hello, The pots are dated 1954 and there is a date stamp in the control cavity. Thanks"
Date STAMP?, Control Cavity?, ... this is a departure from the usual handwritten initials and date in the tuner cavity..
Could there be a little jiggery pokery afoot ?
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 11 May 2008 8:20 am
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Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars says that the Stringmaster model features (two under-string pickups, control knob for pickup balance under bridge cover, rectangular bridge cover, three legs optional) occurred on the Deluxe models by 1957.
This guitar seems similar to my Deluxe 8, but the body appears to have been refinished. Fender did not make a sunburst Deluxe model. In 1954 it would have been either a walnut (dark) finish or a blond (light) finish.
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A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Mark Durante
From:
St. Pete Beach FL
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Posted 11 May 2008 8:48 am
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Both were being made 1953 thru 1955. The models with the old style trapazoid pickups were discontinued by 1956. I have a Stringmaster and a Dual Professional both from 1954.
Last edited by Mark Durante on 11 May 2008 8:57 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Dave Mayes
From:
Oakland, Ca.
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Posted 11 May 2008 8:56 am
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I've seen numerous examples of early Fender steels that did not, in some way, strictly conform to the Fender "blonde" or "dark" finish catalogue option.
From the photos - my quess is this is a rare bird.
1954 - someone is spraying "bursts" on early Stratocasters and does the same to a few steel bodies. It's a possibility. |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 11 May 2008 11:58 am
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| I don't know,,,,,,,, but at least it's a two color burst, and not three. |
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Chris Scruggs
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 11 May 2008 12:16 pm
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My main guitar is a Dual Pro with a keyhead cavity date of 9/54. I have never seen a trap PU Fender from later than 1954.
Fender standardized the Stringmaster line in late 1955, I would assume the trap PU guitars would have been completely phased out by that time.
Through 1953 and 1954 the trap guitars and the 26" scale Stringmasters were produced along side each other.
I have a blonde Deluxe 8 from 1950. It's a great guitar and there aren't that many single eight Fenders with the early string through features. I feel lucky to own a single eight, two double eights, and a triple eight. I wish Fender never stopped making these string through guitars!
Chris |
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John Dahms
From:
Perkasie, Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 11 May 2008 12:43 pm
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I've got a Dual Professional dated '55 with traps. The finish looks like an early Strat sunburst and from what I can tell in the pics it could be original. If it is the coolness factor makes this a real find.
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Fruit flies like a banana. |
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Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 11 May 2008 2:11 pm
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| I've have to admit that I've never been that fond of the bent sheet metal nuts on these guitars. |
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Chris Scruggs
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 12 May 2008 11:34 am
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Tom, the good thing about the nuts on these guitars is that the nut and keyhead is all one piece, which I theorize makes it more resonant than a guitar with a separate nut like a Stringmaster.
The one thing I do wish is that the keyhead was slotted for the sake of replacing tuners. I've never been in that position, but it is an occasional worry of mine.
CS |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 12 May 2008 12:43 pm
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I had to slot one of the tuner pans on mine. The other had already been done. Just a sign of the times I figure. Lollipops were soldered-on knobs I believe.
My Dual Pro in dated 5-19-54, and signed by "Mary"
The bent sheet metal bridges on mine seem to have some buzz, even though everything has been re-chromed. I hate to have to do any filing on them to get past the buzz problem. This one is made of white ash. I sort of wish it was the walnut body type. |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 12 May 2008 1:17 pm
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| Chris Scruggs wrote: |
Tom, the good thing about the nuts on these guitars is that the nut and keyhead is all one piece, which I theorize makes it more resonant than a guitar with a separate nut like a Stringmaster. osition, but it is an occasional worry of mine.
CS |
Once you move away from open strings, I don't see the relevance of the theory regarding the nut, as the steel bar effectively becomes the nut..and if you're properly damping behind the bar, what difference does the nut make ? |
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Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 12 May 2008 2:18 pm
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Basil, you have an excellent point. I've owned both Pros and Stringmasters and it seems like the SM has better sustain. I used to think it was because of that bent sheet metal nut, but you have a point about the bar canceling all of that out.
On another note, has there been any dialog with an outfit like Stewart McDonald to possibly offer a 4-on-a-side tuner set like the old tuners on these Fender steels. If we could get a good set of tuners, we should be able to press them into the sides of Stringmaster tuner "ashtrays". For the Pros, you might have to cut some sheet metal, as I recall. |
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Chris Scruggs
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 12 May 2008 6:23 pm
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Basil, I play a lot of chime tunes, so open strings are very important to my playing. But it is true, once you lay the bar down, the nut is no longer very relevant. Feel wise, I do like the way a Stringmaster nut feels when you play on the first and second fret.
Tom, I've always thought my Dual Pros have better sustain than my Stringmasters (one is 22.5, one is 24.5) with the main reason being the thin little bridge on a Stringmaster vs. the huge bridge/pickup combination on a Dual pro or Custom. I also think the Dual Pro necks being glued together makes for (personally) a preferred tone over my Stringmaster necks (which are just bolted together). I suppose a lot of it is whichever one you (and your playing style) are used to.
But more specifically speaking not all guitars are the same, even within the same model. The piece of wood comes into play surely. I have a brown Dual Pro that sounds a little too bright for my ears but has amazing sustain and the harmonics practically play themselves. This Dual Pro is slightly lighter in weight from the blond one I usually play. On the blond one, I have to work a little harder for the harmonics and the sustain is slightly less, but the tone is to my preference. And this isn't a matter of the pickups, either. I can hear the difference without an amp.
CS |
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