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Topic: Stringmaster Eras |
Matthew Dawson
From:
Portland Oregon, USA
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Posted 7 Apr 2010 8:42 pm |
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Just curious,
Can a Fender Scholar here tell me the difference between a Stringmasters from the 50's, 60's and 70's? Thanks. |
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Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 8 Apr 2010 6:30 am
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Matthew - I'm no scholar, but have been trying to collect info over the years. Seems there's lots of gaps in info. Jody Carver and John Tipka probably know more than anyone.
It would be nice to put all the info that comes across the SGF about Stringmasters into one place. If you can get into the old forum, there's good info in there. like this:
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum2/HTML/005068.html
Obscure questions I have are:
What year did Fender switch from nitro-laquer finishes to the later poly finishes?
When did the font of the logo change (The capital F on the decal and metal plate. I think about 1964, the top of "F" starting pointing inward).
What year did the patent numbers start showing in the front large decal?
What year did the black tolex case show up? 63?
What was the last year of the 26" scale? 55?
Also, people will swear that certain period guitars are better than others. I'm not so sure it's that cut and dried. I've got 24.5" scale D-8 Stringmasters from each decade (late 50s, mid 60s and mid 70s) and I can't tell any difference. They sound surprisingly similar. Go figure.
- t
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 8 Apr 2010 8:55 am
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| Quote: |
| What year did Fender switch from nitro-laquer finishes to the later poly finishes? |
1968, for Fender electric guitars, so I assume it's the same for the Stringmasters.
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| When did the font of the logo change |
The original "spaghetti" logo changed in the mid-60s. The letters became thicker, wider (on the electric guitars).
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| What year did the black tolex case show up? 63? |
Yes, late 1962 through 1965, black tolex (or white for some other models) with a logo on the case.
1965-67, black tolex, no logo.
1968 and later, black tolex with logo.
The tuners changed in 1967-68. Fender phased out the Kluson tuners and started using their own design, built by Schaller in Germany. The tuner buttons are not oval shaped like the Klusons. The buttons have an octagon shape. That style of tuner button indicates 1968 or later.
In the late 1970s Fender offered a Black finish on the Stringmaster. There aren't many out there. I've only seen three of them.
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Bill Terry
From:
Bastrop, TX
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Posted 8 Apr 2010 10:46 am
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| Quote: |
| The tuners changed in 1967-68. Fender phased out the Kluson tuners and started using their own design, built by Schaller in Germany. The tuner buttons are not oval shaped like the Klusons. The buttons have an octagon shape. That style of tuner button indicates 1968 or later. |
Hey Doug, as is the case with Fender regarding most things they built, I think there may be exceptions. I've got an early 70's Stringmaster (according to date codes on one of the pots) that has round headed tuners.. see pic. This guitar looks to be pretty original to me, so I doubt they are replacements. It's possible the guitar is a bit older and the pot has been replaced I suppose???
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 8 Apr 2010 11:27 am
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| Quote: |
| It's possible the guitar is a bit older and the pot has been replaced I suppose??? |
That's what I thought when I saw the pictures. The logo on the front is mid-60s or later, as far as I know. The "nickel" oval Kluson tuner buttons are mid-60s, I believe... I had a '67 Stringmaster with those same buttons. If the pots are dated early 70s, there's a chance that the pots were changed at some point. On the other hand, Fender was famous for using up all parts at the factory, so it's possible that it's a 70's guitar with 60s tuners. It's a mystery! 
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Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 8 Apr 2010 11:40 am Thanks
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Thanks, Doug for the info and answers. I really appriciate it. I did not find much of this in Gruhn's book. Note the logo on the front of the D-8 in that photo. It has the turned in cross swipe of the top of the capital "F". This is the font change I was asking about. I think this happened around mid-1964. It also has the circle R in the upper RH corner of the decal. Later (I think) some patent numbers showed up on the bottom of the decals.
Regarding the octogon tuner buttons. My mid-70s D-8 has these and if you remove the tuner pan, you will see that these are F tuners - similar to what was on Strats and Teles from the 70's.
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 8 Apr 2010 1:18 pm
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| Regarding the octogon tuner buttons. My mid-70s D-8 has these and if you remove the tuner pan, you will see that these are F tuners - similar to what was on Strats and Teles from the 70's. |
Yep, Fender F tuners. My '68 Telecaster has those. 1968 was the changeover year for the tuners, Klusons to F tuners... and for the nitro/poly finishes... and for the cloth coated/plastic coated wiring. Some '68s had both cloth and plastic coated wiring! Leo insisted on using up everything.
As far as the Logos (on the electric guitars), the "spaghetti" logo was used until 1964 (bottom logo in the picture). The larger logo (top) was used from 1965 to '67. 1968 and later had the thick "black" logo.
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Rich Hlaves
From:
Wildomar, California, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2010 9:47 pm
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Great thread. What about bridge covers? I understand they were eliminated at some point (late 60's?) and the ends of the bridge bars changed from pointy to round.
My late 60's, early 70's D8 seems to bear this out. It has what I believe is an original black tolex case with a tail logo. The logo lost its tail in 72-73 so it couldn't be any newer than that I would think?? It has the newer style logos, decal and metal tag, as well as the newer style tuner buttons.
I did see a D8 for sale on the forum reported to be a mid 60's guitar with a no tail logo on the case making me think the guitar was newer than advertised of the case might have been a replacement.
My guitar has never been apart as near as I can tell so I haven't gone inside to look for date codes on pots. |
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Matthew Dawson
From:
Portland Oregon, USA
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Posted 9 Apr 2010 8:53 am
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| How about the sound? Anyone notice significant differences? Also I've read that the 70's guitars use stock "f" tuners under the pans. Does this mean that if you can find one from the 70's you avoid the usual tuning pan issues? Thanks everybody for the replies. |
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Bill Terry
From:
Bastrop, TX
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Posted 9 Apr 2010 10:07 am
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| Quote: |
| What about bridge covers? I understand they were eliminated at some point (late 60's?) and the ends of the bridge bars changed from pointy to round. |
Here's a pic of the bridges on the guitar above. The covers look original. I guess I thought they all came with bridge covers?
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| How about the sound? Anyone notice significant differences? |
Here's a clip I recorded with the pictured guitar and a cheeso BIAB track. To me, this guitar sounds a bit warmer than some I've heard, but this was also recorded direct with a DI and some EQ, no amp...
Mr. Sandman
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Lost Pines Studio
"I'm nuts about bolts" |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 9 Apr 2010 1:50 pm
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Nice audio clip! As far as the different "eras" of Stringmasters and the sound, I haven't noticed any significant differences in the ones I've owned.
Another way to determine the appoximate year is by the design of the Knobs (control knobs). Fender used Telecaster knobs on the Stringmaster, and over the years they changed the design of the knobs very slightly. I have a book showing close ups of the knobs over the years, and the knobs shown in the picture above resemble the knobs from 1965-67. Again, Fender used up all stock in the factory, so there could be some overlap in the years. Also, many Stringmasters have been restored with parts from other Stringmasters, so it's hard to tell what's original to the guitar and what is not.
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Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 9 Apr 2010 7:21 pm
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As far as tone variation. Like Doug said, I don't hear much differences in the different vintages of SM's. There are other variables that are much more influential, like the scale length, the amp, the cables, the steel, the player, etc etc.
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Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 13 Apr 2010 3:12 pm
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Has anyone ever seen a 26" scale Stringmaster without lollipop tuners?
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 13 Apr 2010 3:39 pm
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I've owned a few Stringmasters and I have to just say that the ones I was most impressed with were 60s guitars (I had a D-6, a 24 1/2 (the best), and a 22 1/2). I always felt the tone was more complete, with a little extra something in the midrange. I had a few Deluxes (single neck) from the 50s and 60s, too, but I was never impressed with them.
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