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Topic: Dating a Fender dual professional |
Eric Davidson
From:
Kentucky, USA
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Posted 15 Nov 2010 5:54 am |
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So I just bought a Fender from someone on the forum. Haven't gotten it yet but am really excited as it will be my first 8 string. Actually I'm kind of obsessing over it and am wondering how i can tell, or if I can tell, exactly what year it was made. The seller said it was in the 1950's which I figured but was wondering if there is a way to find out more specifically.
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Roger Kelly
From:
Bristol,Tennessee
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Posted 15 Nov 2010 6:06 am
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I had one like that one, only with a walnut finish.
I bought mine in 1954 new and gave around $300.00 for it. I later put a pedal on it to get the Bud Isaacs sound. One sure way to get the Mfg Date is to look under the Tuning Pans, most have the date penciled in there. |
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Bill Ladd
From:
Wilmington, NC, USA
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Posted 15 Nov 2010 9:05 am
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| Mine has a piece of masking tape with the date and the woman's name who assembled it under the volume/tone plate. |
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Bob Tuttle
From:
Republic, MO 65738
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Posted 15 Nov 2010 10:08 am
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| I believe all the dual professionals with the trap pickups were made during the '50s. |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 16 Nov 2010 5:15 pm
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| Mine has the date under a tuning pan, and the little masking tape piece in under the pots, that has "Mary" on it. It's a 1954. Not really my kind of guitar it seems...... |
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Garry Vanderlinde
From:
CA
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Posted 16 Nov 2010 7:46 pm
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GRUHN'S GUIDE TO VINTAGE GUITARS- 3RD EDITION (6x9 BOOK)
Check it out. Lots of info there and worth every penny.IMHO |
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Dan Schwartz
From:
Bloomington, MN
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Posted 16 Nov 2010 8:29 pm
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I have heard most are dated under one of the tuning pans, but I found the date of mine under one of the pickups.
_________________
TheNeighborhoodTrio.com
DanSchwartz.net |
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William Clark
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Posted 16 Nov 2010 10:17 pm
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| From what I have read, the Dual Professional was dropped from Fender's lineup around 1954 when it was replaced with the Stringmaster. Fender started pushing the Stringmaster because he felt that he had gone as far as he could with the pass through pickups. I have a 1950 T-3 that has no dates under the pans. I dated it using the pot codes. I say go for it. You won't be disappointed!!! Bill |
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Ben Elder
From:
La Crescenta, California, USA
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Posted 16 Nov 2010 10:28 pm
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I can tell you that s/n (near output jack) 2897 is 8-54 (inside marking). I suspect steels of this era might be less random in serial-number-vs.-date correlation than early Teles and Strats, etc. Dual Professionals tend to be in the low four-digit range (although I have seen some 9000-series, which I think are triple-neck Custom models.) If Fender was up to 2897 in 8-54, the numbers probably didn't go much higher because the Stringmaster (i.e., dual pickup) models were coming in and the trapezoid pickup models were being phased out.
A very few early steels didn't have the Fender decal on the front. My 1950 (?--it has no other clues besides individual hand/die-stamped s/n digits: T115) Custom doesn't have one and never did. It also has no internal date markings--it pre-dates that feature. Both pots have been replaced, so carbon-dating is the only remaining alternative. If yours has a decal, it's at least a little later.
Cases changed too. Tweed with leather ends and bright red crushed velvet interior is characteristic of 1954 and earlier. (A less contrasty tweed covering with pink or blue interior indicates earlier production.)
As long-winded as that appears, I've actually held back a lot of diatribe that doesn't concern multiple-neck trapezoid models.
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"Gopher, Everett?" |
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