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Topic: Greetings + '57 Fender dual professional at my local shop |
Adam Nero
From:
Wisconsin
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Posted 22 Dec 2013 2:12 pm |
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Hi all,
Pretty new member from St. Paul, MN here. I'm 26 years old... been playing dobro for about 6 months and d-8 nonpedal for about half that but I'm just absolutely hooked. All I think about. So I was pretty amazed to find this piece at my local shop -- Willie's American Guitars. First one I've seen up close but cleaner than a lot I see online. If someone doesn't snatch it up, I might trade in my gibson.
Anyway... hello, and enjoy the eye candy!
Adam
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 22 Dec 2013 3:09 pm
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They are mis-informed. 'Tis a Stringmaster. Looks nice.
The price is silly, though. |
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Adam Nero
From:
Wisconsin
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Posted 22 Dec 2013 3:24 pm
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Oh, they'll be interested to know it's not what they thought. How do you tell?
What do these typically go for? |
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 22 Dec 2013 3:37 pm
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re: price....it's not a science and I'm not on top of the market but I'd say that if the tuners and electronics all work properly and giving it extra credit for being as clean as it looks, maybe $1300-1400.
The Stringmaster has two pickups per neck. That is the first feature you would notice. There are numerous other things too but the Dual Professional and its single, triple and quad brothers (I forget now if there was a quad in the Dual Pro line--definitely there was a quad Stringmaster) were all single pickup guitars with distinctive pickup style.
The Dual Pros preceded the Stringmaster which was introduced in 1953 and replaced the older model.
This here is a Dual Pro (picture stolen from a forum ad)
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 22 Dec 2013 3:44 pm
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The Dual Professionals have either (earlier) "boxcar" or (later) "trapezoid" pickups where the strings go through the pickup assembly.
I don't do pricing. I figure it depends how bad you want it. Decent examples have gone for less then what is advertised.
Potential problem areas..tuners. No direct current replacements.
Good luck.
h
_________________
Howard Parker
03\' Carter D-10
70\'s Dekley D-10
52\' Fender Custom
Many guitars by Paul Beard
Listowner Resoguit-L |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 22 Dec 2013 4:03 pm
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A closeup of the trapezoid pickup.
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Steve Green
From:
Gulfport, MS, USA
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Posted 22 Dec 2013 4:51 pm
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Early Dual Professional w/ boxcars
Later Dual Professional w/ traps
Stringmaster info from Fender catalog
_________________
Some songs I've written |
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Mike DiAlesandro
From:
Kent, Ohio
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Posted 22 Dec 2013 5:02 pm
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Here is a 1959 I just picked up from Craigslist 
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Bob Stone
From:
Gainesville, FL, USA
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Posted 22 Dec 2013 6:48 pm
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The price is fine. A classic guitar from the golden age. Go for it.
Doug Beaumier: Am I wrong?
Best,
Bob |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
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Adam Nero
From:
Wisconsin
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Posted 23 Dec 2013 9:10 am
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| Bob Stone wrote: |
The price is fine. A classic guitar from the golden age. Go for it.
Doug Beaumier: Am I wrong?
Best,
Bob |
Definitely stopping back today to see about a possible trade-in, thanks! |
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Adam Nero
From:
Wisconsin
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Posted 23 Dec 2013 9:12 am
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| Doug Beaumier wrote: |
| It's a nice looking Stringmaster, short scale (22 1/2"). The price is a bit high, in my opinion. These have come down in price in the past three or four years. Nowadays they sell for about $1300-1400. Check the electronics and the tuners before buying. Also... what is that white thing on the pickup closest to the player? Is it a thumb pick? |
Thanks Doug! In your experience, is the price drop due solely to the unavailability of replacement parts, or a combination of some other factors? Gonna check on the white mark, hopefully it's just an artifact of the photo!
Adam |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Bob Stone
From:
Gainesville, FL, USA
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Posted 24 Dec 2013 5:29 am
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Adam,
In my opinion, the most important point is that this is a guitar that you will enjoy.
Of course, it must be functional. The tuners on these old Fenders can have problems, which can be rather expensive to fix (there are virtually no spare parts). But the clean condition of this steel indicates it may have been little used and/or well cared for. Check the pickups and pots.
I am a "big picture" guy who does not get hung up on price. This is a classic--and an excellent player. We are fortunate that non-pedal steels are so cheap. Try buying a '57 Telecaster for 2 grand. Yes, there has been a dip in vintage steel prices for the past few years, but the economy is coming back.
You are fortunate to find a guitar like this at a local dealer where you can try it out and examine it closely. And I suspect there is a little room for negotiation on the price.
Enough of my soap box...
Happy steeling,
Bob |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 24 Dec 2013 6:35 am
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Wise words from Mr. Stone. If it checks out, and you can afford it, and you like Stringmaster tone, you'll have a fantastic instrument. A year from now, will it matter what it cost? Plus, how many new Stringmasters is Fender making?
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Michael Lester
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 24 Dec 2013 8:12 am Pricing estimates are dead on...
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Bought this about a month ago - $1,400
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 24 Dec 2013 9:15 am
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Who likes Stringmasters? Not me!
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Will Houston
From:
Tempe, Az
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Posted 24 Dec 2013 4:10 pm
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| Easy there Erv!! |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 25 Dec 2013 8:37 am
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Will,
I'm trying to control myself!  |
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