Fender Steel Guitar Database

Grady Caplin · From: Ontario, Canada

I've just begun creating a database for all vintage Fender Steels, and am looking for help filling out missing information, as well as correcting errors. Please feel free to mention any other details or facts about these guitars I am missing. I also posted this on the Pedal Steel topic, as it applies to both.

Thank you,

Grady

Jeff Mead · From: London, England

I think you need to split the Stringmasters into early/late categories as the table implies that all 3 scale lengths were available over a long period of time whereas, of course the MkI was only available in 26" (up to about 1954)and the MkII and later were only available in 22.5" and 24.5" from about 1955 onwards (the usual overlap applies, of course). There are other design features which, I believe, separate them as slightly different models. There were a couple of other versions after the MkII but none of the things in your table changed after the MkII.

Also, the 400 and 1000 models were only available in one scale length at a time - there was a definite design change at some point when the scale length as well as the pickup design changed, along with a couple of other features so there is an argument for splittin these too.

I am not convinced (without checking) that the 800 and 2000 were produced with more than one scale length.

You may have opened a can of worms by putting the Stringmaster as being available as a 6 string option but I don't want to get into that discussion!!!

With the pedal steels, it mught be useful to list the number of raises and lowers on the changer?

Grady Caplin · From: Ontario, Canada

Thanks for the response Jeff, lots of help! Yes it really makes sense to split up the Stringmasters. The are big differences.

Terry VunCannon · From: Greensboro, North Carolina, USA

Thanks for at least calling a 6 or D6 a Stringmaster...as they were available from Fender by special order. I have a D6 Stringmaster that I love, and have had this discussion online before. It was Jody Carver that told me they were avail by special order, and he thought around 200 or so of the 6 string models were made.

Grady Caplin · From: Ontario, Canada

Thanks Terry, that's a beut![/i]

Anthony Blair · From: Oregon/Florida, USA

The early Dual Professionals had no legs- so Legs = 0,3 for that column.

If you want to include anomalies/transitions, there was an early version of the triple neck that was labeled 'Dual Professional' and given a 'D' serial number. It had no legs & a slightly different shape than the custom. They may have only made three of these - Noel Boggs & Leon McAuliffe each gone one, as did a friend of one of the sales reps.

Jesse Valdez · From: Fiddletown, California, USA

I believe the Trapezoid pickup models were completed into 1955. My Deluxe 8 is a 55 with the block fender logo, and I’ve seen deluxe 8’s with the spaghetti logos from 55.
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Steel Guitar Slinger w/ The Malpass Brothers

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