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Topic: Age Of Stringmaster |
Larry Robbins
From:
Fort Edward, New York
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Posted 6 Jul 2008 12:20 pm |
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Can someone tell me how to tell the age of a Fender Stringmaster? Is there a list of serial #'s ? Etched on the plate the covers the volume/ tone control are the #'s 0175. In the hollow underneath the tone/volume controls is written someones name I cant quite make out, then a date of 9/2/57 . This is on a Daul 8 Stringmaster 26" scale. Any thoughts? thanks.
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Twang to the bone! |
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Don Kona Woods
From:
Hawaiian Kama'aina
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Posted 6 Jul 2008 12:24 pm
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You have by your process discovered the age:
9/2/57
Do you own it?
Are you interested in it?
Aloha, 
Don |
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Larry Robbins
From:
Fort Edward, New York
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Posted 6 Jul 2008 12:50 pm
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Hi Don,
Thank you for the quick reply. Yes I own it. I recently bought it and I am loving it! Never was much of a non pedal player untill now! This thing sounds so sweet that my wife even commented on how good it sounds....and if you knew my wife that
means a lot! ( actually, it means that she is no longer angry that I spent more money on yet "another" steel)  It was listed as a "63" so when I looked inside I was a bit confused. Here is a thumbnail pic that you can click on if that helps to nail it!
has the usual dings and such...I am sure it was a player but, it seams to work well and has tone to die for. thanks again.
_________________
Twang to the bone! |
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Stephan Miller
From:
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
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Posted 6 Jul 2008 3:26 pm
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| I've read more than once on this Forum that the 26" Stringmasters were made mainly in '53 and '54, and that Fender phased them out sometime in '55. Could the date on yours actually be 1954? |
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Chris Scruggs
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 6 Jul 2008 4:34 pm
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While Fender guitar serial numbers can tell you the year it was made, Fender steel serials are not. The chrome plates on Fender steels with serial numbers were always made in bulk. For instance, the control plates numbering up through 1000 on Fender Dual 8's were all made in 1950 and just kept in a big barrel. they were randomly put on guitars and were non sequential. For instance, a 1950 guitar could have a high serial number of 0985 while a 1951 guitar could have a low serial of 0684.
26" Stringmasters with chrome PU covers were made from 1953 to mid 1955 (when the more common black PU cover 24.5" and 22.5" Stringmaster design was instituted).
Take the keyhead off and there should be a month and year written with a grease pencil in the cavity, example, a September 1954 guitar will read 9/54.
CS |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 6 Jul 2008 4:40 pm
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| The early ones didn't have the balance control pot under the bridge covers. Does yours have the knurled flat knobs under the covers? That could be a clue for you also, but if the date is quite legible it's hard to disagree with it. |
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John Dahms
From:
Perkasie, Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 6 Jul 2008 5:26 pm
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Having looked at your photo it looks like you have a very early model. The p.u. covers, bridge/tailpiece components and the switches are all from the pre-'55 era. If the volume and tone pots are original there may be a code on them that you can access without loosening the strings and pulling the tuner pans out.
A fun find, to be sure.
_________________
Time flies like an eagle
Fruit flies like a banana. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 7 Jul 2008 7:14 am
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I have a Stringmaster just like that except for being a triple neck.
I bought mine new in 1955.
After that, they changed the configuration of the pickups and went to a different tuner design.
No more "lollypop" tuners.
This one's supposed to be a 1954 model:
Last edited by Erv Niehaus on 7 Jul 2008 11:54 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Jon Light (deceased)
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 7 Jul 2008 11:05 am
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| Larry--that guitar is an exact twin of mine except for the missing bridge covers. What everyone is saying about the dates is what I've always believed. If you can confirm your '57 date by finding the same in one of the other cavities it will certainly require a revision of what is commonly known as the history of these things. FWIW, mine is '54 (I think---I'll have to double check that next time I restring it....might be '55). And for even less FWIW, my serial # is 0703. |
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Larry Robbins
From:
Fort Edward, New York
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Posted 7 Jul 2008 11:48 am
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I took of the tuner pan and it looks as if its a 54 under there. Upon closer inspection it looks as if what I thought to be a "7" may be a 4 . Here are a couple of thumbnails' to click on. Hard to get a good pic of these.. Thank you all for your help! Please let me know what you think after viewing the new photos. So I am now thinking 7 / 54? Thanks!! 
_________________
Twang to the bone! |
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John Dahms
From:
Perkasie, Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 7 Jul 2008 1:15 pm
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Looks like Gloria 9/2/54 with the top of the 4 damaged on the masking tape.
_________________
Time flies like an eagle
Fruit flies like a banana. |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 7 Jul 2008 7:14 pm
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That guitar was assembled before October 1953, mine is serial number 0189 26" twin 8 metal pickup covers.
See this post Click Here
Basil |
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Larry Robbins
From:
Fort Edward, New York
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Posted 8 Jul 2008 2:29 pm
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My sincere thanks to all of you who replied to this post and for your help.
As it's been said here many times " aint this place great! "
_________________
Twang to the bone! |
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Nick Reed
From:
Russellville, KY USA
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Posted 12 Jul 2008 12:26 am
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This one is a 1958 Stringmaster I had restored about 3 years ago. It looked like a car had run over it when we bought it. Looks brand-new now and plays & sounds great! Nick
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 12 Jul 2008 5:59 am
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Here's some "before", "during" and "after" pictures of the T-8 Stringmaster I bought in my youth and then had the chance to buy back many years later.
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Jonathan Lam
From:
Brooklyn, NY
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Posted 12 Jul 2008 6:19 am
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| You mean, you bought the exact guitar you sold when you were young? Thats pretty cool! |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 12 Jul 2008 6:27 am
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Jonathan,
Yes, that is correct.
I sold it to a local fellow and after 40 years or so, he passed away.
I contacted his widow and offered to buy it back.
She didn't want to sell it right away but after about 2 years, she said I could buy it back if I wanted to.
I jumped at the chance and now have it back home where it belongs. |
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Jonathan Lam
From:
Brooklyn, NY
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Posted 12 Jul 2008 9:13 am
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| That is awesome. Kinda sounds creepy, were you watching the obits waiting to get it back? (joking) |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 12 Jul 2008 4:17 pm
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| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
| Here's some "before", "during" and "after" pictures of the T-8 Stringmaster I bought in my youth and then had the chance to buy back many years later... |
I get a sense of déjà vu looking at those pictures, especially the one stripped for painting. 
Is that the one that became that gorgeous red, or the cream-coloured one at the bottom ? |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 13 Jul 2008 5:47 am
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Alan,
I refinished it in Fender Blonde with a touch of tinted clear coat to "vintage" it somewhat.
Jonathan,
I really didn't think I'd ever get the guitar back.
When I sold it, I thought you couldn't own more than one guitar at a time.
Since then I've found out differently!  |
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Jonathan Lam
From:
Brooklyn, NY
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Posted 13 Jul 2008 12:34 pm
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| We need guitars for everyday of the week dont we? |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 14 Jul 2008 5:27 am
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Jonathan,
I'm already past every day of the month! |
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Rich Hlaves
From:
Wildomar, California, USA
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Posted 14 Jul 2008 12:45 pm
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Erv,
I built a Tele once out of Chandler parts back in the days (mid-late '80s) they where in the aftermarket. Red double bound body and a maple neck with real vintage PUPs and a MOT pickguard. Looked and sounded like a million bucks.
I sold it through a local music store in '91 to get $ for my down on my house amoung other cool instruments. It later appeared in the store for sale so I bought it back 2 years later. The other guitar player in the band I was in fell in love with it about 5 years later so I sold it to him for $500. A year after that he wanted me to build him an american Strat for him exactly the way he wanted. The agreed to price was $700. When the strat was completed, he hands me the red Tele and $200 and kept the tweed case I sold to him included with the Tele for his "new" Strat! The nerve of some peoples children.
That guitar was a total boomerang! I parted it out on ebay to cover the cost of building the Strat for my fellow band member so it will never turn up again. I should have just kept it, it was one of the nicest playing Teles I've come across. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 14 Jul 2008 12:54 pm
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Rich,
That kind of reminds me of another Stringmaster I have.
I bought some parts on e-bay and the seller said: "Oh, I have the body if you want it."
I took it and found out it was one neck of a multi-neck Stringmaster.
With the parts I bought and some others you see the results below:
I didn't have it quite completed when I took the pictures.
It is a 1953, 26" long scale, Stringmaster.
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Rich Hlaves
From:
Wildomar, California, USA
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Posted 14 Jul 2008 3:04 pm
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Erv,
Don't you just love it when stuff like that happens? I've been pleasntly suprised a couple of times. I also found out it's a good thing to ask, "Do you have any other parts, guitars or amps you have been thinking of selling?" I did miss the matching BR9 amp when I bought my Gibson BR9 steel. It went on a BIN on ebay about 30 seconds before I bought the guitar from the same seller.
I built a '53 Studio Deluxe the same way. It was being parted out on ebay and I bought all the parts (less electronics) and put it back together. Actually with a Lollar PU it is one of my favorite steels.
I'm working on a couple more parts steels, a Fender Champ that someone painted metalic red (lousey job)so I think it should be trans red or Mary Kaye blonde and a Supro Comet that needs some major TLC.
I have managed to collect a couple of original Fenders: 1956 Stringmaster S8 22 1/2" blonde and minty, 1953 Deluxe D8 a few dings and a little wear but xlnt and then my pride and joy a mid 60s Stringmaster D8 in dark mahogany (looks so nice against chrome) 24 1/2 scale and also near mint. It came with new strings so I haven't taken it apart to look for dates yet.
The search continues for an original T8 SM I can afford! There are other offerings in the closet from gibson, Kay, National etc.
I can't imagine how many instruments and parts are just sitting around under beds, in closets, drawers and in garages that people don't play or even know what they are. Fun hobby though !
Best,
Rich
Last edited by Rich Hlaves on 14 Jul 2008 5:46 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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