Fender 1000 Color's ?

[John Billings]

Dean, is it more like this color? San Marino Blue, 1957.

[Tim Jones of Kansas]

My 1000 I purchased as is. It had been re-finished in a walnut or something and the apron painted red with white pinstripe. In my opinion, it was a very well done re-finishing.

I do know for a fact that this guitar was sunburst because the underside is STILL sunburst!!! And it's the nicer, how do you say it? "stained" sunburst rather than paint.

Any way you slice it, I still LOVE this guitar!!!


[/img]

[Willis Vanderberg]

This will be short and to the point.I am looking at my Fender 1000, purchase by me in 1958, The serial number stamped on the metal is 00135. It has the polished or plain aluminum frame. It came with the hog rings and the flat chrome pedals.The finish was the white or cream colored enamel.There is written in pencil under the front neck tuning pan 8/57.
With all Due respect to Jim S This number was not written in to produce a false date of manufacture.I discovered the date when I disassembled the guitar to refinish it in the dark walnut color of the 1950's Fender Custom d-8 steel guitars.I also found a date written under the front tuning pan of my D-8 Custom purchased new in 1950.As to any other models, year or configuration of these guitars I know nothing. BUT I do know what I have written is the facts concerning my fender 1000.

Old Bud

PS: As I am now 76 years young and guitars seem to be very heavy I will soon be disposing of my eight pedal steels

[Donny Hinson]

So can we presume that some enterprising person with a CNC Bridgeport could POSSIBLY start a business making repro Fender steel guitar parts ?

A CNC Bridgeport would be the hard way. With the exception of the frames, the later cam-head bridge pieces, and the tuning gears, the few remaining machined parts on the old cable Fenders (turnbuckles, nuts, rollers, pedal adjusters, and bellcrank mounts) would all be easier done on a CNC lathe workcenter. The real genius of the guitar was in the widespread use of stamped and formed sheet metal parts. I'd guess the plating costs probably exceeded the raw material and stamping costs for the many sheet metal parts that were used.

If China can build decent Tele copies to sell for $150, it's a cinch they could make "400" copies to sell for around $500. Probably never happen, though, because the potential market's so small.

[Jim Sliff]

Bud - I have no doubt about the date. A few have shown up with mid/late '57 body dates even thought the "official" release date was '58.

More interesting are the hog rings though - they shouldn't be there! According to the history we've gathered so far the hog rings showed up a year or two later. I can only guess they were thinking about them and you got what was essentially a prototype - Leo probably decided the rings were a waste of money...until players started breaking strings and he put them back on!

That one is very interesting. The serial number still jives with established data - it means nothing. I may just poll every Fender owner I can find and get a description and serial number...I'm curious to see what might develop.

[Ben Jones]

Here is the 1000 I am working on right now. My first fender. Loving it. Still needs alot of work. This one was once sunburst and now sports homemade cardboards fretboards that are way off at the twelth fret. No date under the tuning pans, just thick black paint.

[Willis Vanderberg]

Jim:
That would be awesome if we could compile all the serial numbers that are out there. If we had them all maybe we could make some sense of them. This has been a great guitar and even though the two knee levers are home made they work really well.
I know forumite Jerry Hendrix has Barbra Mandrell's old 400.
He bought it from Norm Hamlett when he lived in Bakersfield.Have a great day...

Bud