Stringmasters in the PNW and Dimensions

Jim Dickinson · From: Washington, USA

As I am restoring my 1954 D 8 Stringmaster, and it's the only one I have ever seen up close, I would like to look at some others. Do you know of any here in the great Pacific Northwest? I am in Northwest Washington near the Canadian Border on the Coast. I could go visit anywhere in Washington, Northern Oregon, and Lower British Columbia, Canada. Please let me know.

From what I read here, it also seems that the size and shape of Stringmasters changed with the years they were in production. As I am thinking of acquiring another dead one and building up a triple neck, I am curious to know the differences in sizes as to individual body length, width(s) and thickness'.

Mine's a 2/54 26 inch scale model, it's:

35 1/8 inches long overall
4 1/2 inches wide per neck, no taper
9" wide overall
1 7/8 inches thick on the close neck (Neck 1)
2 1/4 inches thick- far neck- N2
Has four legs

Please post the sizes of yours, Jim

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

Jim: You may have seen it already, but, if not, it would be useful to you to follow the restoration that I documented a couple of years ago...

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=115324&highlight=restoration

...maybe it will help you avoid some of my pitfalls.

Joe Kaufman · From: Lewiston, Idaho

You could always check out the Trading Musician in Seattle. They usually have a few Fender Steels there.

Jim Dickinson · From: Washington, USA

Alan.

The beavered up tuning pan you show is the one I have, it will soon be repaired, I just need another, if I can't find one, I'll make something that will work until I do find one. I do appreciate your beautiful repair job, mine was in worse condition before I started, it was a botched pedal conversion. I need to take more pictures of mt repear. I wonder, did the early ones have a pickup cover?

Joe, thanks for the tip on the store in Seattle.

Jim

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Jim,
I'm not sure what you are meaning by "pickup cover".
The pickups on the early Stringmasters were chrome and that was a cover. The later models were black and that also was a cover.
However, the size of the pickups between the chrome model and the black model were different. They are not interchangable.

Jim Dickinson · From: Washington, USA

Erv,

I meant to say bridge cover. The later ones have one, the one Alan rebuilt does not. I think I am going to have to make some of the metal pieces, they are not all there.

It is interesting that you say the size of the pickups are different in the early ones. I do know the DC of mine reads around 6500 ohms where the pickup builders say 8600 ohms. I need a couple, I guess I'll have to make them myself, wonder what the wire size is? Jim

Lynn Oliver · From: Redmond, Washington USA * R.I.P.

My 56 has plastic covers over the pickups.

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

Dave Harmonson · From: Seattle, Wa

Jim, I wouldn't advise driving to Seattle to see a Stringmaster at Trading Musician. I've seen a few lap steels there from time to time, but never a Stringmaster. Orville Johnson has a Ttiple 8 Stringmaster and is a forum member who chimes in now and then. You could try contacting him through PM or email. He's a busy guy, but I'm sure he could give you some good info.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

The early Stringmasters had a bridge cover that screwed to the body.
The later Stringmasters had bridge covers that pivoted on the ends of the pointed bridge rod.
That was so you could access the blend wheel located under the cover.
There is a fellow who posts on the Forum here who is making bridge covers again.
He is selling them quite reasonably, in my opinion.

Jim Dickinson · From: Washington, USA

I've just put in an email to the fellow who makes the covers, but, I also need a couple of the chrome pickup covers. I doubt if anyone out there makes any of these, by the looks of mine it would be a real problem, have to be made on a set of dies and a press.

Erv,

Since you hava triple neck, could you measure the thickness' of the wood necks? From what I am finding is there is contractdicting information out there. In a previous posting,

http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum2/HTML/005068.html

Jon Tipka posted:

Neck thicknesses are inside to outside - 1-1/2", 1-7/8". 2-1/4", and 2-1/2", respectively.

I wonder about the thickness of the inner neck, even the Deluxe has an 1 5/8 inch thickness. The necks get 3/8 of an inch higher, same as mine, except for the outer neck which is only a 1/4 inch higher. Even my double pro has a 1 7/8 inch thick inner neck.

I guess that things changed over the years, I'll bet the thinner neck was made later, I am more interested in the earlier ones. Jim

Scott Thomas · Posted 29 Jun 2009 8:51 am

Jim, for chrome pickup covers you might try Jason Dumont. He makes them for his own line of Lap King steel guitars:

http://www.lapking.com/belaire.htm
(scroll down to see the 8 string version)

Might be a long shot if they fit, or even if he'd be willing to sell just the covers, but it's worth a try. I don't currently know of anyone else who makes anything close.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Leon Brannon is the fellow making and selling the Stringmaster bridge covers.
He is selling them for $40 plus shipping.
Do a search and you will find his posting and e-mail connection.

Jim Dickinson · From: Washington, USA

Erv,

I have sent Leon an email.

I wonder if the triple neck Stringmaster is a double with a thicker neck bolted on the outside.

The Quad, perhaps is a double with a thinner neck bolted on the inside and a thicker neck bolted on the outside. The mass of the balance of the three outer necks might compensate for a thinner than average neck on the inside. Not sure just guessing, Jim

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Jim,
I don't have my Stringmasters with me but maybe you can get some idea as to the various neck thicknesses from these pictures.
It looks to me like on a triple neck, a thinner neck is added to a D-8 and on a quad, a thicker neck is added to the T-8.

Jim Dickinson · From: Washington, USA

Erv, you are right, looks like it to me too. When you get a chance, it would be nice to know. Thank You for being so helpful.

Perhaps someone else has one they could measure, I am especially interested in the 26 inck models, but any others are also welcome. Verification is real nice, then there is no question.

Thank you, Jim

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