What fender stringmaster is this?

Christopher Eckert · Post by **Christopher Eckert** » 18 Sep 2009 5:36 pm

I am thinking of buying this stringmaster D-8. Can any of you stringmaster gurus guess at what year it was made. Is there anything I should be looking/watching out for when buying an instrument like this. Thank you very much for any advice you can post my way.

John Dahms · Post by **John Dahms** » 18 Sep 2009 5:52 pm

Looks like the features point to '57-'59 time frame. Tweed case, 3-way switch, that era.
Check out the blend control under the tailpiece cover and the tuners. Oh, and see if the pickups each have about the same output.

Bob Hickish · Post by **Bob Hickish** » 18 Sep 2009 6:46 pm

Chris
I would say John is correct as to the year , I
have a 58 looks exactly like it - grate guitar .

Hick

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 18 Sep 2009 7:23 pm

Make sure the tuners and the pickups work good. They're a bitch to replace or repair - especially the tuners. It's a 22" scale BTW. Some like it for slants,others prefer the 24" model for sustain. They're both good. I wouldn't pay more than $1200 for it these days. I love me some Stringmasters.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 18 Sep 2009 8:50 pm

Yes, mid to late 1950s. Like Michael said, check the electronics - pickups, switch, vol & tone controls, and blend knobs under the bridge covers. Also check the leg clutches, make sure they hold tight so you can extend the legs. The Tuners are very important too. It looks like the 3-way switch Tip is missing..? No big deal. It's a standard Telecaster top hat Tip, available at any Fender dealer. Also... check to see if the finish is original or a refinish.

Post by **Joey Ace** » 19 Sep 2009 2:10 am

You can compare to my '59 at http://joeyace.com/59sm.htm

Mine is a larger scale, which you can tell by the extra position marker. most prefer the larger scale.

Other than that, it looks the same.

I agree with the advice in all the above posts, except MJ's pricing. (He could be right in some cases, but I've witnessed recent sales much higher)

If yours is all original and priced at under $2k it's a good deal,IMO.

Have a look at the '56 for sale in Toronto.
http://12fret.com/used/index.html#Reso- ... 0&%20Steel
Note the the older push buttons.

Mike Bagwell · Post by **Mike Bagwell** » 19 Sep 2009 5:13 am

Joey,
I would have sided with you regarding price a few weeks ago, but I have a super nice late 50's 24 1/2 scale on listed the forum for $1600 and it hasn't sold. I think guitars have lost quite a bit of their value lately.

Mike

Eugene Cole · Post by **Eugene Cole** » 19 Sep 2009 8:53 am

Michael Johnstone wrote:Make sure the tuners and the pickups work good. They're a bitch to replace or repair - especially the tuners. It's a 22" scale BTW. Some like it for slants,others prefer the 24" model for sustain. They're both good. I wouldn't pay more than $1200 for it these days. I love me some Stringmasters.

John & Bob are right on with regard to when it was made.

I agree with Michael about all of his points. $1200 is the most you should pay for this guitar unless it has good road case too; at that price it should be in excellent working condition and in the 24' scale instead of this more common 22" scale.

Since paying too much is among the things which one should watch out for I think that I will expand on this point.

I frequently see these guitars listed for more money but they are seldom selling for any more. Some people like to list them with pictures for premium prices but that usually tells me that they like the guitar too much to really want to sell it. Whom among us with a spouse has not said something like "no serious buyers have turned up." When a "serious buyer" is a code phrase for an excessive price.

The condition of this one is a little too good. It might command a premium price to a collector that that is buying a commodity in pristine condition. But pay a premium for for this one and drop the bar a few times or have an errant guitar cord knock it over and you will no longer have a pristine guitar worthy of a pristine-commodity price.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 19 Sep 2009 9:02 am

It has the later type, oval tuners, rather than the earlier type of "lollipop" shape. The later type are more reliable. As has been said, they're awkward to fix since they're soldered in, not screwed.

I don't know how much I'd give for it if I were in your place. It's a nice instrument. It depends on your budget and how much you want it.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 19 Sep 2009 2:24 pm

I think $1200 is low, even in today's market. Nice clean ones were selling for $1800 or more last year. I'm sure when the economy recovers Strimgmasters will go way up in value. If I were in the market for one of these now I'd pay up to $1800... if it was all original, Excellent condition and I really wanted one (I already have one). And if I were Selling... I wouldn't sell it!

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 19 Sep 2009 4:25 pm

6 strings and 8 keys each neck. You might have four spare keys right in front of you if you need one...

Regards, Paul

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 19 Sep 2009 6:43 pm

6 strings and 8 keys each neck

Paul, you have a keen eye! I didn't notice that. I wouldn't be too worried about it though. The prior owner was probably more comfortable playing on 6 strings than 8. I have the exact same guitar, 1956, and I've been playing it with only 6 strings on each neck for the past couple of months.
I'm still curious about the finish on the guitar posted here. It looks unusually bright, white, and shiney. Christopher, is the guitar for sale locally or on line? Can you check it out before buying it?

Ron Randall · Post by **Ron Randall** » 19 Sep 2009 6:44 pm

These are great guitars. I have 4. A D8 and three T8's.
A unique feature is the blend knob located under each bridge cover. For me that is where the magic tone comes from.

Be sure the knobs are present, and that the blend controls work as they should.
The neck select switches can be a real pain if not working properly.

Good news ...most of these parts are replaceable. Pickups can be rewound, etc.

Ron
Dallas

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 21 Sep 2009 8:14 am

In 1957 (I think), Fender started using the Tele style selector switch. How do the pre-57 push button switches compare on a Dual neck guitar? Do they do the same thing?

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 21 Sep 2009 9:16 am

I have a '56 with the 3-way tele switch. I used to have a quad with pushbuttons, and they didn't work very well. The buttons would often stick and not work. As I recall the buttons activate the necks individually or any combination of the four necks. Not a very reliable switching system, in my experience, and from what others have said.

John Dahms · Post by **John Dahms** » 21 Sep 2009 12:47 pm

I've had both a push button '56 D8 and a '57 D8 with the 3 way Tele type switch. The push buttons were an improvement over the slide swiches used on the very early ones (I have heard that Jody Carver was reponsible for the change) and the 3-way was an improvement over the push buttons (although they look cool).
That's back when they changed stuff for the right reason.

Christopher Eckert · Post by **Christopher Eckert** » 21 Sep 2009 2:07 pm

Thank you very much to the stringmaster cognoscenti for the advice. The seller decided that his guitar was probably worth $2500 and wouldn't consider taking a penny under $2000. I'll hold out for a 24.5".

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 21 Sep 2009 2:40 pm

My T-8, 26" scale has the older slide switches and they work well.
But, if I had been redesigning the neck switching of the Stringmaster,
I would have replaced the slide switches with individual rocker switches.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 21 Sep 2009 3:13 pm

Christopher Eckert wrote:Thank you very much to the stringmaster cognoscenti for the advice. The seller decided that his guitar was probably worth $2500 and wouldn't consider taking a penny under $2000. I'll hold out for a 24.5".

$2,500 is way too much. Stringmasters aren't that rare yet.

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 21 Sep 2009 6:47 pm

In a past thread somebody said you can keep the push-buttons working fine by spraying the parts with that lubricant for electronic switches and pots. Mine are working fine and I haven't had to try that yet - but it's good to know if I need it.

Eric Stumpf · Post by **Eric Stumpf** » 22 Sep 2009 12:44 pm

On these second series Stringmasters (post 1954) the tuners are easy to replace....slide 'em right out of the tuner pan. The 1953 and 1954 Stringmasters used the prone to strip-out "lollipop button" tuners that are junk and yes, were soldered together. Those are difficult to repair. Regarding push-button neck switches: they will stick or fail if the contacts aren't clean. Circuit board cleaner doesn't solve the problem and the stuff leaves a grime-attracting film on everything. To get those switches working simply clean the contacts with a piece of emery paper and you'll be back to playing Panhandle Rag in no time.

J Fletcher · Post by **J Fletcher** » 23 Sep 2009 4:15 am

A nice clean, working, original D8 '50's Stringmaster, in Canada is worth $2000 (Canadian $$$'s). Especially if it's a private sale with no taxes. You might find a better price, but $2000 sounds fair to me...Jerry

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 25 Sep 2009 12:09 pm

While we're talking switches, I noticed that in the middle position of my 3-way, the output of the guitar is less. I assume this is normal, as I've put 2 more coils into the circuit, but I am driving only 2 (out of the 4, since I'm playing only one neck) at a time. So when you play in the "both necks on" mode, you have to goose the gain a bit, right?

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 25 Sep 2009 1:02 pm

So when you play in the "both necks on" mode, you have to goose the gain a bit, right?

Yes, when two (or three or four) necks are activated at the same time there is a loss of gain and tone... that's normal. I never activate more than one neck at a time on any guitar, pedal steel or non-pedal.

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 25 Sep 2009 2:01 pm

I normally have only one neck turned on. But, ever so often, it's the wrong neck. So there you are, jumping into some important solo in the middle of a song with the wrong neck turned on. ...a moment when "silence is *not* golden". : )

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What fender stringmaster is this?

What fender stringmaster is this?

Thanks to all

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selector switches