50's Fender Dual 8 professional converted to single necks

[Will Jaffe]

Has anyone converted a 50's Fender Dual 8 professional into two single necks? Seen one?

Like to hear from you and how you handled electronics and the sides.

[Blake Hawkins]

I've seen a couple. They were disasters.

It puzzled me as to why anyone would take what was
one of the best d-8 non pedal guitars ever made
and , in effect, destroy it.

[Erv Niehaus]

It should be against the law!

[Andy Sandoval]

AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRG! For a minute I thought there were goin to be some gory photos.

[Mark Roeder]

Shouldn't be any reason that would be necessary. One could easily sell it and buy a nice single neck pro.

[Chase Swan]

I agree... It just isn't meant to be. Wonder where you would put the controls anyway...


Anyone got any pictures? I'm curious.

[Ben Elder]

Not quite the same, but I have a D-8 Stringmaster that was cut down from a T-8. (The lowest neck--with the control plate and original jack--was the one removed.)

A top-mounted jack plate and slider switch were ultimately jury-rigged on the "old" middle neck, but the worst problem was that the front pickup on each remaining neck was missing--so, no blend function. The body was also unfortunately painted brown over the original blonde and the leg sockets were relocated--too upright for secure balance.

The seller had no idea how Stringmasters worked, but clearly stated "two pickups each neck." I firmly insisted on being reimbursed for two Seymour Duncan Antiquity neck pickups.

I also once had a Gibson Console Grande (originally 8/7) cut in half. Interesting in that the 7-string pickup was on the 8-string neck, so obviously the 7-string pickup was cannibalized--and the top neck amputated. Makes me want to believe in Hell so the perpetrator has a place to spend Eternity.



Stringmaster, Dual Pro--this kind of conversion should be cruelly and unusually punishable.

[Will Jaffe]

No, no ... I'm not splitting mine in half, ha ha , no worries. It was just a passing thought that I aired out.

They are a wonderful piece of tone. And history.

[Bud Angelotti]

A pal o'mine has a D8 Excell. He is a lefty so he just turned it around and put the strings on backwards. It's working fine.

[Erv Niehaus]

Don't blame me for this one.
All I did was take a bad situation and make it better.
I bought some Stringmaster parts off of e-bay a few years ago and in passing the seller mentioned that he had a a body he could through in with the parts if I wanted it. I said sure! And here is the result after I got through working it over. This picture was taken before I had it set back together.

[Joerg Schubert]

Hi,
a while ago I bought an early 50ties Fender stringmaster with 26" scale. It is a D8 but in former times it must have been a triple or a quad. It has only a rough finsh and the hole for the cabling on the front apron.
It is a wonderful guitar, I'm looking for a frontneck to make it a triple again. Any ideas?

Thanks
Joerg

[Al Szwarc]

Before you do a split, build a log and transfer the parts. I have a T-8 that has been chopped down to a D-8. I knew the guy and got him to part with most of the parts and was contemplating restoring the steel to a triple 8. But it is a pain and I'm sure to be avoided if at all possible. But I was thinking that I could find the time to do it sometime. Like several of the forumites, I'm sure you would do best to sell the double and buy the single you want. al