Fender Steel Guitar 1955?

[Lenora Powell]

I want to know if this is truly a 1955 fender and what its value might be. I believe everything is original to the best of my knowledge, it works fine, it has been in my family since early 1980's. There is a #5805 on it. It has a few dings in the finish.

Thanks

[Benjamin Kelley]

Take the tuning pan off and there may be a date penciled in underneath. In any event I estimate it's value between $800 and $1100 based on what I have seen lately being in the market for a deluxe 8 myself. Oh and the case suggests it's from the 60's.

Cheers,
Benjamin

[Doug Beaumier]

The black Case indicates post-1963. It looks like sometime in the 1960s. The 1950s Fenders had tweed covered cases. It's a Fender Deluxe-8, sometimes refered to (incorrectly) as a single neck Stringmaster. The exact year has little effect on the value. These have gone up in value in the last couple of years. I'd say it's worth somewhere around $900, or slightly more, depending on condition. Minor scratches in the finish are normal for these guitars. If you sell it, be sure to play it through an amp first to test the electronics (the pickups and controls) and check the tuners to make sure they all turn freely.

[Doug Beaumier]

Take the tuning pan off and there may be a date penciled in underneath.

Fender stopped doing the pencil dates by the late 1950s. This is a 1960s guitar. The only way to estimate the date is by checking the pot codes, which will tell us when the electronics were made... or by comparing the serial number to other Deluxe-8s to get an approximate date of manufacture. Or by the color of the case lining and the style of the Logo on the case. IMO the exact date is not important as far as value. All years of these guitars are worth about the same.

[Stephen Cowell]

My Deluxe 8 has a date of 10-2-69 on one pickup bottom and a serial number of 2845. It has a black case with poly finish and grey pickup fiberboards. The pots date to 1966. Pretty filthy inside, as the picture shows.




The volume pot has '6642' as a date, 42nd week of 1966. The '032367' is a part number and the CTS vendor ID '137' is partially obscured by solder. There will always be copious amounts of rosin on a factory Fender solder job of this period. As usual, the pots only set a 'no earlier than' date for the guitar... with the poly finish and chrome logo on case I'd tend to believe the '69 date.

[Doug Beaumier]

Stephan, It's interesting to hear that your '69 has '66 pots. My '68 Telecaster has '66 pots too. It seems that Fender bought a Huge supply of pots in 1966 and used them over several years.

[Stephen Cowell]

Stephan, It's interesting to hear that your '69 has '66 pots. My '68 Telecaster has '66 pots too. It seems that Fender bought a Huge supply of pots in 1966 and used them over several years.

Doug, that would make sense as a CBS economy move... economy of scale. They must have bought several year's worth!

[Eric Dunst]

you can use this site (http://home.provide.net/~cfh/fender.html#cases) to date the case, look for logo style and other small differences. but it looks like the tuners on your steel are the later "F" tuners that fender used in the '70's; but it's kind of hard to tell from that photo.

[Doug Beaumier]

Yes, they do look like Fender "F" tuners... they started using those in 1968.

[Stephen Cowell]

My '69 has straight Klusons, FWIW.

[Nate Hofer]

Take the tuning pan off and there may be a date penciled in underneath. In any event I estimate it's value between $800 and $1100 based on what I have seen lately being in the market for a deluxe 8 myself. Oh and the case suggests it's from the 60's.

Cheers,
Benjamin

Benjamin, that estimate sounds high to me. Are you talking about completed sales or perhaps just price tags? Or maybe I just don't want to believe I'll never own a single neck Fender 8 due to recent prices.

nate

[Doug Beaumier]

There were at least three sold on this forum in the past year for approx. $900. One sold for $999, and another sold for $950.

[Stephen Cowell]

I paid about $1500 for my Deluxe 8, a blackface Champ, the Jerry Byrd Steel Guitar Course SN 012, three bars, a metronome, a pitch pipe, and a tuner. Two of the bars I paid an extra $100 for (the red and black ones)... I also drove 200miles and stayed a night in a hotel to get it. I bought it from an old gentleman that was a great Jerry Byrd fan but had never learned to play. To Al and Beatrice, of Kerrville, TX... thank you.

[Dave Mudgett]

Stephan, It's interesting to hear that your '69 has '66 pots. My '68 Telecaster has '66 pots too. It seems that Fender bought a Huge supply of pots in 1966 and used them over several years.

It is well documented that CBS-Fender's supply of '66 pots lasted several years. Even some guitars into the early 70s had them. Every original late-60s and very early 70s Fender I have ever owned had them, and I've had a few.

Nice looking Deluxe 8. The finish coloring fairly resembles that on my '68 Esquire, the late 60s blond finishes did have a particular look to them. If it is indeed all-original (and I think it's worth looking at the electronics to see the date codes on the potentiometers and verify that nothing's been rewired), the Vintage Guitar Price Guide lists a 1950-1969 blond example in excellent original condition around $950-1100. Not that they are infallible, but I have noticed the same type of selling prices Doug did.

[Doug Beaumier]

...CBS-Fender's supply of '66 pots lasted several years. Even some guitars into the early 70s had them.

Yes, I was discussing this with a friend yesterday and he told me that his 1972 Tele has '66 pots. That's amazing considering that Fender probably used those pots in Strats, Teles, and other guitars, and all of the steel guitars. They must have bought thousands of them.

[Nate Hofer]

There were at least three sold on this forum in the past year for approx. $900. One sold for $999, and another sold for $950.

Well, okay then! (Dang.)