I just acquired this and would like to learn about it's age...
After removing the pans, the only marking I can read is a large '5' in the outside neck cavity... tuners look to me like old Klusons but are marked 'Deluxe'
Wood screw holes are not painted and the there is definite fading of the color compared to that under the pans...also noticed that the pan cavitys are sloppy paint looking ... looks like drips...
This the only Stringmaster I've owned -- how are the knobs used under the bridge covers?
Beautiful Guitar -- 1959 - 1961 based on tuner pan and case.
Knobs under bridge covers are blend pots and they, blend/balance between pickups to dial in the sound you want
1965 Blonde Fender Deluxe 8, Rogue Jersey Lightning, Roland Cube, Polytone Mini/Teeny Brute
It is indeed a beautiful guitar... strictly speaking, the blend pot shorts out the neck pickup, leaving only the bridge pickup active... so your options are either both pickups, some neck with bridge, or only bridge pickup. You don't get to blend out the bridge at all.
The pickups are RWRP (reverse-wound reverse-polarity) so both together equals a humbucker... you should be able to hear the quiet signal change as you blend out the neck pickup. You get an extreme tone change from single-coil bridge to humbucking both... I've wondered how it would sound with just the neck, perhaps some day I'll do the experiment!
I purchased a fender D8 identical to your guitar in 1970. Not sure when manufacturing of that model stopped. The paint runs that you see sugests the guitar has been repainted. It looks a very nice instrument
