Greetings All ! INFO UPDATED on Jan 31 so scroll all the way down to see the latest. Thx! 1952 based on the pot date, pickups and the scale length 22 1/2". Nothing under the tuner pans. Serial # 9293 on the jack plate which is a little later than one listed on here sometime back as a '51 with Ser# 92xx. FWIW. Corrections Welcome!
Please scroll down to see some info from a repairman who worked on this guitar back in 2004. The repairs and wiring mods are described there The tuners and switches work as expected, pots are great and not scratchy. One tuner stem is bent. Finish has some expected wear but overall this guitar appears to have been well cared for. Sounds Fantastic! Non-original custom-made case.
Will ship at buyer's expense, but local pick-up or delivery by me within reasonable distance from Buffalo is preferred and free.
NEW PRICE $1150 OBO Questions welcome and will be answered here. PM or I can be reached at 716-704-5621
picture added 1/31 - note the dent just to the right of the logo.
Last edited by Donald Vincent on 31 Jan 2020 6:45 am, edited 8 times in total.
Can you post some pictures of the pickups that show what the space the strings run through looks like? The wax paper bobbins tend to deteriorate and that space for the strings to go through shrinks/collapses. It also can affect the performance of the pickups.
The problem with the trap pick-ups, especially on the older ones is, to quote Rick Aiello, "... Is bobbin failure. They are waxed paper bobbins ... That will implode if not structurally sound."
Have you tested the output on those babies? Are all three of them relatively even, volume wise?
Thanks!
Remington Steelmaster S8 w/ custom Steeltronics pickup. Vox MV-50 amplifier + an 1940's Oahu cab w/ 8" American Vintage speaker. J. Mascis Fender Squire Jazzmaster, Hofner Club bass, Ibanez AVN4-VMS Artwood Vintage Series Concert Size Acoustic Guitar. 1920s/30s Supertone Hawaiian-themed parlor guitar. Silvertone parlor guitar.
The early Fender non-pedal steels with boxcar, then trap pickups only came in the 22.5â€. The Stringmasters that succeeded the Dual Pros and Customs came in 3 different scale lengths: 22.5â€,, 24.5â€, and the bomber, 26â€. Interestingly, the single neck models were called Fender Customs and only came in the 22.5†scale.
Remington Steelmaster S8 w/ custom Steeltronics pickup. Vox MV-50 amplifier + an 1940's Oahu cab w/ 8" American Vintage speaker. J. Mascis Fender Squire Jazzmaster, Hofner Club bass, Ibanez AVN4-VMS Artwood Vintage Series Concert Size Acoustic Guitar. 1920s/30s Supertone Hawaiian-themed parlor guitar. Silvertone parlor guitar.
I figured you did, Erv (as I recall, you’ve had a few Stringmasters!😊 ). Just thought I’d be thorough... you know, for the historical record 🤣).
Remington Steelmaster S8 w/ custom Steeltronics pickup. Vox MV-50 amplifier + an 1940's Oahu cab w/ 8" American Vintage speaker. J. Mascis Fender Squire Jazzmaster, Hofner Club bass, Ibanez AVN4-VMS Artwood Vintage Series Concert Size Acoustic Guitar. 1920s/30s Supertone Hawaiian-themed parlor guitar. Silvertone parlor guitar.
I figured you did, Erv (as I recall, you’ve had a few Stringmasters!😊 ). Just thought I’d be thorough... you know, for the historical record 🤣.
Remington Steelmaster S8 w/ custom Steeltronics pickup. Vox MV-50 amplifier + an 1940's Oahu cab w/ 8" American Vintage speaker. J. Mascis Fender Squire Jazzmaster, Hofner Club bass, Ibanez AVN4-VMS Artwood Vintage Series Concert Size Acoustic Guitar. 1920s/30s Supertone Hawaiian-themed parlor guitar. Silvertone parlor guitar.
Mark Helm wrote:Can you post some pictures of the pickups that show what the space the strings run through looks like? The wax paper bobbins tend to deteriorate and that space for the strings to go through shrinks/collapses. It also can affect the performance of the pickups.
The problem with the trap pick-ups, especially on the older ones is, to quote Rick Aiello, "... Is bobbin failure. They are waxed paper bobbins ... That will implode if not structurally sound."
Have you tested the output on those babies? Are all three of them relatively even, volume wise?
Thanks!
Hi Mark - I did not put a meter on them, but when I tested out the switches and such, they seemed to be consistent. Here's some addl pics.
Don
Looks like the highest string is actually touching the waxpaper bobbin. Am I correct there? Can you see it? Maybe just clarity that with another pic, sorry. Thanks.
Remington Steelmaster S8 w/ custom Steeltronics pickup. Vox MV-50 amplifier + an 1940's Oahu cab w/ 8" American Vintage speaker. J. Mascis Fender Squire Jazzmaster, Hofner Club bass, Ibanez AVN4-VMS Artwood Vintage Series Concert Size Acoustic Guitar. 1920s/30s Supertone Hawaiian-themed parlor guitar. Silvertone parlor guitar.
Mark Helm wrote:Can you post some pictures of the pickups that show what the space the strings run through looks like? The wax paper bobbins tend to deteriorate and that space for the strings to go through shrinks/collapses. It also can affect the performance of the pickups.
The problem with the trap pick-ups, especially on the older ones is, to quote Rick Aiello, "... Is bobbin failure. They are waxed paper bobbins ... That will implode if not structurally sound."
Have you tested the output on those babies? Are all three of them relatively even, volume wise?
Thanks!
Pickup readings:
Front 13.91
Middle 14.37
Back 13.48
Here's a picture of the back of the back neck pickup. This looks non-original to me so perhaps the pickups were re-worked at some point.
These have almost certainly been worked on--which is usually good! I've seen VERY few of these that didn't need serious servicing, usually a pickup re-wind because of the bobbin collapse. Hard to tell from the pics, but it looks like at least one of these was rewound--I can only see the old wax paper bobbin visible in one of the pick-up pics (the one I asked about the string just touching the wax paper?). Like I said--hard to tell from the pics.
Remington Steelmaster S8 w/ custom Steeltronics pickup. Vox MV-50 amplifier + an 1940's Oahu cab w/ 8" American Vintage speaker. J. Mascis Fender Squire Jazzmaster, Hofner Club bass, Ibanez AVN4-VMS Artwood Vintage Series Concert Size Acoustic Guitar. 1920s/30s Supertone Hawaiian-themed parlor guitar. Silvertone parlor guitar.
Here are a couple more shots of that front pickup you mentioned. It looks like in the first set of pics, the strings weren't up to tension and the picture isn't great. After further review, I can assure you that the strings are all clear and I don't see anything interfering under any of the strings. Hopefully these are a little clearer.
I know that guitar. It belonged to a player from Buffalo who lived in Tampa a few years before he passed.
I worked on it in 2004 making a change in the wiring and
having the center pickup rewound. Send me a PM and I will e mail you the data and wiring diagrams both the original and the modification plus the reasons. You can also call me and
I'll be glad to discuss it with you.
I know that guitar. It belonged to a player from Buffalo who lived in Tampa a few years before he passed.
I worked on it in 2004 making a change in the wiring and
having the center pickup rewound. Send me a PM and I will e mail you the data and wiring diagrams both the original and the modification plus the reasons. You can also call me and
I'll be glad to discuss it with you.
I spoke with Blake Hawkins a couple of times over the weekend. He is a forum member and he knew and played with this guitar's previous owner, Jim Beckett, and had done some work on it in 2004. Here's the highlights...
He reworked some grounding and also modified the original factory wiring to improve the tone response when the vol knob is turned down. This "feature" is present on all the early Customs that he has worked on. His diagrams of the original wiring and the modification (pretty simple...move one wire) will be included. He also replaced the .05 Tone cap with a modern equivalent, since the orig had started to go.
At some later date, the middle pickup failed. Blake removed it and had it rewound by Jerry Wallace, also a member on here. Blake recalled that it measured 12K when rewound, while the top & bottom were OK at around 11K. My measurements above were via a guitar cable with PU's in the guitar which would account for my measurements being a bit higher.
