The Steel Guitar Forum

I just bougbt a Guyatone Stringmaster on eBay for about $540. I think I got a good deal. I've had good reports about his instrument. Any comments ?
Auction on eBay.

I've played this model... to me it's a good sounding instrument. I am judging from a 1950s Hawai'i Calls standpoint. It would however be nice to have a pickup blend control rather than just a switch on that first neck. The neck pickup is so far away from the bridge, when you flip it on, the tone is just mud.

Alan, that guitar looks like it's in pretty good shape and I think you got an excellent deal on it.

$540 is a pretty good deal, although the shipping makes it more like $840. Still not bad at all.
Guyatones were pretty well made. I have a 6 string lap steel with a blend control - and it plays and sounds fairly decent.
A Stringmaster D-8 would cost about 3 times as much.

GUYATONES were noted for having rocker switches which were the pits. This one appears to be a newer model....looks to be a good deal.

My opinion probably doesn't mean much as I have never had the pleasure of playing a Stringmaster. I have the single neck, 6-string version of the instrument you purchased. It's an HG- something or other. I bought mine for $275 and feel like it was a bargain. My second pickup is about the same distance as the one the gentleman described as "mud". That's the pickup I use most, sounds great to me. I wouldn't describe it as "muddy" at all.

I've thought about replacing the electronic switching with a blend knob. Is this a difficult job?

Also, does anyone know where I can get this style of volume and tone knob?

I have a six string Guyatone with legs. It works and sounds similar to a Fender. I think you've got a great guitar for the money spent.

Rick Alexander wrote:$540 is a pretty good deal, although the shipping makes it more like $840.

Yes, but although I live in the San Francisco area I'm originally from England, and I go back there frequently. The seller has agreed to deliver it to the Birmingham area on his way to visit his mother, as he'll be passing through that way. I shall have him drop it off at a friend's house, and then next time I go over I'll bring it back as checked luggage.

Basil: This is the Guyatone I was talking about.
Auction on eBay.

How steady is that double neck with the legs having no slant?

Ron

I don't know. We'll see. Dimensionally it's the same as the original Stringmaster. If you think about it, geometrically, three legs are more stable than four. You can draw a plane through any three points, but not any four points.

GUYATONE FENDER STRINGMASTER STEEL GUITAR, hmmmm
I wonder if it can be compared to a
CHRYSLER CHEVROLET MUSTANG?

Alan, I have D8 Guyatone identical to the one you just bought. I play it through a Fender Princeton Reverb amp. It has a beautiful tone once you learn how to set those buttons and switches and set everything up. Mine is a honey blonde colour. I got the steel, the amp, case and volume pedal all for $50.00.

Mine has four legs by the way.

Sadly, when I first posted a picture of it on the forum I got several post replies and e-mails commenting on its Japanese origin and that it was a piece of crap. DON'T BUY THAT CONCEPT FROM ANYONE. I am guessing that the comments came from those who have never played the Guyatone or even heard one being played.

Also, I have been told a couple of times that Guyatone (sometimes called Guya) steel guitars were born when Fender opened a manufacturing plant in Japan in the late fifties or early sixties. No one can seem to confirm that one way or the other as truth.

I have a friend who plays a pedal steel and he has been trying for two years to get me to sell my Guyatone to him. I also get twice as many gigs that he gets.

Steel, amp, case and volume pedal for $50. Wow, Les, you really got a deal.

I'm looking forward to playing the Guyatone. A lot of people have big investments in Stringmasters, so they wouldn't want to let themselves think that a Japanese copy could be worthwhile. To me, it's like the difference between American and Korean Fenders. The American versions are probably better, but not so much that they deserve to cost four times as much.

I've had very good reports of this model.

It'll be a while before I get my hands on it. The seller is dropping it off at Basil Henriques' house next month, and I shall be bringing it home as checked luggage next time I go over to England.

It will be in good company, I've just been instructed to try and sell the late Keith Worley's Twin 8 Guyatone.

basilh wrote:It will be in good company, I've just been instructed to try and sell the late Keith Worley's Twin 8 Guyatone.

Basil, do you know what kind of P/Us his steel has? Are they the originals? From what I have been told, because of all the variations in tone control that can be realized with the Guyatone's tone control switches, it is difficult to find other P/Us that will work with it.

I'm just curious, what kind of special tone controls do they have? From my understanding its 3 slider switches to turn each pickup on or off and a master volume knob and a master tone knob control. Any tone differences other than the tone knob are due to the individual pick ups that are switched on/off. The original pickups might have specific sound characteristics, but those switches aren't designed to do anything special to the tone. But feel free to correct me if I'm wrong... (It's been known to happen occasionally)

David

From the pictures and comments I think you got a good deal on a nice looking steel !! Good luck and enjoy !! Eddie "C" ( the old geezer )

basilh wrote:It will be in good company, I've just been instructed to try and sell the late Keith Worley's Twin 8 Guyatone.

You're too much of a gentleman, Basil, but you missed a great opportunity for the joke of a lifetime, with my Guyatone being delivered to your place and you advertising one for sale !

I had one of those, they sound ok but are poorly made.the pickups move around,those rocker switches move around, the intonation was off and the bridge had to be moved, the tuners were hard to turn.I fixed it all. Im glad I sold it on ebay 8 months ago for 200 bucks!

Marty