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Topic: Stringmaster on eBay, what year? |
James Mayer
From:
back in Portland Oregon, USA (via Arkansas and London, UK)
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Posted 18 May 2007 6:51 am |
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Auction on eBay.
How do you tell what year model it is?
Aren't the 50's Stringmasters reputed as sounding better than the 60's versions? I believe I read that somewhere. |
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Gary Lynch
From:
Creston, California, USA
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Posted 18 May 2007 8:19 am
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"Aren't the 50's Stringmasters reputed as sounding better than the 60's versions? I believe I read that somewhere."
If that were true, Cindy Cashdollar would not sometimes be playing on a circa 70's Fender T-8. A lot of what people perceive is just personal taste. There are a number of people who do not like the Stringmaster sound at all. Many Hawaiian players use lap steels and like the vintage sound of Rickenbackers much more than a Stringmasters tone. Also, pickup condition, tone cap, set up, and the players ability to use the instrument to achieve tone makes a huge difference.
Buy and play what sounds good to your ear. Do not follow trends and later find out it's as much a mind and social game as it is anything else.......
Last edited by Gary Lynch on 18 May 2007 8:30 am; edited 1 time in total |
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James Mayer
From:
back in Portland Oregon, USA (via Arkansas and London, UK)
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Posted 18 May 2007 8:22 am
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| Well, I know I like the Stringmaster sounds from the recordings I've heard. Problem is, the only way to go about acquiring one seems to be on eBay. Can't try it before I buy it. Frustrating. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Cartwright Thompson
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Posted 18 May 2007 10:54 am
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I'd say '66-'67ish. I've owned lots of Stringmasters and can honestly say that they all sounded great. My all time favorite vintage, soundwise, is mid sixties. The pickups just seem fatter in those years. Cosmetically speaking, I like the thinner finishes and white-blonde color of the fifties.
At this point if you want a Stringmaster I say "Get 'em while you can". They are getting up there $$$. |
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Gary Lynch
From:
Creston, California, USA
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Posted 18 May 2007 11:30 am
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I have a Deluxe 8, circa early 70's that went back to those thin finishes where the grain is visible. It should really mellow out in another 25 years. This one has hardly ever been out of the case in it's life.
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Rick Alexander
From:
Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 19 May 2007 4:08 am
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They all sound great, but there is a difference in sound between the 50s and the 60s Stringmasters - due to the wood used.
In the 50s Fender used swamp ash and in the 60s they switched to a different kind of ash.
When I A-B'd 50s and 60's models, there was a noticeable fullness of tone in the 50s guitars that was not present in the 60s guitars.
That is not to say 60s Stringmasters don't sound "as good" - I've never played a Stringmaster I didn't love.
But if you had the amp set for the tone you liked with a 50s Stringmaster and wanted the very same tonality with a 60s Stringmaster, you might have to do a bit of tweaking.
l2r - 60 T-8, 3rd neck from a 50s Quad, 63 D-8, 60 D-8, 56 T-8, 57 T-8
53 Quad
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| How do you tell what year model it is? |
Tweed case = 53 - 56
Brown case = 57 - 62
Black case = 63 -
Also, the month and year are usually written in marker under the front tuner pan. |
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