The Steel Guitar Forum

A little bird (who is involved with Fender) told me yesterday that they are working on expanding their lap steel line with a Single Eight and Maybe a Double Eight, as well as improving the pickup on the Single Six that many players have found to be too thin sounding...
Cool!

Super cool!That p'up on the currently produced Fender is actually a standard Strat model isn't it?
Malcolm

It'd be great to see them make the Stringmaster again...

Uh OH

This was a top secret topic until that little bird chirped tweet tweet true. Shhhhhh

I think that "birdie" should highly suggest to Fender that they seek a CONTRACT with Jason Lollar to help them make sure they get their new Steels' pickups right. Fender might THINK they know all the nuances to do it themself, but I think they have proved otherwise. If Fender could advertise experts such as Jason and Jody "on staff", I think it would do their Steel efforts a world of good PR. How big, nice and impressive a PR pamphlet they could fill with professional Steelers' endorsements of folks like Jason and Jody!?

Aloha,
DT~
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Denny Turner on 29 August 2005 at 09:33 PM.]</p></FONT>

I was very surprised when Fender went to Ted Weber and asked him to design the speaker for their tweed twin reissue. That was a very, very smart move.
-andy-

Jody being a Fender sales rep and an endorser as well as taking part with Noel Boggs and Leon
Mc Auliife in design of Fender Steel guitars qualifies Jody as an advisor.

If Jody was able to work with the Artists as a laison man at CBS,he shouild be considered first choice as spokesman for this Forum on Steel Guitars. Add Jason Lollar and Fender has a winning team of Jody and Jason. Fender are you seeing this?

Yessir; I think an SGF / Fender Liason Rep would be excellent for Fender; And I know no better person than Jody to be "It". :~)

Aloha,
DT~

You bet Jody Carver would be the best liason guy for this Forum for his alma mater. My vote is for Jody.

Aloha

Jody, when you get this job, bring back the trapezoidal pickup.

Rick

Hi Rick
If I do, you can be darned sure I will ask for those "traps"

I hope they are planning to build these 8 strings in the USA. The Korean and Chinese built Fenders may be a good value for the money, but they never compare well with their American models. I would rather pay the extra money for a pro grade instrument. The sound and feel of Fender US built guitars has always been better.

Mitch

You Got That right. USA ONLY.

As you are aware Fender has a custom shop as well where a limited amount of steels can be produced custom, expensive,? more than likely
but they can do it.

My first thought when I heard about a new Fender was to hold off buying a new steel until I can check it out, but the more I thought about it, I came up with this scenario. If the little bird said that they are working on it, then they are probably planning to announce it and show a prototype or two at the NAMM show in January, where they will take orders from dealers. The steels will probably not ship until sometime in June. Will it be worth the wait? Is it too late for Jody to have any influence on its design? What do you think?

If Fender does reissue Stringmasters or Dual Pros & Customs, I sure hope they are made in the USA. Nothing against our Chinese brothers and sisters who made the new Fender FS52 Lap Steel, I just think foreign made Stringmasters would be taking outsourceing too far.

Speaking of the much heralded FS52, I ordered one from GC Pro last February when Sam Marshall made the big announcement. Six months later, they tell me it's on the way. The slow boat from China must be one of those old-time Chinese Junks. So if you order a new Fender Steel, you don't want to hold your breath till it arrives.
And don't expect it to be made of swamp ash.

I love Fender guitars and amps - I have quite a few of them. Except for my FSKs, all my Fender gear was made at least 30 years ago.
And my Stringmaster T8 was made almost 50 years ago, when Leo Fender still ran the company and Jody Carver was their endorser and top sales rep.

If you want a Stringmaster, your best bet would be to try and find a 50s model for sale. They're getting scarcer, but they're still around.
In fact, I know someone who has a 50s D8 for sale . .


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Rick Alexander
57 Stringmaster T8, Supro Supreme.
Guild X500, Strats & Teles, Taylor 710CE, Fender P Bass.
Music Man, Fender & Peavey Amps