The Steel Guitar Forum

Hey Gang,

Need a little help from the experts.

I have always thought my D8 Stringmaster was a '56 based on the pencil mark under the tuning pan which says 11/56. I've never gone in and checked the date on the pots.

My stingmaster has the pickup switch instead of the buttons. Someone told me that they didn't start using those switches until after '59.

Is this true?

Obviously not, if you have one on your 1956 Stringmaster.

Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars (which is what I use for most of my information) doesn't go into details such as this. I'd believe my eyes rather than one someone told you.

I'm looking at a pic of a Rick Alexander T-8 HERE that he identifies as a '56 and it's got the Tele type switch.

The "someone" said he found this information about the swtches on this website:

http://home.insight.rr.com/steelgtr/stringmaster.html

I'm looking at a picture of the penciled in date under my tuing pan and I don't see how it could be anything but 11/56. Under the other tuning pan it says RR.

So I'm not sure what to believe.

It was sometime in '56 that the switch to switches from buttons occured. I owned 2 '56s, one had a 3-way switch and one had the 2 push buttons. Both were D8s in blonde, the 22.5" (6-56 #01245) had the buttons and the 24.5" (11-56 #02465) had the 3-way.

A cost factor may be why the switches were changed. Guitar builders are like any other business...to make money. I've worked on the button system, and I prefer the switch, which is available, the Tele type, which was likely a less expensive way to go. My '54 dual-pro has the switch, but it's the only one I have worked on.

You could check the volume pots also ...If it's a 56, and the pots are original, they should date 56 or earlier ...I'm not sure what pots were used, but I'm sure someone on the forum knows, and also knows how to date them ...Jim

I found this quote in Richard Smith's book, "Fender, The Sound Heard 'Round The World," page 120.
"The first Stringmasters used slider switches to activate the individual necks. Jody Carver complained in a 1954 letter to (Don) Randall the the sliders made noise. The solution was a lever switch, but the one Fender used had only 3 positions. In 1955 lever switches found their way into these 2 & 3 neck guitars, yet the 4 neck Stringmasters still had 4 push-button switches to turn the individual necks on and off."

Hey John thanks for looking that up!

My 55' T-8 has the slider type switches.

Steve,

I would go with whatever is pencilled into the tuning pan cavities to date your guitar. My T8 has identical dates in each opening, and were apparently shellacqued over when the finish was applied. Also, when I removed the pots, there was a piece of masking tape in there with a date and someone's name pencilled on it.

John Lang