Any modern luthiers making a Stringmaster replica ?

Mitch Crane · Post by **Mitch Crane** » 18 Jan 2011 7:00 pm

Any modern replicas of the Fender Stringmaster or Deluxe 6/8 ? Just curious if anyone has attempted it or not ?

Neil Cameron · Post by **Neil Cameron** » 18 Jan 2011 7:22 pm

http://www.tradewindsteelguitars.com/products.htm

Tradewind Steel Guitars may have what you are looking for, forum search reveals this thread in 2009.

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... =tradewind

Hope these links help, I recall these are the guitars which have been mentioned before in answer to similar questions.

Geoff Cline · Post by **Geoff Cline** » 19 Jan 2011 7:33 am

Mitch:

You should definitely check out John Allison's steel guitars:

http://www.allisonguitars.com/pages/steel_guitars.html

John, who posts here regularly, is a fine luthier and plays around the Austin area with his swing group. A working steeler who builds a great instrument...can't do much better than that.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 19 Jan 2011 9:46 am

Ricky Davis was building a guitar a while back that resembled a Stringmaster.

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 19 Jan 2011 10:45 am

I think Ricky just built the one that I know of. The "Tradewinds" and "Canopus" are about the closest to a Stringmaster that I've seen.

Here's the Tradewinds guitar.

and here's the Canopus guitar.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 19 Jan 2011 11:11 am

That Tradewind D-8 is a very close copy of a 1960s Guyatone (which was a Japanese copy of a Stringmaster)... the bridge plate, the tuners, the fretboard. At first I though I was looking at my old Guyatone!

John Allison · Post by **John Allison** » 19 Jan 2011 11:24 am

Thanks for the mention, Geoff...
My steels aren't copies or repros of anything, but I've tried to incorporate as much of the basic playability and sound of the old Stringmasters as possible with a different (and I hope unique and interesting) design aesthetic.

Geoff Cline · Post by **Geoff Cline** » 19 Jan 2011 12:23 pm

John Allison wrote:Thanks for the mention, Geoff...
My steels aren't copies or repros of anything, but I've tried to incorporate as much of the basic playability and sound of the old Stringmasters as possible with a different (and I hope unique and interesting) design aesthetic.

Yep! We don't need no repros...

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 19 Jan 2011 12:47 pm

I'm a big fan of John Allison's steels also. They have a real Stringmaster quality to them while being there own instrument.

Gene Warner · Post by **Gene Warner** » 20 Jan 2011 11:34 pm

I found when shopping for a steel recently, that all the decent modern steels that would be comparable, like the Remingtons, George Boards etc., cost more than a real vintage steel. I purchased a real clean double 8, "56 Stringmaster for a little over a grand, and I love it. It's the real deal, and I'm one guy that definitely lives in the past!
Gene Warner
repairman

Ben Sims · Post by **Ben Sims** » 21 Jan 2011 8:00 am

The Lap King Bel Aire doesn't look like a Stringmaster, but it is available with the same pickup configuration, with 6 or 8 strings.

Jay Jessup · Post by **Jay Jessup** » 21 Jan 2011 9:32 am

Gene Warner wrote:all the decent modern steels that would be comparable, like the Remingtons, George Boards etc., cost more than a real vintage steel.

That is my thought exactly, how much do clean old stringmasters and deluxes go for these days anyway?

Gene Warner · Post by **Gene Warner** » 21 Jan 2011 10:04 am

Depending on whether or not you want a top condition specimen, or might be willing to buy a fixer-upper, if you're patient, you will find them from $700.00 up to about $1300.00. Ebay almost always has one to three up for auction. Sometimes they are asking too much, and don't get a bid at all.

Don't forget the old Nationals, as they weren't bad instruments either. Before buying, do your homework about scale lengths. The longer necked instruments had more sustain, while the shorter scale examples made bar slants easier. It's all about personal tastes.
Gene Warner
repairman

Mike Harris · Post by **Mike Harris** » 21 Jan 2011 7:03 pm

You may also want to compare the price of a used, rather than new, modern instrument, to an older one. At the same time, figure the probability of repairs on a vintage Deluxe, Stringmaster, etc. to a newer one. Finding original or appropriate substitute parts for a vintage instrument can take time and money. The forum has plenty of such threads.
On the other hand, I recently purchased an S8 Remington, with legs, on this forum for a good bit less than I think I would have had to pay for a Deluxe and I hope to be repair-free for a long, long time. Only time will tell about that last part.

Jim Konrad · Post by **Jim Konrad** » 22 Jan 2011 10:11 am

IMO Those Allisons look like instant classics.

John Allison · Post by **John Allison** » 22 Jan 2011 5:38 pm

Jim Konrad wrote:IMO Those Allisons look like instant classics.

Jim, I just want to say that that may be one of the best things anyone has said about my work. With all my instruments, I try to pay tribute to classic design aesthetics and still come up with something that has a fresh look.
I really do appreciate your comment!