The Steel Guitar Forum

I finally got around to getting a few photos of Leon's 56 Stringmaster. It is, to my knowledge the only Fender guitar in Cimarron Red, truly one of my favorites in my collection.







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What are the tunings, Larry?
I see the front neck has a fat string at the bottom....
Let's hear it!

Jay

That certainly is a great item to own! Looks to be in fantastic condition.

The front neck is a bass tuning, A B C D E G B D, to be more specific, at least that's what I read somewhere.

It is a real treat to see these pictures and I am most grateful that you have shared them. Your guitar is a treasure, the symbolic essence of one of the best players ever.

Thank you.

James

That's cool....I see it looks to be a late model stringmaster, I wonder where the other earlier McAuliffe instruments are at.....his Bigsby must be somewhere........

Breathtaking. Plus, I have a soft spot for "birth year" guitars.

You look at the signs of wear on the guitar and know that from 1956 to the end, this guitar was used to express the unique style and traditions of Leon, of Bob Wills and all the others. Even in later film of the music, the voice is clear. I assume that these two clips, among many others, are the same instrument.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FfxsDGH ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZAnSgCr ... re=related

James[/url]

What a prize, Larry. That guitar is a C M Hall of Fame candidate.

It is certainly a special guitar indeed and i would have to agree that it is Hall of Fame quality. Watching those video's gave me chills.

Leon was a true master of his craft and a real gentleman along the way..

The same gentleman who has this Leon Rick double neck has Leon's Broadcaster, another of Leon's Stringmasters, his Hall of Fame wall plaque and a lot of other things Leon. I visited his collection last year. The Broadcaster is great. He also has Leon's ElectroHarp or milti-Chord or whatever those things are called -- see pedal rack with a broken pedal?
That is Mrs McAuliffe's tweed makeup or overnight case in the background. It is full of Leon's broken and spare parts.

Chris
Is that one of Leon's pre Fender guitars?
Has his Bigsby ever surfaced?

Two great videos posted by James. The Fender Stringmaster could well become ther "holy grail" of non pedal steel guitars, along with Don Helm's Gibson Grand Console double neck. Also, you saw Eldon Shamblin playing his Fender Strat that was the first one made and given to Eldon by Leo Fender. The original gold color has changed to green, due to oxidation and age, but can you imagine the stories that guitar could tell if it could talk.

Mel Tillis owns the Bigsby and is not interested in selling it.
The Rick is a pre Fender guitar. It has a lot of pickersr on the fretboards. It feels like the motors are absent from the bodies. They were probably never inside. Did they make those ricks for one year only?

That Bigsby would probably set a record for selling price

Chris:

I am wondering if you could describe the characteristics of the Bigsby. How many necks, etc. It would be interesting to know this and how the setup of this guitar compares with the other instruments played by this musician, especially the Fender Stringmasters. I am not well-read on his development as an artist and am wondering what he found in the Fender Quads that he did not have in the Bigsby.

James

James, Here is a picture I found on a CD

Larry, what a treasure! I was wondering a couple of things about the guitar. Is the Cimmaron Red finish original or was it refinished later? Also, the individual switches for the necks, was that the original configuration?

I remember when Eldon Shamblin decided to sell his Strat. Vintage Guitar Classics Magazine did an article about it at the time. His guitar was an early '54 and was quite possibly the first custom color guitars that Fender produced. Leo had it painted and presented to Eldon personally and I believe he played it for the rest of his career. I was wondering if the Quad was the same type of deal ie custom made and given to Leon personally by Leo Fender?

Have you ever taken it apart?

Great photo's of a historical guitar. I agree that it belongs in the CM Hall of Fame!

Bill

Leon was here in Enid just a few months before he passed away performing at Convention Hall and we had a nice visit that evening between performances with other artists in the show. I have a personally autographed 45 record of "faded Love" with a message to me mounted in a glass frame on the wall in my music room. I have a small clip from the news paper dated August 20, 1988, and he was 71 years of age at time of his passing. He was my inspiration and a genuine fine Gentleman. Jack

one word: breathtaking!
thanks for sharing...

Larry Shaeffer wrote:I finally got around to getting a few photos of Leon's 56 Stringmaster. It is, to my knowledge the only Fender guitar in Cimarron Red, truly one of my favorites in my collection.







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Some of my most cherished memories are of Leon on the radio and his TV show in the mid 50's. Also Johnny Lee Wills on the KVOO radio at noon. Guys like Larry and I who grew up in this area were truly blessed when it comes to Western Swing music.Leon sure made me want to play the steel.

I would be really curious to hear from those of you who have examined his instruments whether any of them have been modified in any way. It is easy enough to figure out roughly when he acquired and used the instruments. If there are modifications, are they unique to the instruments or were there any characteristics he seemed to add to serve his musical needs? If there are changes, do they reflect any changes in his music?

James Nottage

James

So when do you think Leon M acquired and when did he use the Rickenbacher double neck I posted a photo of above? It is a mystery to me. I am guessing that when that model of Rick was produced Leon M was not yet famous enough to have his name painted on the side.

In the collection I mention there are a number of other of Leon M's guitars, mostly Fenders, so we can assume the serial numbers will help date the acquisition and perhaps use.

The Cimarron Red you see is in fact the original finish. It's (tom my knowledge) the only Fender in factory Cimarron Red. I bet it looked great on Bill Carson's Strat as well!

As for Eldon's Stratocaster, matter of fact i bought it from Eldon. I don't have that guitar now. It went from me, to Larry Briggs, to it's current owner.

After Leon formed his own Band, did he ever use a Steel Player besides himself ? I was listening to his recording of "Take It Away Leon" and he played some rides and chords I had not heard before. It was some great playing !