The Steel Guitar Forum

Is this a Fender 400?? Serial # is 00252
Any guess what this might be worth?? Pickup needs to be repaired or replaced. Thanks,Fred

It Looks nothing like the 400 I had.
mine was Sunburst top and neck with a black alluminum frame all around,the changer had a chrome plated cover over it,
had 4 pedals(alluminum) like the 800 and 2000's.

These pedals are like the 1000's.(stamped)

Not saying this is not a 400. just not like the one I had when the 400's first came out.
Opinion's, huh.

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66 Emmons D-10 bolt-on

I had a 6 pedal Fender 400 PSG. Mine had the shinny aluminum frame just like the one in the picture. But the wood was light ash in color. Also, NO knee levers. (Fender never offered knee levers on these and subsequent models).

After study, it appears this WAS a Fender 400 with 6 pedals. But it appears someone has painted the wood a dark color, possibly black (I can't tell in the photo). Also added some knee levers and what appears to be a different changer. It is difficult to tell.

Incidently, the first 400's and 1000's were all light ash in color with the polished aluminum frame and stamped metal pedals like in the pic. Later, Fender changed the 40's and 1000's to the sunburst color with black painted aluminum frame and cast pedals. They did this when they introduced the 800's and 2000's.

So, based on the above I fo feel this was indeed an early Fender 400 with 6 pedals that someone did a lot of work on. The 400's and 1000's were string breakers. Fender solved this on the 800's and 2000's. Maybe that is why this changer was changed out. If so, it IS indeed an improvement.

Hope this helps,

carl

Someone once told me that a 6 pedal 400 was a special order and was known as a Fender 600. The wraparound almag frame has been stripped and polished and the wood body insert repainted.The Fender logo is off a Fender amp or Fender guitar case but it looks kinda cool on there. The knee levers and roller bridge are add-ons. It could be a real playable guitar. I don't guess I'd give more than 3 or 4 bills for it.

Carl
You are correct. That is, what you described.
I dont recall having string breakage after we (Fender) went to the roller nut conversion
kit. Prior to that modification there was some breakage on the high strings,some players were raising strings higher than the guitar would allow.

Michael
There was never a 600 guitar,the 400 had optional pedals up to 10 pedals and the retail price was $50.00 per pedal extra for any pedals over the four that the 400 came standard with. Ditto on the 1000,it came with 8 pedals and we sold many with additional pedals up to 10. I never saw knee levers on any Fender pedal guitar of that model.

The modification kits solved all the early problems and that almag frame that Leo designed was like a submarine hatch.No cabinet drop on that guitar.

Yes it looks cool with the Amp logo.Nice color as well,always liked Black.

Yes, you have an early 400 there. From the photos, it looks like someone kept the old changer, and added a roller bridge. They replaced the wood pedalboard with one made from aluminum (still has the pre-'64 stamped steel pedals, though). They also added a couple knee levers (from the looks of it), an amplifier nameplate, and removed the paint from the frame (a lotta people did--it chipped like crazy), and painted the wood black. Fender did offer an all-black guitar, but that was in the mid-'60s, and it had the cast pedals and the new cam-type changer.

Having been severely modified, the guitar has no "collector" value, but as a "player", it's easily worth $250 (but please...get rid of them white leg tips! )

And yes, Jody is right, there never was a "600". (And he ought'a know! )

Thats a 1958 Fender 400, or at least part of it is. I have a '58 400 that is serial number 00277. Its all original except for the tone pot that I replaced. They came with four pedals and you could get two more added(for a price/plus shipping) if you sent it back to Fender. The tweed case was used until 1960 when they started using brown tolex and the wide pickup was used until '63.
You can still buy good Fender 400s for under $500 and beat up ones for $200-$300.
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Alvin Blaine on 16 February 2003 at 07:33 PM.]</p></FONT>

SHOWOFF

Using D130's for an amp stand...I always knew someone would find something they were good for.