The Steel Guitar Forum

Hey folks, I'm new to this forum, and wow it is informative and helpful, and I've already taken a few tabs to work on. Thank you for that, I'm grateful.

I saw a thread on here a while back that I can't find now, about the funny markings inside key pockets. I got this Doubleneck recently in my life-long love affair with guitars (and I'm loving on this long scale every day!), and when I got it, I cleaned it up, it was very dirty and yet it works perfectly fine. I found these marks inside the pockets. I wonder if the pencil marked initials are known to anyone, who is it?

Looks like that'is the first guitar of this type made in
December, 1954.


Bill

I've also got the date markings on my SM (10/54) but I discovered more underneath the control plate:

Now that's the one and only Gloria Fuentes. That's a piece of history there! I'll check mine and see if I'm as lucky.

I knew the name Abigail Ybarra (and was disappointed that she didn't wind my pickups, having started in '56) but I was not familiar with Gloria Fuentes. Cool.

There are Steelers here who know more about it, but she was one of Leo's most trusted builders, a long time employee. I read she was disgusted with CBS and quit because of their lack of quality control and pressure to produce. Yeah, you have something special there.

I have a long scale T-8 Stringmaster that I bought new in 1954-55.
Erv

Forgive me Lord for I am coveting my neighbor's Fender.

Bill,
It's been so long ago I don't remember, sorry.
Erv

Henry,
About this one?



Or these?

Speechless. I'm in your last will, if not, feel free to add a special codicil, "I hereby bequeath yon double neck stringmaster to that nutcase named Henry...." something along those lines, you get my drift?

Those are magnificent. Thank you for sharing.

Henry,
Thank you!
I'll remember you in my will: "Hello Henry"
Erv

"Lord Almighty its a long scale 1954 Double Neck Stringmaster. Will I set down the D-18 and Telecaster down for a while? Yes... perhaps for quite a while."

I said something similar in 1994. Better make sure you want to go down that rabbit hole. My enabler was a '56 T8

I had similar markings in my '54 T-8. 11-54 penciled in the neck pockets along with some unintelligible markings which may have been initials. I also had the Gloria masking tape in the control cavity with a December date.

I think the #1 in yours is for the neck order. Can't tell if the other says #2.

Enjoy the guitar!

Henry Hibbert wrote:Now that's the one and only Gloria Fuentes. That's a piece of history there! I'll check mine and see if I'm as lucky.

I wonder if one of the women in this video at around 4:32 is Gloria Fuentes?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nswcAPvH0P8

Gloria Fuentes signed the control cavity of my 1953 Dual 8 Pro. Here's a pic that includes her. I doubt that she is any of the women in the video.


Also, I am pretty sure this is her on the left, taken from R. Smith's Fender book--a library copy so I don't have the page number.




I am interested in any opinions, or any additional photos or videos folks can share. I love this stuff.