The Steel Guitar Forum

I would like to see Fender start reissuing the old line of non-pedal steels, too, but I think that the popularity (in a HUGE way) is still some years off. I notice that when I bring my D-8 to blues/swing jams, I consistently get the "what the hell is THAT?" looks from 98% of the guitar players there. Talk about a lost art! When I fire up my Deluxe Reverb, and hit that first, buttery C13, with just enough bar wiggle to make it juicy, the ear-to-ears go up all over the place! Hell, I always get goosebumps my-OWN-self! Man, I love that. After the jam, EVERYONE is curious to know more, where to get one, how do play, it, tune it, etc...

It's just this one man's opinion, but I DO believe Fender will someday do it. But they're correct: the used market is still pretty good - for now. I've only been in it for a year, and I've seen the prices begin to climb as people are discovering the unmitigated and pure JOY of playing these wonderful instruments! My only regret is not figuring it out 20 years ago (arrrrrgh)... As the originals become harder to find and the prices begin to get stupid, the market will be there. There's also a younger, fresh new crop of people who are discovering the sound, and digging it. Also, mainstream artists like Ben Harper are creating a lot of interest, too. Man, I gotta get busy, and find me some more of these before I can't afford 'em anymore! hehe

TJ

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Todd James Weger/RD/RTD
1960 Fender Stringmaster D-8 (E13, C6) through a vintage Super Reverb

Everything true there Todd. I would like to see this too; but I would say that most of the tooling used to manufactuer these great instruments is probably not usable or even missing. I think the demand would have to be very high for the company to retool. Custom making would be very expensive for the buyer; nevertheless, I still hope it happens.

Rick

I replied to Basil's thread on his single 8 deluxe that Fender had a poster a few years ago that showed their whole product line at the time, including their signature strats etc. In the section showing the models made in Japan they had a single 8 deluxe and double 8 stringmaster. I have made enquiries with Fender, most recently at the NAMM show in Anaheim. They don't know, or are not interested. But the inference from the poster was that they were, or possibly still are, being made in Japan. Perhaps the US tooling was shipped over there at some stage? Fender have done a good job resissuing their guitars and amps from the 50's and 60's. Why no steels??
Haere mai,
Steve H.

Don't know what I did, but this WAS suppose to have posted to Basil's thread, too. Whoops! Sorry about that. I think I hit "Post New Topic" by mistake.

In any case, the demand for the reissue Strats, Teles and vintage amps was there, and they KNEW they could make a good ROI by doing it - so they did. It's just isn't even close with the steel market. Those of us who play 'em are truly few and very far between. Good for keeping used market prices low, but not interesting enough for a huge company like Fender.

I remember when the Relic line came out, and people laughed! "Who's going to pay THAT much money for a "feax vintage" guitar, and for a beat-up and rusted (on PURPOSE) on at that?" Apparently, a LOT of aging boomers with fat portfolios, and a hankering for that old Strat they bought new in 1960. To these guys, $2K is a DEAL when you compare it to $10K or $15K for a real one. Fender knew that. Of course, knowledge is NOT power. Knowledge followed with ACTION IS REAL POWER. Fender knew that those guys WANTED these guitars again, and ACTED. The void existed, and Fender filled it. As The Far Side cartoonist, Gary Larson most expertly and hilariously pointed out, Nature Abhors A Vacuum!

TJW

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Todd James Weger/RD/RTD
1960 Fender Stringmaster D-8 (E13, C6) through a vintage Super Reverb

If Fender ever reissues Stringmasters, I don't wanna hear anyone here complaining if some teenage(I can say that since I'm almost 20, lol) metalheads find some weird use for it and it gets used in death metal or rapcore mess. 7 strings were originally for jazz, now they're used for Korn, Limp Bizkit, etc, lol.
Great day to everyone!


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Ticketmaster = legalized scalping

I don't think a reissue is ever going to happen.The supply of old instruments is more than meeting the demand.That's why you can still get a vintage 50's Fender steel for far less than the price of a recent American made Fender guitar.