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Author Topic:  What to do with an old Stringmaster
Jeff Mead


From:
London, England
Post  Posted 25 Jul 2014 9:48 am    
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I've just got a 50's Triple Neck Stringmaster back that has been in storage for the last 15 years. I already have a Custom T8 that I love and don't really need two triples.

I'm wondering what to do with it. I doubt it's worth much in its current state - bad refinish with house paint and a paintbrush (looks better in pictures than in person), one tuner strip replaced with individual guitar tuners, three push button selecter replaced with mini toggles.

The rest of the electronics work OK and everything else is complete.

I'm thinking it would probably be worth more if I parted it out on Ebay but was also considering making one of the necks into a single-8 and parting out the rest. Looks like the neck closest to me would work as a single as it has the volume and tone controls and I could drill a hole to add a third leg to it.

Has anyone else done something like this?

I wouldn't even consider this on a pristine instrument but I'm wondering if this one would be better continuing its life as a single and bringing a couple of other Stringmasters back to life?
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Alan Brookes


From:
Brummy living in Southern California
Post  Posted 25 Jul 2014 10:26 am    
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No, no, no, don't part it out. That would be vandalism. Restore it. If all it needs is a paint job that's easy. How much would you want for it "as is"?
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Keith Glendinning


From:
United Kingdom
Post  Posted 25 Jul 2014 10:38 am    
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For goodness' sake listen to Alan. Don't think of breaking down an instrument like that. If you don't wish to refurbish it youself, sell it to someone who'll bring it back to original spec.
Keith.
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 25 Jul 2014 11:08 am    
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It looks fine in the picture... as long as the electronics work and the tuners hold it's a useable guitar. A lot of players would love to have that guitar, poor refinish and all.
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Jim Rossen

 

From:
Iowa, USA
Post  Posted 25 Jul 2014 12:08 pm    
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I'd dig 24.5 in scale Stringmaster-style single.
Howzabout your take the near neck and I buy the far... I'm OK with the improvised tuners.

Jim
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Tom Pettingill


From:
California, USA (deceased)
Post  Posted 26 Jul 2014 7:25 am    
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Doug Beaumier wrote:
... as long as the electronics work and the tuners hold it's a useable guitar. A lot of players would love to have that guitar, poor refinish and all.

That would be my thought too, nothing wrong with a good and solid player. Or for those that wanted, it could be a fun project to restore, or simply clean up and or do some custom paint.
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Michael Maddex


From:
Northern New Mexico, USA
Post  Posted 26 Jul 2014 9:45 am    
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I see that you are in the UK so I will have to double what Alan and the others said. (I hope Jim is joking.) Please do not part it out. Give a player over there a chance to own and play a sweetheart like that.

Cool Just my two cents.
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Jeff Mead


From:
London, England
Post  Posted 26 Jul 2014 10:45 am    
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I can see everyone's point of view that it is a shame to see a working instrument parted out but I'd really like to know, realistically, how much the problems I described would devalue it and how much I could reasonably ask for it in its current condition compared to selling the various parts - so I can at least make an informed decision.

The whole vintage guitar market is crazy at the moment and it seems crazy that a bunch of parts can be worth more than a complete instrument.

The fact that I am in the UK also complicates the situation as shipping costs for the whole guitar would limit the number of potential buyers considerably, whereas a couple of pickups, a tuner pan or even a neckcould easily be shipped anywhere in the world.
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 26 Jul 2014 1:02 pm    
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Quote:
...the problems I described would devalue it and how much I could reasonably ask for it in its current condition compared to selling the various parts - so I can at least make an informed decision.


If it's the money, the value, and the market you are concerned with, I can understand why you would prefer to part it out rather than sell it "as is" at a reduced price. To each his own. My preference would be to sell it "as is" to someone who will play it or restore it. Or to GIVE it to a promising young picker who can't afford to buy a steel guitar. I've given away at least five guitars in my life, so far. Winking
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Bonnie Saher


From:
Squaw Valley Ca
Post  Posted 27 Jul 2014 6:31 am    
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i have been following these on ebay for the past 6 months, while I was looking for one. If you start at 800 you could get from 800-1000, even with shipping it out of the country. As for parts the bridge cost me 50 the pick-up assembly 133.00.
The case alone can go for 150-200
I'm sure someone would love to restore it just as I did mine.
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Jeff Mead


From:
London, England
Post  Posted 27 Jul 2014 6:53 am    
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Thanks for all your replies so far.

Doug - yes, I too have given guitars and amps away before now (although nothing you'd consider "collectable") but my financial situation has changed a lot over the last few years and I no longer have the luxury of letting stuff go for anything less than the maximum I could get for it.
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 27 Jul 2014 7:27 am    
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I'm not sure that you'd make more money parting it out than selling it as is. One of the tuner pans needs work, the pushbuttons have been altered, and the body has been repainted badly. I think it would be close... the parts vs. the whole guitar as is. Remember, you have to list all the parts individually and ship them, get boxes for the legs, the case, the body. It's a lot of work, and you might end up making the same amount of money as you would by selling it complete. If I were in your position, I would list the guitar for sale... set a price slightly under the current market price. Take plenty of pictures and be sure to point out the issues. If it doesn't sell, then go with your other plan, if necessary. IMO it's worth trying to sell it whole. You might get a decent price for it and save yourself a lot of work.
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Last edited by Doug Beaumier on 27 Jul 2014 5:00 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Alan Brookes


From:
Brummy living in Southern California
Post  Posted 27 Jul 2014 8:55 am    
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Jeff: I lived for the first 34 years of my life in England and at that time steel guitars of any sort were virtually unobtainable. To think of dismantling one for parts is unthinkable. Firstly, I know for a fact, because I've done it many times, that shipping heavy items across the Atlantic is very expensive, and often more expensive than the item itself, not to mention custom duties and the problems of being paid in foreign currency. If you decided to sell the parts within Britain you have a very small market. Those few people in Britain who have Stringmasters will have complete ones and not need parts.

Remember, that there are those of us in the U.S. who have British bank accounts, and addresses within England where the guitar could be shipped to without any bother of customs.
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basilh


From:
United Kingdom
Post  Posted 28 Jul 2014 4:55 am    
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I have a solution Jeff, contact me, 07800-646-645 text or vox 24/7
or basil@waikiki-islanders.com
I feel sure that someone at the North of England Steel Guitar Festival http://www.chanos-isgf.org/NESGF/
Would be interested..
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Alan Brookes


From:
Brummy living in Southern California
Post  Posted 28 Jul 2014 9:45 am    
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I endorse what Basil said. He's one of the foremost authorities on the steel guitar in Britain. He's an inductee of the European Steel Guitar Hall of Fame, the publisher of the steel guitar magazine Aloha Dream, and his contacts are manifold. If anyone can find a buyer with a fair price it is he. Cool
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David Mason


From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
Post  Posted 30 Jul 2014 12:19 am    
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Not too long after the boy-god, Pharaoh King Tut, broke his leg and died, that whole Pharoah trip began to crap out on 'em. During the decline and eventual fall of the Egyptian Empire, the later, little punk pharoahs were actually parting out the great pyramids, using the facing stone from them to make their own second-rate, crappy little pyramids. And to this day, there are still some people ticked off about it. I'm not sayin' you can't part it out - you own it, after all - just, make sure your karma can take the hit.
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 30 Jul 2014 6:45 am    
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David, I think you are in de-Nile!
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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 30 Jul 2014 7:45 am    
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Here are some before and after pictures of my T-8 Stringmaster:




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basilh


From:
United Kingdom
Post  Posted 30 Jul 2014 4:48 pm    
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Very nice Erv, I have the same model with Freddie Tavares' signature under the tuner pan. Mine was assembled the same year Freddie, Leo and all designed the Stratocaster.
What year is your Mk1 26" scale triple ?
BTW Have you noticed the VERY unconventional wiring of the tone pot ? Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes Evil or Very Mad


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Nate Hofer


From:
Overland Park, Kansas
Post  Posted 31 Jul 2014 4:56 am    
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Man, just play it like it is. I'm biased but I'm definitely an advocate for letting it get old and look good and seasoned. Personally I think paint jobs and refinishing to make old guitars look brand new kind of make it look cheesy. (Also new guitars painted to look old are weird to me too.) Again just my perspective.

Each old guitar has a story to tell. Let it tell that story honestly.
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basilh


From:
United Kingdom
Post  Posted 31 Jul 2014 6:09 am    
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I wonder what the OP (Jeff Mead) has to say ? Question Question
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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 31 Jul 2014 7:14 am    
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Bas,
My guitar is a 1954 model. It came directly from Fender and delivered by train to the local depot.
When I got into pedals, I sold the guitar but had a chance to buy it back when the owner died. It was in pretty sorry shape by then so I completely disassemble and refinished it.
Sorry, but I didn't pay particular attention to how the tone control was wired and it is the 26" scale model. Very Happy

Here is another Stringmaster that I had to work over, it was painted blue when I got it, not once but twice!:

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basilh


From:
United Kingdom
Post  Posted 31 Jul 2014 7:32 am    
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Well Erv that's also a Mk1 and very nice too.

We all know the Mk1 didn't have a balance control for the pickups, right ? ... Wrong, it did have, not under the bridge cover, it's hiding in the tone control.

They wired to tone control so that when it was off the bridge pickup was on on it's own with the tone control on halfway you have the two pickups on equally and with the tone control on full you have the two pickups with the capacitor now affecting the tone as well..
(Freddie Tavares' idea)
Did you know that was the way it was wired ?
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 31 Jul 2014 7:56 am    
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Very interesting, Basil. I didn't know that!
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Jeff Mead


From:
London, England
Post  Posted 31 Jul 2014 8:10 am    
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Nate Hofer wrote:
Man, just play it like it is. I'm biased but I'm definitely an advocate for letting it get old and look good and seasoned. Personally I think paint jobs and refinishing to make old guitars look brand new kind of make it look cheesy.


Just play it as it is - well yes, that's exactly what I did do when I bought it but as I've been using a lovely Custom Triple 8 for the last 15 years, I'm not playing the Stringmaster at all.

Yes, old and seasoned is cool and I don't have a problem at all with that but there is "seasoned" and then there is "painted badly with housepaint and a brush".

This is my dilemma.

A guitar dealer I spoke to said I could probably get about £750 ($1300) for it in its current condition - about half of what it would have been in original condition - and that sounds about right.

But looking on sold Ebay auctions and various forums, I see pickup assemblies going for $375 (got 3 of those) Tuner pans $200 (again, I have 3 - minus one strip of 4 tuners), even the little chrome bridge covers go for $48 (x3).

So without even looking at the knobs and jack socket (exactly the same as on a late 50's Telecaster), fretboard, legs or tweed case, I could be looking at over $1800 if I parted it out. Oh, and the body itself, of course and the little diamond shaped metal plates.

Yes, I would feel uncomfortable about breaking up a rare and great sounding instrument too, although it would probably bring a few other great instruments back to life.

I know what my wife thinks I should do and I know what other collectors/players (who don't have any financial interest in it - which after all is the only reason for selling it) think about it.

I have been offered a couple of interesting things for it so far - a nice Fender Jaguar (but I've already got one of those) or a little 6 string Fender lap steel in pretty good original condition but nothing so far that really excites me. I think I'll bide my time for a while and see if anything else interesting comes along.

Thanks for everyone's input so far.

One question I still have though is, if I refinished it properly (or got it refinished) what effect would that have on the value? Of course it would be more desirable but surely it would still just be a refinished Stringmaster - the books don't differentiate between "badly refinished" (as it is now) and "well refinished" regarding value.
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