Fender Stringmaster Identification

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 18 Aug 2009 4:15 pm

I received the following email from Roger Fellows, who is in the process of joining the Forum. Can you experts out there help him ?

Hi Alan and Help, Help, Help!!!
I'm new to this steel guitar game, and have been trying,( mostly unsuccesfully on the internet )to find out how to determine if a Fender lap steel is a "String-master".

I've located a Fender 6 string, single neck steel with serial number = -0278(minus zero two seven eight) that is supposed to be a 1954 model,in excellent condition. There aren't any legs, and the Fender,Fullerton, Calif.,appears to be a decal.The case has a 1955 to 1958 side pocket in it and is the red plush material. The asking price is $1200.00

Is it automatically a Stringmaster since it was made in 1953 or later? Or could it be a Deluxe 6? Or were the Stringmaster and the Deluxe 6 the same unit?

I tried to post on the Steel Guitar Forum, but I'm not a member yet; I'm sending my application out today.

Any and all information would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thank you,
Roger Fellows
Mountain View, CA.

John Dahms · Post by **John Dahms** » 18 Aug 2009 4:25 pm

Strictly speaking a Stringmaster is a multi-neck steel. Some people refer to second generation Deluxes as Stringmasters because they are alike in general design with two thin single coil pickups and similar body shape.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 18 Aug 2009 7:07 pm

...trying... to determine if a Fender lap steel is a "String-master".

...a Fender 6 string, single neck steel

There aren't any legs

No, it's not a Stringmaster. Stringmasters are double necks, either D-8 or D-6, with legs.

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 18 Aug 2009 9:15 pm

It could be a Fender Deluxe, but without photos it's impossible to know. I'm not too far away from Mountain View myself, so please have Roger contact me with photos and we can identify it better.

My web site has photos of some Fender steels from various eras, but I haven't been as clear with my identification of them as I could be. Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars has a good overall description of the various Fender lap steels.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 18 Aug 2009 10:02 pm

It could be a Fender Deluxe

Yes, or a Champion (pre '55) or a Champ (post '55). We need to see pictures. $1200 seems high for a 6-string lap steel, no legs.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 19 Aug 2009 6:13 am

Doug,
Stringmasters aren't limited to double necks, they can also be triple or quad neck models also.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 19 Aug 2009 8:47 am

Doug,
Stringmasters aren't limited to double necks, they can also be triple or quad neck models also.

You're right, Erv! My mistake.

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 20 Aug 2009 8:21 am

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Jerry Gleason · Post by **Jerry Gleason** » 21 Aug 2009 2:42 pm

Just to further nitpick, the 6-string doubleneck that looks like a Stringmaster is called the "Deluxe 6" in the catalogs, not Stringmaster. The Stringmaster name is only for 8-string, multi-neck guitars. The single 8-string with Stringmaster features is the "Deluxe 8".

Confusing, I know, but that's from the Fender catalogs of that era.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 21 Aug 2009 8:50 pm

The Stringmaster name is only for 8-string, multi-neck guitars. The single 8-string with Stringmaster features is the "Deluxe 8".

That's true, Jerry, but sellers and players today seem to be rewriting history... calling the single-8 Deluxe (with Stringmaster features) "Stringmaster". I see it over and over on eBay and on dealer web sites. Even Vintage Guitar Magazine lists the "Deluxe-8/Stringmaster Steel".

I think the misnomer will continue in future years, regardless of what the original catalogs said. It really makes sense because the name "Deluxe-8" also applies to the earlier Fender trapezoid PU style 8-string. So saying "Deluxe-8" does not tell us whether the guitar is an early '50s style or the later Stringmaster style... and that's an important distinction that has to be made.

When guitar companies change a style but continue the model name, confusion arises. Gibson did that in the early 1960s when they completely changed the design of the Les Paul (to the SG design), but continued calling it the Les Paul model. In 1968 they changed back to the original Les Paul design, but continued making the other style, calling it the SG. So early '60s Les Pauls look exactly like SGs, but they are Les Pauls. Consider Fender amps... the same model names (Princeton, Deluxe, Vibrolux, Twin) continued from the tweed era, through the blackface and silverface eras.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 22 Aug 2009 6:33 am

This is a single neck Stringmaster:

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 22 Aug 2009 8:31 am

Yes, it sure is, Erv!

There's an orphan Stringmaster neck like this for sale on eBay now. The seller goes into great detail describing it, without mentioning that it's part of a multi-neck guitar.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 22 Aug 2009 8:37 am

Doug,
You are absolutely correct!
It was part of a multi-neck Stringmaster at one time.
I bought a bunch of Stringmaster parts a few years ago and the fellow just threw in the neck.
I had to do quite a bit of work on it to make it presentable.
It had cutouts on the bottom side for two legs and I routed out a spot for a 3rd leg.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 22 Aug 2009 8:49 am

Here's the one currently listed on eBay ---> Click

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 22 Aug 2009 8:54 am

Doug,
That one looks like kind of a mess.
I sent the seller a message about the guitar.
It definitely is NOT a 1954 model, it has later model pickups and tuners.
And the bottom looks "funny" also, the leg flanges are installed upside down. I'm sure they added the center flange without routing out the body and then turned the outside two around so they would match.
They are asking waaaaay to much for that Frankenmaster.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 22 Aug 2009 9:01 am

$799 for a starting price is absurd.

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 23 Aug 2009 10:02 am

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