Fender Quad Stringmaster (4 necks)

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 28 Feb 2014 3:26 pm

I just acquired this 4-neck Stringmaster...

Ken Campbell · Post by **Ken Campbell** » 28 Feb 2014 4:03 pm

Zounds! Awesome Doug!

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 28 Feb 2014 4:12 pm

Congratulations. Now to start the arm-stretching exercises. $:\$

Larry Lenhart · Post by **Larry Lenhart** » 28 Feb 2014 4:13 pm

Wow Doug,,,,I had one of these back in the 60s i paid $150 for and sold for that too as a trade in for a fender 400.....man do i wish i still had the quad !!!! That is a great lookin g
steel ...look forward to hearing you play it on youtube or somewhere!!!

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 28 Feb 2014 4:31 pm

Wow, that is sweet! Congratulations.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 28 Feb 2014 4:54 pm

Thanks, it's a l-o-n-g reach to that outer neck! The guitar is super clean, all there, all original. I just need to clean out and lube those pushbutton switches (neck selector buttons). Those buttons were always a problem on these guitars. I'm sure that no one has ever cleaned them because the guitar was stored for about 25 years, and before that the original owner was a student who barely played the guitar.

I had one exactly like this about 10 years ago, but it was pretty beat up. That's why I was so excited when I found this one. I Had to have it!

Sam White R.I.P. · Post by **Sam White R.I.P.** » 28 Feb 2014 5:07 pm

Doug you better think about adding another big room on the house you won't have a place to sleep.You are buying yourself out of room to live.
Sam White

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 28 Feb 2014 5:12 pm

I knew two guys who bought one of these in the 50's and split it into two D-8's. True story!

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 28 Feb 2014 5:13 pm

You're right Sam! I try to keep it down to a few steels, a few guitars, and a few amps... but it's hard to do! Especially when things like this come along.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 28 Feb 2014 5:15 pm

I knew two guys who bought one of these in the 50's and split it into two D-8's.

b0b, that's Sacrilege!

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 28 Feb 2014 5:29 pm

It wasn't sacrilege at the time, Doug. The quads weren't rare or collectable. They were expensive, but they were considerably cheaper than two D-8's. It was a logical solution to a problem faced by two young steel guitarists.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 28 Feb 2014 5:42 pm

I can understand that, b0b. When I was a teenager in the 60s, Fender Teles and Strats were basically disposable guitars. Young players would cut them up, paint them, switch necks, drill holes in them, change pickups, etc. Gibsons were more highly regarded, but the Fenders got no respect!

Jim Newberry · Post by **Jim Newberry** » 28 Feb 2014 5:59 pm

Cool, Doug. Pushbuttons = ~1956?

Paul Honeycutt · Post by **Paul Honeycutt** » 28 Feb 2014 6:04 pm

Yowza! That's beautiful. If you have a friend who's left handed and plays steel, you could do duets on the same guitar.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 28 Feb 2014 6:50 pm

I think the pushbuttons were only for a couple of years in the mid-50s. Most players didn't like them so Fender changed to a different configuration. Oddly enough... my other walnut Quad that I had about 10 years ago had 1967 pots, a black 1960s case, and pushbuttons!

Michael Lester · Post by **Michael Lester** » 28 Feb 2014 7:14 pm

Doug... is the outer neck set up for bass strings?

Michael

John Limbach · Post by **John Limbach** » 28 Feb 2014 7:34 pm

Jim Newberry wrote:Cool, Doug. Pushbuttons = ~1956?

My D8 has the pushbuttons and its a 1955. Seems like they were either '54-'55 or '55-56. I'm sure someone here knows.

Since I cleaned them they've been fine. I just try to remember to push them a few times every time I sit down at it to wipe the contacts.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 28 Feb 2014 7:51 pm

Doug... is the outer neck set up for bass strings?

Yes, the outer neck on the Fender quad is set up for a baritone tuning. The slots in the nut (on that neck) are very wide, to accommodate thick strings.

Here is some info I posted on this forum a few years ago. I can't remember where I got it from, probably a Google search of Fender catalogs:

On the Quad bass neck, Fender recommended what they called A6 Major & Minor

[tab]E .032
C# .038
A .044
F# .048
E .055
C# .071
A .087
F .110[/tab]

Here's a cool video of young Buddy Merrill playing the baritone neck on his Quad on the Welk show. He has all 4 pushbuttons down, which activates all 4 necks. Doing that diminishes the output and the tone of each neck, but it doesn't seem to hurt his sound. It sounds awesome! -----> YouTube CLICK

Here's another one -----> YouTube CLICK

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 28 Feb 2014 7:55 pm

My D8 has the pushbuttons and its a 1955. Seems like they were either '54-'55 or '55-56

I notice that the Buddy Merrill video description says "1956" and his quad has the pushbuttons.

Stan Schober · Post by **Stan Schober** » 28 Feb 2014 7:58 pm

Man, that thing looks MINT !!!!

Congratulations !

You going C6, B11, and E13 for the inside necks ?

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 28 Feb 2014 8:10 pm

edit...

C. E. Jackson · Post by **C. E. Jackson** » 28 Feb 2014 8:21 pm

Congratulations, Doug, a beautiful instrument.

C. E.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 28 Feb 2014 8:30 pm

Now let's hear how it sounds with some of that Beaumier talent.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 28 Feb 2014 8:37 pm

Thanks! It's going to be a while before I do any recording with this guitar though. I have too many projects to complete first. And the guitar needs 32 new strings and I need to clean out the pushbuttons. It's on my list though...

Eric Stumpf · Post by **Eric Stumpf** » 1 Mar 2014 3:15 am

My 1960 Quad has the pushbuttons so I doubt that they were used for only a couple of years. I have learned to live with those switches and their tendency to be problematic. After liberating the switch/control assembly from the guitar body, simply run a piece of emery paper between the copper contact surfaces and they'll stay clean for about a year or so; easy to do and not even remotely scary. It breaks my heart whenever I see that those switches were swapped out on some of these beautiful guitars because the originals will never wear out; they just need basic servicing every now and then.