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Author Topic:  Fender D-6 Stringmaster
Ron Victoria

 

From:
New Jersey, USA
Post  Posted 12 Nov 2017 10:29 am    
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I forgot what they called the D-6, maybe dual Pro 6 but definitely not Stringmaster. I tried to correct the seller as to the title but he argued that I was wrong and that Fender called it a dual 6 Stringmaster, which isn't correct. The Ebay item is 272926097076, maybe someone can set the seller straight. thx
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 12 Nov 2017 10:36 am    
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It was a called a Dual Six in the original Fender catalogs.


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Last edited by Doug Beaumier on 12 Nov 2017 11:09 am; edited 2 times in total
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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 12 Nov 2017 10:56 am    
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I think either name is "right"... Fender changed the "Dual Six" name to D-6 Stringmaster in the later catalogs.

There was an earlier style of Fender steel guitar (with trapezoid pickups and lollipop tuners) called a Dual 6:



When Fender discontinued the older style and introduced the Stringmaster style they continued calling the double 6 (with Stringmaster features) a Dual Six. Things must have gotten confusing because in later catalogs they called it a D-6 version of the Stringmaster. Nowadays the term "Dual Six" does not indicate which version it is... the old or the newer. Hence the renaming. So I think either name, Dual Six or D-6 Stringmaster would be fine. It depends on which catalog you're looking at! Cool


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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 12 Nov 2017 11:06 am    
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edit
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Last edited by Doug Beaumier on 12 Nov 2017 11:08 am; edited 1 time in total
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Terry VunCannon


From:
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 12 Nov 2017 11:07 am    
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It is the ad in the Fender Book 1960/1961 that crossed over to calling the D-6 a String Master. I wish that Jody Carver was active on the forum to give his memories of this. I am pretty sure he told me that the SM was 2, 3 & 4 necks at first with 8-Strings, and the 6 strings as special orders only. I guess that would have been in the 50s to be called a SM D-6 by 1960. Anyone know anymore about this?

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Doug Beaumier


From:
Northampton, MA
Post  Posted 12 Nov 2017 11:14 am    
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I think by 1960 Fender realized that the newer (Stringmaster) version of the double 6 should no longer be called a Dual Six because the older (Dual Pro) version had been called a Dual 6. The newer version looked completely different. That's my guess anyway.
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Bill Creller

 

From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
Post  Posted 12 Nov 2017 12:47 pm    
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Derrick Mau has a "stringmaster D6" ! I refurbed it some time ago, and I believe he used it frequently...
Maybe he will tell us ! Very Happy
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Jeff Mead


From:
London, England
Post  Posted 12 Nov 2017 1:20 pm    
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Fender's naming policy on steel guitars was as confusing as it was inconsistent.

This was not helped by the fact that none of them has the model name on the instrument as they did on the regular guitars and basses.

The double six was called a Stringmaster in at least one catalog (as shown in an earlier post) but whether this was Fender policy or a blunder by the art/marketing department is anyone's guess.
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Tom Wolverton


From:
Carpinteria, CA
Post  Posted 12 Nov 2017 9:25 pm    
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Were these D-6 guitars always short scale guitars?
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Jeff Mead


From:
London, England
Post  Posted 13 Nov 2017 12:31 am    
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Tom Wolverton wrote:
Were these D-6 guitars always short scale guitars?


All the ones I've seen have been, I think.

I'm wondering if they used the same bodies as the D8 Stringmasters and just changed the bridge plate and tuner pan?

I suspect that if they did we would be seeing more 24.5" instruments?
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Tom Wolverton


From:
Carpinteria, CA
Post  Posted 13 Nov 2017 6:57 am    
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I’ll bet Jimmie Hudson could make a medium scale (or long scale) D-6 Stringmaster style guitar.
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Bill Sinclair


From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
Post  Posted 13 Nov 2017 8:10 am    
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Jeff Mead wrote:
Tom Wolverton wrote:
Were these D-6 guitars always short scale guitars?


All the ones I've seen have been, I think.

I'm wondering if they used the same bodies as the D8 Stringmasters and just changed the bridge plate and tuner pan?

I suspect that if they did we would be seeing more 24.5" instruments?


We were just discussing this earlier this year, Jeff. I took some comparison measurements before I sold my D6. I too, have only seen short scale Dual Sixes.

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=315708&highlight=stringmaster++dimensions
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Terry VunCannon


From:
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 13 Nov 2017 8:58 am    
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Lets see some pics of these. Here is mine...


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Ron Victoria

 

From:
New Jersey, USA
Post  Posted 13 Nov 2017 1:28 pm     mine
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I call it a Stringmaster and hold it dearly as Jody signed it!!!
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Wally Pfeifer

 

From:
Illinois, USA
Post  Posted 13 Nov 2017 10:06 pm     Fender Dual 6
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When I purchased my Fender steel in 1958, the dealer listed it as a Dual 6. Here are a couple photos as it appears today. MINT.[img]
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My companion amp is a tweed Vibrolux.
A great combination.
Wally Cool [/img]
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Jeff Mead


From:
London, England
Post  Posted 14 Nov 2017 12:56 am    
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Bill Sinclair wrote:
Jeff Mead wrote:
Tom Wolverton wrote:
Were these D-6 guitars always short scale guitars?


All the ones I've seen have been, I think.

I'm wondering if they used the same bodies as the D8 Stringmasters and just changed the bridge plate and tuner pan?

I suspect that if they did we would be seeing more 24.5" instruments?


We were just discussing this earlier this year, Jeff. I took some comparison measurements before I sold my D6. I too, have only seen short scale Dual Sixes.

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=315708&highlight=stringmaster++dimensions


Great, thanks. I'd forgotten you had answered this question.
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