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Topic: 56 T-8 24" Stringmaster |
Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 30 Nov 2008 7:49 pm |
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I hate to do this after all the restoration I did but I need to move this beauty or Santa is gonna have to explore the exciting world of bank robbery to get the job done this year. Here's the facts: I got this ax about 4 or 5 years ago and it was a mess - large square holes hacked all the way through it between the necks,re-finished poorly maybe a couple times,holes drilled here and there,etc. But it was all there and it worked and sounded great. If there was ever a guitar that deserved a restoration this was it - there was no argument to be made to leave it as is - none. It was way over that line. So I stripped it,had a master cabinetmaker square up the holes and inlay matching swamp ash into the cavities. I then prepped,filled and sanded for weeks till every inch of the guitar was perfect and then had it refinished by Pat Wilkins http://www.wilkinsguitars.com/index.html who is the best in the biz in L.A. Pat and I poured over other aged Stringmasters,Strats and Teles and then he mixed up a special color "faded banana pudding" just for this project. I also had all the metal parts re-chromed by Astro Plating in Van Nuys and miraculously found 3 new old stock 24" Stringmaster fretboards on E-Bay that had never been on a guitar. What you have now looks like a brand new guitar that's been under the bed since 1956 without a hint of a trace of the previous damage. The way Pat sprayed it,it lookes just a little faded around the edges like an old guitar except there's no dings or scratches whatsoever. All tuners are smooth,tight and work perfectly,all the electrics work as they should and it's got The Tone. It's truly been re-born. Non-original very nice custom built case. A lot of time,cash,love and labor went into this thing - more than I can ever recover with mere money. Obviously it wouldn't appeal to a hard core collector but for an actual steel player - a show band player who craves something like this - behold:
This is the horn I played onstage with The Riders Of The Purple Sage and on Red Simpson's CD "The Bard Of Bakersfield" and a slew of other records.
Right now it's strung up E13,G11 and Murph's C6/A9
Lots more pictures on request including full coverage of every step of the restoration which I will also include in the purchase.
It will truly be a merry christmas for whoever ends up with this guitar.
I need to get $2500 firm for it on this forum or it's going on Ebay next week starting at $3K. If it doesn't sell,I guess I'm supposed to keep it. |
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Mike Benzschawel
From:
madison wi
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Posted 30 Nov 2008 8:51 pm stringmaster
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 my goodness, that's beautiful.
_________________
....lloyd green is a steel guitar hero... |
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Ken Byng
From:
Southampton, England
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Posted 1 Dec 2008 4:30 am
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Nice job Michael. You may get crucified by the odd 'keep it original at all costs' merchant, but I think the restoration was both necessary and tastefuly done. It's good for another 50 years.
_________________
Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E, |
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Dennis Wireman
From:
North West Indiana 47978
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Posted 1 Dec 2008 5:39 am fender
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| what a fantastic job done on this beautifull horn. does the price include the shipping and insurance? |
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Cartwright Thompson
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Posted 1 Dec 2008 9:49 am
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Beautiful job Michael. A great example of a necessary restoration executed perfectly.
I'm sorry that you need to sell it. |
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 1 Dec 2008 11:10 am
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| Quote: |
| You may get crucified by the odd 'keep it original at all costs' merchant |
The point is it wasn't original when it fell into my hands - it was butchered - so they're gonna have to crucify someone else for that. As far as I'm concerned,it was brought forth from the tomb like Lazarus and made whole again. |
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Daniel Kirk
From:
Falls Church, Virginia
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Posted 1 Dec 2008 3:12 pm i am interested in buying your guitar
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looks beautiful and hopefully just in time for christmas! please let me know if it's still available. i'd love it.
dan kirk |
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Drew Howard
From:
48854
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Posted 1 Dec 2008 3:41 pm
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| GULP What a beaut, Michael. That'll buy a lot of Xboxes and Xmas bling!! |
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John McClung
From:
Olympia WA, USA
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Posted 1 Dec 2008 9:18 pm
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Wow, Mike, wish I had the bread for this beauty! Someone's gonna be lucky to have it.
You gigging anywhere local where I can come heckle you?
_________________
E9 INSTRUCTION
▪️ If you want to have an ongoing discussion, please email me, don't use the Forum messaging which I detest! steelguitarlessons@earthlink.net |
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 1 Dec 2008 11:20 pm
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| I gig once in a while with various knuckleheads but I'd never invite anyone I know to make a special trip to come witness it. It seems I've taken a swan dive to the bottom of the show biz barrel. Everyone I used to enjoy playing with is either dead,not feeling too well or moved to Nashville. |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 2 Dec 2008 7:51 am
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| Michael Johnstone wrote: |
| I gig once in a while with various knuckleheads but I'd never invite anyone I know to make a special trip to come witness it. It seems I've taken a swan dive to the bottom of the show biz barrel. Everyone I used to enjoy playing with is either dead,not feeling too well or moved to Nashville. |
My guess would be,...if you're dead,....you're not feeling too well..... 
it's a beauty....just as your Fender 400,.....you really go all out on your guitars..... |
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Ricky Davis
From:
Bertram, Texas USA
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Posted 2 Dec 2008 9:21 am
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Michael; that is "PRICELESS"....worth much more than you're askin'.....Awesome job.
Ricky
_________________
Ricky Davis
Email Ricky: sshawaiian2362@gmail.com |
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Ben Jones
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 2 Dec 2008 10:19 am
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very cool.
Michael do you still have the old fretboards?
If so maybe you'd consider selling them to me?
I just bought my first fender, a 1000, and unfortunately it needs fretboards. the scale length is 24 inches exactly. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 3 Dec 2008 7:43 am
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Fender did not build a Stringmaster with 24" scale.
They were either 26", 24 1/2" or 22 1/2" scale. |
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Ben Jones
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 3 Dec 2008 10:19 am
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Thanks Erv. Michael mentioned his boards were 24 inch. When i googled stringmaster scale i got a couple people saying theirs were 24 inch. Maybe they were just rounding down from 24.5? I do beleive you are correct tho about the stock scale lengths.
Im new to fenders and this is a bit embarassing but last night I discovered my bridges are on backwards...so if I flip em, I get the full 24.5 inch scale length. So I am not sure what I am gona do about fretboards now. i could leave the bridges reversed and use any 24 inch scale board, or flip em, and then have to find 24.5 boards...wonderng if it would even make a difference, that 1/2 inch, as long as 12th fret is dead center?
anyway, sorry to hijack Michaels for sale thread. Great resto job and best of luck with the sale! |
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Tommy Auldridge
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 5 Dec 2008 4:28 pm Oh No!
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OH NO! This looks like another museum piece that I can hardly resist! It's PERFECT. And the price is good too. I have too many already and shouldn't tie up more cash in things I just look at. I have a 52 8 string Dual-Pro Fender near mint, a 54 Stringmaster
double neck 8 string in near mint condition. They are too nice to take anywhere. If I hit the lottery
tonight, I WILL get it! |
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Tommy Auldridge
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 6 Dec 2008 5:54 pm
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| Well, I did win on my MEGA MILLION ticket! But, it was only $7. Where's the luck! |
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Tommy Auldridge
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 8 Dec 2008 3:56 pm
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| BUMP for a really NICE guitar. Don't let this end up on EBAY. Somebody hurry up and buy this, I can't really afford it. It deserves a good home. |
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