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Topic: Date this Stringmaster? |
Mark Helm
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 6 Feb 2018 11:02 am |
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Hey, gang:
Can anyone put a rough date on this Stringmaster? (Now, there's a REAL game show!).
It's been refinished (which, I'm told impacts the value?), and there are pictures (however rough) of the pots. The case looks to be mid/late 50s, but I'm thinking the guitar is considerably later.
Any expert thoughts? Maybe someone could explain how to decipher Fender tone/volume pot codes (Ah, an even more sexy game show name).
Erv,maybe?
https://reverb.com/item/9690935-fender-stringmaster-d8-lap-steel
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Remington Steelmaster S8 w/ custom Steeltronics pickup. Vox MV-50 amplifier + an 1940's Oahu cab w/ 8" American Vintage speaker. J. Mascis Fender Squire Jazzmaster, Hofner Club bass, Ibanez AVN4-VMS Artwood Vintage Series Concert Size Acoustic Guitar. 1920s/30s Supertone Hawaiian-themed parlor guitar. Silvertone parlor guitar. |
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Nic Neufeld
From:
Kansas City, Missouri
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Posted 6 Feb 2018 11:17 am
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Date it?! I'd like to take it home to meet my parents! 
The under pan marking is a bit inscrutable...most of the pics of dates there (predominantly late 50s) are M/YY format. Almost looks like an older marking 01 or 10 (slightly faded) with a newer 3 / L marking. Weird. Definitely has later features, blend pot, 3 way switch, so its not early 50s obviously.
Hmmm...pot codes are mostly obscured...R137, I'm guessing that's the usual CTS pot...but following digit is 8...did Fender continue making these into the 80s? The Wikipedia says made through 1980....could be a very very late model indeed if that is the case. But I defer to the experts. Also, I could be misinterpreting the code or (it just occurred to me) it could be replaced pots later down the line.
EDIT: Pot code guide: http://www.guitarhq.com/pots.html
_________________
Waikīkī, at night when the shadows are falling
I hear the rolling surf calling
Calling and calling to me |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 6 Feb 2018 11:25 am
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Mark,
I agree it is a later model.
I'm sure it is from the later '50s.
I don't think the exact date makes much difference as to its value.
It is a nice looking guitar!
Erv |
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Michael Lester
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 6 Feb 2018 2:19 pm
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Mine is a duplicate of this one - faint pencil dated 1959 in one of the wells...mine has a tweed / brown leather case. Hope that helps a bit...
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Posted 6 Feb 2018 2:40 pm
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| Nic Neufeld wrote: |
| The Wikipedia says made through 1980....could be a very very late model indeed if that is the case. |
Not sure when they stopped making them but it was later than you'd think!
However, from 1968, they would have had hex shaped tuner heads so, in the absence of any neck date or pot codes (and it may not have the original case) the best we can guess is between about 1957 and 1968 (before '57 they would have had button selecter switches).
Although serial numbers don't mean a great deal on Stringmasters, that might just be because we don't have an extensive list to work on (Basil started a thread for Stringmasters, date, features and serial to see if there was any general trend but it never really took off). But I think it is fair to say that the numbers did get higher as time went by and most of the 50's stringmasters have had serial numbers starting with 0 (except for a few that start with a - which like the guitars, seem to be from 1957). So I'd guess mid 60's or so,
But, as has been already pointed out, age seems to have hardly any effect on Stringmaster prices. |
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Michael Brebes
From:
Northridge CA
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Posted 6 Feb 2018 6:04 pm
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I have a '57 Stringmaster in the shop right now and it has the plunger switches and a 1 Meg Linear tone pot with the early 50's style capacitor instead of the ceramic type in the picture. The pictures shows a 1 Meg Audio taper tone pot. If the case is original, I would put it well into the 60's.
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Michael Brebes
Instrument/amp/ pickup repair
MSA D10 Classic/Rickenbacher B6/
Dickerson MOTS/Dobro D32 Hawaiian/
Goldtone Paul Beard Reso
Mesa Boogie Studio Pre/Hafler 3000
RP1/MPX100 |
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Terry VunCannon
From:
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 7 Feb 2018 7:50 am
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My D-6 should be a '62/64 ballpark year from the story that came with it...black case also.
If this helps any.... |
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