Home Made Pedal Rig on my 1953 Fender Stringmaster D8 Steel

[Thomas Engleman]

I built this "home made" pedal rig for my 1953 Fender Stringmaster D8 Steel Guitar in 1958 when I was in votech Trade School. At the time I was playing steel guitar with the Country Cousins Band in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania.
Here are some images to help define how the pedal rig functioned...and is still functioning.
If you want to view a test drive go to Resohangout.com...Tom Engleman page and check out the videos I have posted there. The one that is title Test driving 1954...etc is a mistake since the steel is actually a 1953 model.
Hope you are amused.
Tom Engleman...in Bethlehem PA

[Bruce Zumsteg]

The picture that amuses me is the Frypan mounted on the 'walker' ! I think a lot of us old timers are ready for that model !

[Tim Toberer]

Tom just to make it easier for people, I am just gonna add a few links if people want learn more about your fascinating instrument. Here is the video of you playing it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxniKYofh30
I copied the tuning from one of your older posts, I hope this is correct?

The A pedal raises the G# to an A....and the B pedal raises the B string to a C#.
I just got this old gal half working again and hadn't touched it since around 1968. I am wondering if there is any Tab out there for this old E9th tuning?
Here is the tuning:
E
B.....raise to a C# ( B pedal )
G#....raise to A ( A pedal )
F#
E
D
B
G#

I think this is so cool! I don't think anyone would say that this would be a good thing to do to an unmolested vintage Stringmaster, but that fact that you did this back in the 1960's makes this a real relic of the early days of pedal steel development. I feel this same concept could be applied to a cheap 8 string lap steel like this one https://www.rondomusic.com/lap8na.html and a person could have a very functional instrument for a fraction of the cost of a "real" pedal steel, and way more functional than some awkward benders. The tuning you came up with seems very functional and really captures that old sound many people long for today.

[Les Ford]

Does that guitar have a 26 inch scale length?

[Thomas Engleman]

Howdy....Yes my 1953 has a 26 inch string length. The 53' also has chrome covers in the pickups and bridge covers that screw down and slide switches to select the neck on and off. The later modes have shorter string lengths, hinged bridge covers, plastic or phenolic covers on the pickups open magnets design and a single toggle switch to select the necks to be on or off.
The leg thread size on the 53' is 3/4-16 threads per inch and I am not sure whether Fender went to the smaller thread size, 1/2-13 threads per inch. I believe many of the builders went to the 1/2 inch threads.
I made a similar pedal arrangement for a friend in 1962. His name was Billy Rehrig, At the time he was in our area...going to college and played fiddle with our Country Cousin's Band. Some years later Billy Rehrig ended up in Nashville...was a road manager for several big acts...finally ended up with Eddy Rabbitt as manager and fiddle player with Eddy's Band.
Here is a link to Bill Rehrig....
https://www.tnonline.com/20140723/music ... hrig-dies/
I just found a set of pedal levers from back in the 60's. I'll post them at some other time.
Hope I amused you.
Tom