1) They are fine examples of classic
industrial design that take into account
both form and function. Leo Fender took
tremendous pride in designing instruments
that would be the best he could make. He
consulted with the top professional
players of his day - like Noel Boggs &
Herb Remington - to make sure the guitars
had the features, playability & road-
worthiness the pros needed. In other
words, his ear was to the ground.

2) Both Fenders early Direct String pickups
and the later Stringmaster pickups had
a unique treble-dominated sound that cut
through a mix or blended well with a live
band. These pickups worked exceptionally
well for both Hawaiian & Western Swing
styles. Gibson steels, for example,
are more mid-range-dominant.
3) These guitars have stood the test of time.
Many are working perfectly well after
almost 50 years! And they embody a time
when companies cared about their end
users. Leo Fender would have considered
planned obsolesence an insult to his
pride.

My opinions.

[This message was edited by Andy Volk on 10-28-99]

Fender pedal steels are still very cheap, because they are not good instruments by today's standards. The Professional and Stringmaster guitars still cut it today, though. They set a standard for tone, design and workmanship that endures to this day.

I for one continue to be amazed at how low those prices are compared to Telecasters of a similar vintage. It's only because steel guitar is not very popular right now among young people. If two or three "Alternative" bands started using non-pedal steel, a paradigm shift would take place and my D-8 would be worth 5 grand.

[This message was edited by mikey on 11-23-99]

Waa waa I want it back!!

Me too. I have a '52 Dual Professional Fender. Outside neck C6th, inside C# minor. "PARADISE ISLE" on the C# minor--heavenly.
Does anyone know what an early 3-neck, long scale (26") Stringmaster might cost?

"Price is determined by supply and demand".

To say that an item is "cheap" or "overpriced", etc is meaningless apart from the quote above.

A brand new 6 string 1930's Bakelite Rick cost $62.50. NO person in their right mind would sell one today for less than 7-9 times that; and in some cases such as the 7 stringers, 10-12 times the original price. (NOTE: a brand new 30's 7 stringer cost only $72.50!)

The same is true for many vintage instruments such as Stratocasters, Telecasters and Les Pauls, along with Emmons' P/P's, etc.

Price is strictly a relative term that always goes back to "supply and demand".

Why does a little carbon crystal so small that a women's fingers dwarf it; sell for 1,000's of dollars? Yet you can't eat it, drink it, ride in it, live in it or play it?

In the case of the above instruments it is a true test of real "value". Sadly the reverse is true. One of the finest built PSG's is a Sierra. They justifiably cost (if the manufacturer is to stay in business), a lot of money. But for some reason, their resale value drops dramatically to subsequent buyers. And the reason is, "demand".

And so it goes,

They sound great to a lot of people. If they did not sound great, we would not be talking about it today.

Over priced? They are worth whatever someone will pay. I think they are so inexpensive compared to new modern six strings.

How about a 1962 Strat?

What would a new D8 or T8 cost today?

We need another hit like "Sleepwalk", then find out how much they are worth.

IMHO

------------------
Stringmaster T8, Benoit 8, National Tricone

Also there's this neat term that I recently discovered: the TTFAO factor.

In addition he would set his amp settings at
high treble and use very little bass. This is the "cutting tone" that he preffered.

As for his switching necks,yes he did have all 4 necks open as he switched necks during his playing. Many times however he would use one neck at a time and would get a fuller fatter sound.

I watched Noel a number of times during his playing career and this is how he got the sound he wanted.

When Noel played his Custom guitar the treble was not as pronounced as when he went to the Stringmaster.

You refer to "The Best Of Noel Boggs" and you are correct,he did use as many high's as were possible.

There is a noticeable differece in tone between the Custom guitar and the Stringmaster. Much more high's are available
with the Stringmaster due to the much desired tone blender circuitry.

Noel went back to playing his Custom shortly before his passing.

I think that theory is koo-koo, personally.

John's gone back to MN by now, so I didn't get to take a lesson with him. I feel he really is one of the better non-pedal men in the world. To pre-empt any questions, he's temporarily back in Minnesota doing a software gig, though he still has a foot in the Honolulu scene. Apparently, 9/11 killed the tourism business to a great extent.

------------------
Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association