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Author
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Topic: Dating a Fender Dual Pro
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jsaine
Member From: Charlottesville, VA
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posted 12 November 2003 04:05 PM
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Can anyone tell me how to date my Fender Dual Professional stringmaster? There is no date under the headstocks or bridges. Is there a link for serial numbers?
Thanks
-Jeff |
Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Austin, Texas
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posted 12 November 2003 08:20 PM
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Well is it a Dual Professional or Double-8 Stringmaster??
Stringmaster has two pickups per neck with a blend control behind the bridge.
The Dual professional has triangle case over a single pickup where the strings go through.
What color is the guitar?
What color is the Case?
What color is then inside of the case?
What is the scale length from bridge to nut?
There is a volume and tone knob..but how do you switch from neck to neck ie; what kind of neck selector swith is it and is there a toggle switch(two way) also???
Ok Start with those questions??
Ricky |
HowardR
Member From: N.Y.C.,N.Y.
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posted 12 November 2003 08:29 PM
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Chris Scruggs
Member From: Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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posted 12 November 2003 10:48 PM
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If it is a Dual Professional, there are two case styles. The earlier style is very square, and when you pick it up and carry it, the leg compartment is under the weight of the guitar. The later style has leather trim on the edges, and the legs have their own walled off compartment under the case lid, with two snap buttons to keep the wall shut. The earlier style was made from around mid 1949 to mid 1952. The later style from mid 1952 to mid 1955. Fender didn't start writing the dates under the tuning pans until mid 1950. This is also a consideration, but other forces could of removed the date from the guitar. Also, 1954 and 1955 guitars have a very "creamy" shade of blond, earlier ones are more "butterscotsh". |
jsaine
Member From: Charlottesville, VA
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posted 13 November 2003 02:26 PM
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I guess I should have given more info. The guitar is a dual 6 six string, 4 legs, 2 single coil black pickups under each neck with a tone blender under a chrome square bridge cover. It is blond and the case is black with orange interior and an open leg compartment. Gruhn says they first started making these in 1957 but I believe this is late sixties early 70's. The serial # is 01637 and it is the standard 22.5" scale model. It is very clean and I'm thinking of trading it for a good used pedal steel. I figure the buyer might want to know the year.
Thanks for your replies.
-Jeff |
Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Austin, Texas
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posted 14 November 2003 11:11 AM
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Yep Jeff by your explaination of two pickups with blend control; it is indeed Fender Dual-6 Stringmaster.
With the black case starting in early 60's with orangish interior>...but they stopped putting the date under the tuning pans in mid-60's...and so this one is somewhere after 1965 most likely.
However; they did put the date under the pickup plate....>so you may find it there.
Ricky |
Brad Sarno
Member From: St. Louis, MO USA
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posted 14 November 2003 03:06 PM
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Flowers and chocolates may work for the initial courting process. Brad Sarno
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Herb Steiner
Member From: Cedar Valley, Travis County TX
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posted 14 November 2003 03:15 PM
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Well, not to get picky-picky with Ricky  , but there were no guitars called the "Dual-6 Stringmaster."All Stringmasters had 8 strings per neck and two or more necks. What the guitar in question is, officially, is a "Dual-6 Professional Guitar." These guitars, beginning in 1957, had Stringmaster features but were not Stringmasters. From 1950 through 1956 they had Dual Professional features; Direct String pickups, DP body style, etc. Incidentally, there were no single neck Stringmasters either. Those instruments are called "the Deluxe Guitar." Prior to 1957, Deluxes had Dual Pro features as listed above, then the SM features; 2 pickups, different body shape, etc. There was the "Deluxe 6" and the "Deluxe 8." I have old Fender catalogs that clearly state what these guitars were called originally. ------------------
Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association
[This message was edited by Herb Steiner on 15 November 2003 at 10:55 AM.]
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Jody Carver
Member From: The Knight Of Fender Tweed. Dodger Blue Forever
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posted 14 November 2003 03:41 PM
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I have old Fender catalogs that clearly state what these guitars were called originally.And you always have me if you want me  |
Herb Steiner
Member From: Cedar Valley, Travis County TX
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posted 14 November 2003 04:09 PM
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Jody, hope you don't mind me sitting in on your gig. ------------------
Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association
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Jody Carver
Member From: The Knight Of Fender Tweed. Dodger Blue Forever
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posted 14 November 2003 04:20 PM
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No WayYou would make me look and sound bad. Dont play that Bigsby if you do. I dont want Leo's spirit to play hell with me.
[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 15 November 2003 at 04:32 AM.] |
jsaine
Member From: Charlottesville, VA
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posted 14 November 2003 04:46 PM
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Thanks for the responses. Of course Herb is correct as even Gruhn states that such things as dual pickups, the tone blender and rectangular bridge covers are "stringmaster features". I still haven't found a date though. Maybe I missed it under the pickup plate? Am I correct in assuming that serial numbers don't matter where dating is concerned? |
Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Austin, Texas
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posted 14 November 2003 07:31 PM
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Right you are Herbster....and it is Herb that I learned most of this from anyway..ah..ha..>but I guess I just called it (instead of the proper Dual-6 Professional) a "Dual-6 Stringmaster"...as that explains the steel to me a little more and therefore that's how I explain it..>but Picky Ricky SHOULD be more Picky I suppose.
....and NO the serial numbers do not account for the date....>Not that I could ever find..>but Jody may know the serial number moreso...>but I believe they were just stamped on them randomly...
>....Just saying it is a mid to late 60's would be a safe bet...>but to me the exact year doesn't really matter...>unless it's pre-60's..and this one is not.
A 60's model Fender....I'd buy for small change...but a 50's model Fender....I'd pay COUNTLESS bucks for...as to me was a whole different sound because of the different Wood used from the 50's to 60's...
What ever the idiots at Grhun have it listed as worth...>cut that in half; is what you can really get for it...
Ricky[This message was edited by Ricky Davis on 14 November 2003 at 07:32 PM.] |
Jody Carver
Member From: The Knight Of Fender Tweed. Dodger Blue Forever
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posted 16 November 2003 04:37 PM
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but Jody may know the serial number,,,Hey
Ricky Im a babe in the woods compared to Howard R.he would know how to date a Fender.Is Howard in the house??? Howard where are you?? |
HowardR
Member From: N.Y.C.,N.Y.
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posted 16 November 2003 06:07 PM
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"Just when I've gotten out, they drag me back in." http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum2/HTML/002848.html |
Jody Carver
Member From: The Knight Of Fender Tweed. Dodger Blue Forever
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posted 17 November 2003 07:37 AM
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Howard
You Earned it...anyone who can love like that
deserves a second chance.Look out for Brad...he has the locks Lover Come Back To Me |
Brad Bechtel
Moderator From: San Francisco, CA
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posted 17 November 2003 04:54 PM
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Reopened at Jody's request.------------------
Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
HowardR
Member From: N.Y.C.,N.Y.
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posted 17 November 2003 05:36 PM
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I intended the very least amount of intrusion and that is why I posted the link, and not the direct photo.Brad, your fairness in moderating is well appreciated. So, here is, possibly late 60s - early 70s, a Dual 6 with Stringmaster attributes....
There is no date on the pup plates or cavity. I also had removed the tuner pans to clean them, and there was no date there either. I guess I'm dateless (sorry, no photo, I'm on thin ice as it is )[This message was edited by HowardR on 17 November 2003 at 05:39 PM.]
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jsaine
Member From: Charlottesville, VA
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posted 17 November 2003 06:03 PM
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Pretty much my situation in a nutshell. Mine looks just like yours. Perhaps they could get together......
The only thing I haven't checked are the leg sockets.
Thanks for the post.
-Jeff |
HowardR
Member From: N.Y.C.,N.Y.
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posted 17 November 2003 07:58 PM
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