Fender Stringmaster console guitar, 4 x 8-string necks = 32 strings!

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Multi-necked instruments were nothing ususual in the world of steel guitars - and later - pedal-steel guitars. They allowed the player to have each neck set up with a different open-tuning, and unlike our more usual perception of double- (triple-, etc) necked guitars, they are not cumbersome instruments that you wear on a strap and which end up giving you serious backache. These babies have legs of their own!

With 4 necks, 32 strings and 8 pickups, here we have a Fender Stringmaster also know as the Quad or Q-8. The eBay seller claims it is from the 1940s or 1950s, but a little basic research would have revealed that the Stringmaster was first introduced in 1953, so all this talk of "1940s" is lazy unsubstantiated guesswork.

This particular example has 22.5" scale necks. Stringmasters were also available with 24.5" scale necks, although in their first year of production a long 26" scale was used.

The Stringmaster was available in two, three and four-neck versions. The single-neck equiavalent was known as the Fender Deluxe and was available in 6 and 8-string variants.

Currently being auctioned on eBay with a starting price of $1,999.99.

G L Wilson

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