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

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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

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

1980s Mel-O-Bar Explorer - 10 Strings!

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I have a great fondness for the Mel-O-Bar, as regular readers may know. The listing has some great information and hints at some of the flexibility of this multi-string format. Here's what the seller has to say...

This 1980s Melobar X-10 Explorer, a true Vintage Classic. Melobar guitars were made for lap steel and Dobro players to be able to play standing up. Melobars were made by Walt Smith who collaborated with many outstanding innovators in the guitar world from the Dopyera Brothers to Ned Steinberger and Semi Mosley. The design is basically the same on all models -- the neck is tilted as to be slightly less than perpendicular to the player. It hangs from a strap. There were very few of these instruments made and a number of them are used by "A-List" players in contemporary country bands (Tim McGraw and Toby Keith), David Lindley has several, also Rusty Young of Poco and Cindy Cashdollar to name a few. You can use your favorite tuning on these. It is totally up to you. For pedal steelers the 10 string models enable you to tune the first six strings to standard "E" tuning (E,B,E,G#,B,E). The remaining four are tuned to "A" (A,E,A,C#, A) which allows for suspensions and secondary chords to be produced without pedals.

The last few lines of the ad are quite telling.

This Bad Boy is in Excellent Condition - Minor wear and tear. - Guaranteed to Shred in the Right Hands!

"Shred in the Right Hands!" Hmmmm, I would love to hear what could be done with this by a young, free thinking (that bit is very important) metallurgist, Jazzologist or shredderista. I think it needs someone like that just because of the high degree of skill and dedication required to really master it, the potential for the execution of the most esoteric and/or microtonal scales and the potential for the wildest solos combined with jaw dropping visuals. Not to mention instant and total admiration from the rest of the musical community. The Hendrix of steel guitar!

Probably the instrument's biggest drawback is its history as the backbone of country music. You barely have to look at a lap steel for it to start wailing out those whiny Nasville yeehah! tones and "Crystal Chandelier" melodies. Musicians like David Lindley have done a lot to popularise it to a non-country audience but for the world at large the association with "that sound" is so strong, it will take a complete change of way-of-thinking about it to shake off that baggage.

I bought my own Mel-O-Bar on eBay a few weeks ago (still awaiting delivery but I'm patient). I have a Peavey Powerslide and am awaiting the imminent delivery of an old (40s/50s) National New Yorker lap steel - also care of eBay. The slide guitar bug has bitten hard.

I've just invested in a pile of lap steel books and an instructional dvd from the wonderfully named Cindy Cashdollar, which I'd recommend to anyone thinking of taking up any kind of steel guitar. I'm not a country music fan (the only albums I have are Merle Haggard, The Dixie Chicks and The Indigo Girls) but one thing I found out very early on is, the lap steel requires a lot of practice and a fair bit of discipline. And, understanding a few basic techniques, exercises, tunings and scale structures makes such a difference.

This is not a dig at country music, by the way, before all you rednecks start giving me grief, y'all. Just out loud thinking that maybe there is a another tonal voice to be heard from these instruments. Gavin pointed me in the direction of Captain Beefheart circa "Ice cream for crow" (one of my favourite Beefheart tracks) and although the (Mel-O-Bar) has a prominent contribution, it doesn't sound like a regular steel guitar.

Anyone know of players in other genres doing innovative stuff, metal, jazz?

David in Barcelona

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

OMG! Another Mel-O-Bar. But what a Mel-O-Bar!!!! Naugahyde!!!!

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We've had a few vintage Mel-O-Bars recently but this one is 1980s, unused with just a couple of small scratches on the neck and a liberal coating of shop dust. That's like fairy dust but more expensive. The sellers say it's been on display in their shop since the 1980s. The body is foam padded "for comfort" and, it's covered in Naugahyde!!!!!!! Sorry, more exclamation marks and bold type, I just can't help it.

It was Tom Waits who introduced me to the subtle, sticky and seductive texture, the clammy and clinging faux leatherette-ishness and the sweet, heady vinylious aroma of Naugahyde and I've been a sucker for it ever since.

I checked out Naugahyde on Google and they are still in business! www.naugahyde.com 

"There is only one Naugahyde and it's proudly made in the USA." Well, for that I'm glad! They do have a somewhat skewed take on eco friendly though, which is kind of fuzzed over with their story that Naugahyde comes from the sloughed skin of naugas - "No naugas were harmed in the production of this material". But as Naugahyde is actually made of PVC, the welfare of cute little fictional critters is the least of our worries. Slight digression... Guitar making is, in the mainstream at least, an industrial process and, even apart from the timbers that are used to build guitars, there are glues, paints, varnishes, plastics and heavy metals (yeah! I'm talking to you Ozzy) used in their manufacture so... Where art thou, eco-guitar?

It also has another interesting though somehow less, well, tactile feature (if you get my drift) which I've never seen before. Along the edge of the neck is a guide bar to help position the slide. I guess you would feel the notches with your finger tips as you play. I tried searching for more info on this but with no luck so far. It may well be an innovation unique to Melobars.

I'm pleased to say, that as it's clearly not everyones cup of tea, I had little opposition in the usual bidding frenzy over there at eBay Towers and it will be winging its way to sunny Barcelona (into the loving arms of the Spanish customs department so they can determine how much to fleece me for this time) very shortly. I stayed up till 4.30 in the morning to bid for this, by the way.

David in Barcelona

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

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Bullet Bars - custom steel guitar bars.