more fender porn.show us your showmasters.

ravendouglas

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The Fender show master in my mind is the forgotten son of Fender,the black sheep of the family so to speak. I dont know much about them I do know a little.This forum has taught me a lot. I play a M.I.K. showmaster. I love it. I have had it for 5 plus years..funny thing I didnt know it was a show master. It was bought in Lafeyette Louisianna,new from a local music shop.They sold it to me as a tyedyed strat.When I took it for a set up last year,the tech had to look this guitar up on a bluebook type site for guitars, and identified it correctly as a showmaster.He told me to hang on to it. So if ya got a pic lets see the showmasters.
 
Re: more fender porn.show us your showmasters.

I think you may be the only forum member with a showmaster.

Perhaps, but let me say this of the showmaster. It is a guitar that is SORELY underrated, particularly as an MIK or a Custom shop piece. This guitar was originally concocted in the mid 90s as a means for Fender to compete with Jackson / Charvel, Ibanez, etc., and its "father" was Gene Baker, one of the original Custom Shop Luthiers. As a custom shop piece, it's essentially a more radically carved Stratocaster that is available in a variety of guises, from Bolt-On HSS, to Set-Neck H-H or even just a single H. It's typically a Mahogany Body with a maple or mahogany neck (depending on if it's bolted or set-in), and they tend to have contoured heels. The necks are 12" Radius, and usually either in maple or ebony board, although it is NOT unheard of for them to have rosewood boards (customer preference as it is a CS piece).

The MIKs though, are more all over the place... some are H-S as with Ravens, others are H-H, and some are even S-S-S. Woods are you name it, ranging from ash to mahogany, but the constants here are set necks and a 15.75" radius. In my eyes, these showmasters are kept as a means to compete against mid-priced Ibanez guitars in the RG series (NB: not prestige or J-Customs). What I make of these is they are good guitars for the $500 to $600 they command, but they are not on the level of the custom shop pieces in terms of woods, tightness of fit, electronics, etc. This is made harder by the Metric / American conversion where one needs to bore out the holes for American / CTS electronics as opposed to the inexpensive pieces put in the MIKs.

One thing to note is that set-neck showmasters have the mortise and tenon joint that is to an extent neck-thru. It is different than a Gibson joint, and EXTREMELY strong, without the feeling of a sudden transition to neck / body. It feels like a neckthru, but it isn't. (A good thing as neckthrus when they warp are hell). I don't know if anyone else has a Showmaster, but they are sorely underrated, and the CS ones are EXCELLENT guitars to play. VERY high quality too.

Jason
 
Re: more fender porn.show us your showmasters.

Dont get me wrong , I like them and remember coming close to buying one at one time. Just dont seem to hear much about the around here. But now that can change with Raven here.
 
Re: more fender porn.show us your showmasters.

I think you may be the only forum member with a showmaster.

i like having things not everybody has. if i am the only one here with a show master,thats cool with me. that means my guitar possibly one day ,might become rare.there are a zillion strats,pauls ,and teles around ,but they didnt make a whole lot of these.
 
Re: more fender porn.show us your showmasters.

Dont get me wrong , I like them and remember coming close to buying one at one time. Just dont seem to hear much about the around here. But now that can change with Raven here.

i wrongly thought i was playing a strat.i was impressed with the wrong guitar.i think show masters are awsome.that fender of mine has a really great neck.i have the build sheet on this guitar from fender.
Subject: Tie-Dye Strat
To: vaitusraven@yahoo.com
Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2009, 11:12 AM

Your guitar was made in December 2004:






Model Name: Tie-Dye Strat HS

Model Number: 026-4900-(550)

Series: Special Edition Series

Body: Basswood

Neck: Maple, Modern “C” Shape,

(Polyurethane Finish)

Fingerboard: Rosewood, 9.5” Radius (241mm)

No. of Frets: 22 Vintage Frets

Scale Length: 25.5" (648mm)

Width @ Nut: 1.625”

Hardware: Black

Machine Heads: Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines

Bridge: 2-Point Synchronized Tremolo

Pickguard: None

Pickups: 1 Humbucking Pickup (Bridge),

1 Single Coil (Neck),

Pickup Switching: 3-Position Blade:

Position 1. Bridge Pickup

Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups

Position 3. Neck Pickup

Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone

Colors: (550) Hippie Blue,

(Polyurethane Finish)

Strings: Fender Super 250L, Nickel Plated Steel, (.009 to .042), p/n 073-0250-003

Unique Features: Side Dot Position Inlays,

Slab Body with Sharp Radius,

Black Back and Sides,

Matching Painted Headstock,

Graphite Nut,

Side Mounted Jack,

Large Strap Retainer Buttons

Source: Korea

Accessories: None

U.S. MSRP: $684.99

Specs:

INTRODUCED: 1/2004

DISCONTINUED: 10/2005
..this is the actual build sheet fender sent me.










interesting note.the guitar is called tie dye strat,but thats not what it is.
 
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Re: more fender porn.show us your showmasters.

i enjoy this guitar so much,it took me 5 years to start wanting another guitar to mess around on..so this year i got the ltd to go with it.
 
Re: more fender porn.show us your showmasters.

Here is my 2004 MIK showmaster Hum "59" and pearly gates pickups...IMG_1166.jpgIMG_1167.jpgIMG_1168.jpgIMG_1169.jpgIMG_1170.jpgIMG_1171.jpg
 
Re: more fender porn.show us your showmasters.

Here's my 99 Squire Stagemaster, which after a few changes was renamed the Showmaster in 2002 following a trademark dispute with Kramer Guitars.
It used to be frost red, but I stripped it and made it vintage natural instead

20150523_000542.jpg
 
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