Fender S10 Student Model

[MrHillary]

Thanks again for the welcome, nice to be onboard!

As promised, a couple of snaps of my guitar. It's a 76 Sho Bud Fender Student Model 3x1, one careful owner from new! The gentleman who had it before me was German. He was also blind, so it was only ever played at home. He died 10 years ago and it went into the cellar in its case. His wife had forgotten all about it till she came to muck out the basement recently. Thankfully German houses don't appear to suffer from rising damp.

It's a fairly basic affair - a 3x1 pull-release - but it seems to do everything I need at this stage. I was impressed that even though noone had played it in donkey's, once it came up to pitch, everything was still adjusted pefectly. The tolex covering is mint, and the chrome tuner ashtray is in amazing condition too. You can what you like about them Americans, but they know how to chrome-plate stuff! The body is second-finest American maple with a light birdseye pattern - you can just about make out the fish fingers (hahaha).
The case is mint and it even had all his old picks, his steel (more on which soon) and a pack of Gretsch strings all in the original paper envelopes.

Its previous owner lived in Germany and bought it new in 1976. Story goes that he was matey with some US servicemen in Mainz, so I wonder if it found his way to him out the back door of the PX. Anyway, I think it's come to a good home. I feel like I'm the new custodian, so it's a definite keeper. I hope to be able to pass it on many years from now...

[michael murray]

Hey Nico and welcome. I also have a fender Student S10. I also have a Fender Artist S10.
Both were purchased through the Forum from reknowned Mr. John Davis.

Unlike yours, there is very little original about mine. At some point in its journey, it passed through the hands and workshop of the late Mr. James Morehead in the US.

He was a legendary Sho-Bud technician. He basically rebuilt it. It probably has more Sho-Bud DNA than Fender now.

All of the pot-metal parts have been replaced. The changer has been upgraded (probably a Sho-Bud one). The undercarriage rebuilt. It has 4 knees now and a Wallace Truetone pickup. It also has aluminium leg and a Sho-Bud pedal bar sticker! It is a thing of beauty.

The Artist S10 is factory original.

[michael murray]

Unfortunately the tuning of a pull/release changer is beyond my pay grade ATM. I have a post on the Fender Pedal Steel Facebook Group which has given me some basic information on the subject but it all seems counter-intuitive. Quite frankly, it scares the living bejesus out of me. The FB group is worth a look if you’re not already familiar with it. It’s moderated by Basil Henriques.

[MrHillary]

Hiya Buddy!
Pleased to make your acquaintance. Thanks for sharing the snaps. That's quite some engineering there, and quite a back-story!.

I read that it can (keyword alert!) be done, and there's your proof, but mine's in too original condition to make any real mods. I might think about a pickup upgrade. Maybe. I mean that's easy enough to undo.

I think I'll miss having a high E lower in the long term, and I'd love to work out how to take the Eb all the way down to C# but like you say, pull-release is beyond the wit of mortal man! Seems to be a very careful balancing act.