I have the chance to get a Fender Showmaster with these specs
set neck, 24 frets w/ abalone inlays
quilt maple arched top, amber color w/ matching headstock face
2 seymour Duncan humbuckers w/ 5 way switch
black chrome hardware
2 pt tremelo
Made in Korea
A local pawn shop is selling it for $400 and it is in excellent condition.
Does anybody know about when these were made? Is the price a fair price?

That's a fair price. Nice Showmasters sell for about that much. I think they are incredibly cool guitars.

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

Well, I bought it!! I know own a mint 2005 Fender Showmaster QMT HH Set neck Special Edition. Very cool guitar!!


It has some really cool tones from the SD pickups and 5 way switch. It should sound good live and in the studio.

The wood grain is a knockout for $400 you got a playable work of art.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Anybody know where I can get a tremelo bar for this guitar??
It is a 2 point fulcrum tremelo, similar to the MIA model, but I am not sure if it is identical. It also comes in what Fender calls "smoked chrome finish" The bar does not have a plastic tip, like the Floyd Rose style bar. I see threads in the trem block, so I think it screws in, not a pop in type.

Before you buy, check out Ebay. $133 USD and up for Showmasters.

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

Thanks, but I won't buy anything that I have not played, or even seen in person.

You may be able to check out what bar is compatable by gently trying to screw in a 1" or longer 10-24 or 10-32 screw,that should show you the proper thread size.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Those prices sound more like the Squier Showmaster and not the Fender..
What type of Duncans are in that Showmaster?

Congrats on your new Showmaster good looking guitar ..Hope it plays and sounds as good as it looks..I have thought many times of buying one of these when i see them forsale on Craigslist ..Please post a review when you get a chance

Made in Korea or Made in China it doesn't make a bit of difference. I don't care what it says on the headstock, it's still not Made in the USA. Not saying that it's not a nice guitar, but don't get snobby about what "cheap labor Country" the non US models are made in. A Showmaster is a Showmaster/

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

I have had the guitar 2 days now and am very impressed by the quality and sound. The reason I got it was the combination of features not found on other Strats I own. I love the 24 fret set neck!! It has jumbo frets, and is very smooth and fast. The neck heel is non-existent, so playing all the way up the neck is a breeze.
The pickups are made in USA;
Neck = Seymour Duncan '59 SH-1n reverse polarity humbucker
bridge = Pearly Gates Plus SH PgP-1B humbucker
They sound great, but hooked up to the 5 way switch, it has some unique sounds.
switch positions;
1=full bridge humbucker(coils in series)
2=both inside single coils(coils in series) for the classic Strat quack tone
3=both full humbuckers
4= full neck humbucker(coils in parallel)
5= full neck humbucker(coils in series)
I was hesitant to get a Made in Korea Fender, but after I saw all the nice features(graphite nut, locking tuners, recessed knobs, abalone dot inlays, awesome quilt top, flawless finish) I was sold. I got over the "If it is not MIA, it's crap" attitude a long time ago. I judge a guitar by how it sounds, plays and feels. I own about 35 guitars, and many are MIA. I just get what I like, and am lucky enough to have quite a few. Don't get me wrong, I am not wealthy by ANY stretch of the imagination. I just like to buy guitars and play them, record with them, and tinker with them. I tend to buy Fender guitars, especially Strats that are a little.......different. I like the classic designs, but I think that Fender has made some really cool non-traditional Strats, and that is what I like. To each, his own!!
And if you're gonna $@!&* about a guitar made in Korea, don't use your cell phone, or TV, or computer, or any other electronic device that has been made in the Far East. Thats where they all come from nowadays ya know.

[quote="paisley strat And if you're gonna $@!&* about a guitar made in Korea, don't use your cell phone, or TV, or computer, or any other electronic device that has been made in the Far East. Thats where they all come from nowadays ya know.[/quote]

If that last bit was directed at my post, that's not where I was going with the thought. I was referring to a prior post where the Squier Showmasters seemed to be compared unfavorably to the MIK Showmasters.

While I do think it's "wrong" to put the Fender name on a guitar not made in the US Fender Factory, I don't think the offshore manufactured guitars are bad instruments (heck I just bought an Epiphone Prophecy). I also don't think that because it's made in Korea it it's any better (or should cost more) than the ones made in China.

In short, folks shouldn't get snooty because their low cost guitar has a bit higher retail price than someone elses low cost guitar.

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

If that last bit was directed at my post, that's not where I was going with the thought. I was referring to a prior post where the Squier Showmasters seemed to be compared unfavorably to the MIK Showmasters.

While I do think it's "wrong" to put the Fender name on a guitar not made in the US Fender Factory, I don't think the offshore manufactured guitars are bad instruments (heck I just bought an Epiphone Prophecy). I also don't think that because it's made in Korea it it's any better (or should cost more) than the ones made in China.

In short, folks shouldn't get snooty because their low cost guitar has a bit higher retail price than someone elses low cost guitar.[/quote]

The whole reason why Fender started making guitars in Japan, Mexico, Korea, China, Indonesia is they realized that to continue to introduce a larger section of the guitar buying population to their products, they had to keep prices affordable. What used to be just a plain ole' Fender Stratocaster now costs $1,200 new. And the cheapest one is the Hwy 1 for $700. For most folks, that is a lot of money
How much would a set neck Stratocaster, with top of the line components cost if it came from Corona?? $2,000? $2,500? Heck the new MIA 1970s reissue goes for around $1,800, and in the 1970s, folks thought that the post CBS Strats were junk!!! I wish I could afford a stable of MIA Strats, Teles, Precisions etc. but I can't, so I get what I can afford.
The strange thing is, sometimes I find myself playing some of my cheapest guitars more than some of my most expensive ones. My ears can't tell where it was made.

I think we are basically saying the same thing bro.

My ONLY issue with the manufactured outside the USA guitars is that I don't think they should say "Fender" on the headstock.

FMIC guitars made in China and Indonesia are branded "Squier" by Fender while FMIC instruments made in Mexico and Korea are simpy branded "Fender". I just don't agree with it. Fender is an American Icon and as such I feel that only the MIA instruments should have Fender on the headstock.

They are still great guitars without a doubt. Besides my MIA Strats and Tele, I have an MIM Jazz Bass, A Squier Vintage Modified Tele Bass, and a HH Squier Strat in my home right now (along with an Epi Les Paul and the new Epi Prophecy SG) so I'm not exclusively an MIA guy myself.

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

Awesome Showmaster dude ,I do know the MIA's do have a push in tremolo not a screw in.