Telecaster Guitar Forum - View Single Post - 80s era St. Blues / Saint Blues / Strings & Things?

beach bob · February 5th, 2008, 12:19 PM

Hey all,

I have an 80s era St. Blues guitar, made in Memphis by the Strings & Things folks. I'm posting this here, as the most common model they made back then was the Bluescaster, a sort of Tele / Les Paul hybrid. Hope I'm not messing w/ the rules here; this folder seems to get the most traffic. Everyone at the Tele forum is in the Tele folder; duh

Anyways, the one I have is a pretty straightup strat, it has a bookmatched 2 piece ash body, honey burst finish, maple neck and <edit> cap rosewood fretboard. 3 single coils, vintage style tremolo and kluson style tuners. Five way switch and a strat-ish headstock (the bottom of the round tip is shaped / cutoff parallel to the 'fin' below it). It is labeled St. Blues in Fender-ish script on the headstock, with "Strings & Things, Memphis TN" below that. No string tree. Has a cream top binding per their usual design, and the typical back belly contour, which is a good thing, as I have a belly

... the guard is cream, one ply, and does not have a bevel to the edge. Three knobs that work as a typical strat: Vol / Tone / Tone.

History on the make is that Strings & Things started making custom repros in the late 70s... eventually starting a product line in the early 80s using ESP parts imported from Japan. By 1985 they were in full production and had changed the name to St. Blues... but being more guitar crafters than businessmen, the line folded in 1989.

The name has been ressurected recently, and a line of Bluesmaster style guitars is now being made in Korea, with final setup evidently happening in Memphis. There is some controversy over the quality of these Korean models, but I'll stay away from that for now.

My question -- can anyone tell me what this thing is worth? I've done a fair amount of web research, and have sussed out the history, but closed Ebay auctions / Craiglist searches haven't really gleaned any info on current value for the 80s era St. Blues / S&T. Mine is mint, save for two small dings, one at the top edge along the binding and one on the back of the headstock. The finish is still shiny ... I did have it pro refretted w/ slightly larger frets; I would call them medium. Nothing akin to a metal style fat fret strat neck. Sounds great, gets that Knopfler sound, though I haven't a clue as to p'up brand; they are stock. Nothing with real heat, but it's good wood, so they do sound nice. I bought this as a backup to my old strat, but the band folded shortly after I got this... it's seen hardly any playing time ...

Any help is appreciated. And yes, now that I've teased y'all, I'm gonna make some digital pics and post them here in the next few days so you can ooooh and ahhh

February 5th, 2008, 12:19 PM	#1 (permalink)
beach bob Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: South Florida Posts: 1,094	80s era St. Blues / Saint Blues / Strings & Things? Hey all, I have an 80s era St. Blues guitar, made in Memphis by the Strings & Things folks. I'm posting this here, as the most common model they made back then was the Bluescaster, a sort of Tele / Les Paul hybrid. Hope I'm not messing w/ the rules here; this folder seems to get the most traffic. Everyone at the Tele forum is in the Tele folder; duh Anyways, the one I have is a pretty straightup strat, it has a bookmatched 2 piece ash body, honey burst finish, maple neck and <edit> cap rosewood fretboard. 3 single coils, vintage style tremolo and kluson style tuners. Five way switch and a strat-ish headstock (the bottom of the round tip is shaped / cutoff parallel to the 'fin' below it). It is labeled St. Blues in Fender-ish script on the headstock, with "Strings & Things, Memphis TN" below that. No string tree. Has a cream top binding per their usual design, and the typical back belly contour, which is a good thing, as I have a belly ... the guard is cream, one ply, and does not have a bevel to the edge. Three knobs that work as a typical strat: Vol / Tone / Tone. History on the make is that Strings & Things started making custom repros in the late 70s... eventually starting a product line in the early 80s using ESP parts imported from Japan. By 1985 they were in full production and had changed the name to St. Blues... but being more guitar crafters than businessmen, the line folded in 1989. The name has been ressurected recently, and a line of Bluesmaster style guitars is now being made in Korea, with final setup evidently happening in Memphis. There is some controversy over the quality of these Korean models, but I'll stay away from that for now. My question -- can anyone tell me what this thing is worth? I've done a fair amount of web research, and have sussed out the history, but closed Ebay auctions / Craiglist searches haven't really gleaned any info on current value for the 80s era St. Blues / S&T. Mine is mint, save for two small dings, one at the top edge along the binding and one on the back of the headstock. The finish is still shiny ... I did have it pro refretted w/ slightly larger frets; I would call them medium. Nothing akin to a metal style fat fret strat neck. Sounds great, gets that Knopfler sound, though I haven't a clue as to p'up brand; they are stock. Nothing with real heat, but it's good wood, so they do sound nice. I bought this as a backup to my old strat, but the band folded shortly after I got this... it's seen hardly any playing time ... Any help is appreciated. And yes, now that I've teased y'all, I'm gonna make some digital pics and post them here in the next few days so you can ooooh and ahhh Last edited by beach bob; February 6th, 2008 at 12:18 AM.