St. Blues Bluesking Bass IV 1984 Delta Black

ST. BLUES BLUESKING BASS IV

“BB-IV”

ALL ORIGINAL.

NOT A REISSUE.

BUILT IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, USA

1984

Possibly some of the best guitars of the 1960’s were built in the 1980’s in Memphis, TN by the Strings and Things Custom Workshop.  Their story is below.

But first, the ORIGINAL St. Blues guitar for sale here is a:

BLUESKING BASS IV

SN:  35023

This is absolutely one of the best bass guitars I have ever played with a smooth bottom tone that is full and warm.  Almost a jazz bass.

Unlike most S&T model numbers, where the Roman numeral indicates the number of pickups, this refers to it being a bass, i.e. “IV” equals 4 strings.

The BB-IV “features the St. Blues ‘ACE/DEUCE’ pickup assembly custom wound by St. Blues which has a split coil pickup in the front position for punch, and a single coil pickup in the bridge position for clarity and definition.”  “Each Pickup has its own VOLUME, with one master TONE control.” “Numerous tones are achieved by blending these two volume controls for the desired amounts of punch or clarity.” “Strong in dynamic range , the Blues ‘ACE/DEUCE’ pickup assembly is powerful, yet remains flat in its response, allowing total ‘note definition’”.

This guitar features a MAPLE fretboard and Kluson tuners. 

The finish on this guitar is their “DELTA BLACK” and features the famous “St. Blues binding” with a white pickguard.

This guitar is in excellent operational and mechanical condition.  Cosmetically it has been passed around and shows it in its nicks, dings, scratches, chips, etc.  It is “naturally reliced”.

It is not an exaggeration to call this guitar a “super cool” 1960’s guitar even though it was built in 1984.  And it plays and sounds just the way you expect.

These guitars have been reissued but the new ones are just not as “old good” as this one.  I think a lot of that has to do with the climate of the times and the incredible Memphis musical vibe surrounding them.  It strikes me that these guitars were the first reincarnation of the classic Fenders and Gibson that we saw in the early 1960’s in their cool appearance, great tone, and comfortable necks.

Please look at my other listings for more of these rare, and becoming rarer, great guitars.

ABOUT THE BUILDER:

S&T Custom Workshop Guitars, a/k/a

St. Blues Guitars

Their history:

The roots of Saint Blues started growing in the late 1960's, when Led Zeppelin's tour brought them to Memphis. Jimmy Page walked into Mike Ladd's guitar shop, known for some of the best customization work in the country, and asked Mike Ladd and Tom Keckler to overhaul one of his guitars. When Page saw Keckler's work he asked if Tom would refurbish all of his instruments. Many other entertainers followed over the years. The shop, located across the street from Graceland, ended up building a special guitar for Elvis that was a birthday present from his dad. This one-of-a-kind guitar can be seen being played by Elvis in his "Elvis, Live in Hawaii" video. Keckler moved his repair and custom shop to Strings & Things, the legendary Memphis music store founded by Charles Lawing. In 1978, Tom left Memphis to hook up with Tom Anderson and David Schecter to launch Schecter Guitar Research in Van Nuys. In 1983 he moved back to Memphis and rejoined Charlie to build custom guitars for Strings and Things. These first generation guitars were called S & T Custom Workshop Guitars ­ and dealers were wild for the guitars but not for the name. The name was changed to Saint Blues and the brand was born.  The first original prototype design for Saint Blues was the Bluesmaster. It’s unique shape, vintage appearance and playability created a lot of interest from players and led to its first production in 1985. The list of people who played that Bluesmaster is impressive, and includes Bono on the Rattle and Hum album, Elliot Easton of the Cars, Eric Clapton, Marshall Crenshaw, Joe Walsh, Jeff Carlisi of .38 Special, Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult, Scott Page (Pink Floyd, Toto), Billy Squire, Martin Briley, Elvin Bishop, Joe Walsh and Glenn Grey of the Eagles, Dave Edmunds, Albert King, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and many more. While the guitars were a critical success, the business was continually hampered by lack of capital. By 1989, with the dollar at an historic low against the Yen, Saint Blues was priced out of the market. Without the capital to keep going, they stopped production later that year. Interest in the line has never wavered, with sales of vintage St. Blues models on eBay going for record prices.

1983 called S & T Custom Workshop Guitars

1983/84 name changed to St. Blues

1985 Bluesmaster introduced.

1989 Closed.

2500 Guitars built.

OUR INVENTORY #:  851

ALL TRADE OFFERINGS WILL BE CONSIDERED.

Thanks.