Rare early Fender console steel from soon after the company’s founding!
You're looking at a 1949 Fender Custom Triple-8 Console Steel Guitar, a fascinating piece of Fender’s early electric steel history.
Introduced around 1949, the Custom Triple-8 preceded the Stringmaster series and was produced until about 1958, with most units sold between 1950–1953
Early users included Noel Boggs, who helped shape its design, and it’s closely linked to vintage Western Swing and country stars.
Frequently confused with the Stringmaster, the Custom featured trapezoid or “boxcar” pickups rather than the dual single-coil setup of the latter.
 
This instrument appears to be completely original including legs and tweed case.
Early serial number! T154