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I was at a the International Surf Music show in Huntington Beach CA. this past weekend and on display inside the museum was a guitar Dick Dale bought in 1954. Couldn't find/read a makers name on it but is sure has some similarities to a Bigsby. Can anyone identify it's maker?

http://www.surfingmuseum.org/Music.html

Magnatone

Looks like we are both right. http://www.kingmuddfish.com/Instruments ... ark_iv.htm

Interesting, guys. So, it's not always a Fender that got the great guys started

Yep. Magnatone, alright, mid-to-late-'50's, and I suspect it was originally a right-handed guitar. The pickguard and armrest are not original, and the armrest covers up the rout where the controls would have been in a righty configuration. And that model was designed by Paul Bigsby.

jfine wrote:I suspect it was originally a right-handed guitar. The pickguard and armrest are not original, and the armrest covers up the rout where the controls would have been in a righty configuration.

A clever deduction Jon, I think you hit the nail on the head; good thinking!
BTW, it makes me think that perhaps that's even the original pick guard still on it...but reversed
[edit] It seems the last person to have played it was a ....righty (notice the appropriate setup of the strings for RH use).

Dick Dale plays his guitars strung right handed, so this one is ready for him to pick up and play.

Paul--in its original state the Magnatone would not have had a pickguard. The volume and tone controls were mounted on a somewhat-"dog-bone"-shaped metal plate, with a pot at each end and a 3-way blade switch in between. The armrest covers up the rout where the control plate would have been. The white finish isn't original either--if the trapeze tailpiece is original (and it looks like it could be), the guitar's a Mark IV, which came in cherry red. I've only seen one original in forty years, so they might have been available in other finishes, but the only catalog photo I've seen looks like it's cherry--it's a black-and-white shot. There was also a Mark V, which was the same guitar in sunburst with a Bigsby vibrato. These things are crazy rare--like I said, I've seen only one Mark IV in forty years, and I've never seen a Mark V except in pictures.

MWaldorf wrote:Dick Dale plays his guitars strung right handed, so this one is ready for him to pick up and play.

Mel, that is really weird! ... I have never followed DD that closely, he must be unique in this field and in that light it would seem obvious that Dick Dale is an entirely self taught player. Amazing.

Jon, thanks for that interesting info on Magnatone

Veenture wrote:

MWaldorf wrote:Dick Dale plays his guitars strung right handed, so this one is ready for him to pick up and play.

Mel, that is really weird! ... I have never followed DD that closely, he must be unique in this field and in that light it would seem obvious that Dick Dale is an entirely self taught player. Amazing.

Jon, thanks for that interesting info on Magnatone

Paul,
The upside down stringing is why the Dick Dale strat has a flipped headstock and bridge pickup angled opposite normal - they were trying to replicate the stringing on his guitar!