LP Identification - El Degas?

[Flyswatter]

Hi folks,

Just registered here after acquiring what may be a 70s LP copy by El Degas. Hoping some people here might be able to help.

Photos on another forum post available here: http://www.tdpri.com/forum/other-guitar ... -copy.html

and here: http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/other-l ... -copy.html

It's a no name headstock, no brand labels or logos of any kind, no serial numbers, no identification on the pickups, which are stock (wiring was old/ nonfunctioning and had clearly never been changed). "Made in Japan" is stamped under the tailpiece and bridge, which has what looks like plastic saddles.

The reason I'm thinking El Degas is from a lot of Googling the only headstock shape, truss rod cover shape, and original tuner shape I can find that match my guitar almost exactly are some of the 70s EDs. Did ED make "no name" guitars under contract?

Also, I've read here that ED put DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups as stock in some of their Les Pauls. The pickups in mine look and sound identifcal to DM SD's in spite of no brand logo on the bottom. Does anyone know if DM made pickups in bulk for ED without the usual brand stamp or label one would expect in the aftermarket versions?

Oh, and the guitar has a "false top" -- i.e. an arch glued over a sandwiched space with a gap under the arch so the wires more around. Neck is bolt on. Nonetheless, an amazing guitar that I'm in the process of restoring and upgrading.

Cheers for any help!

[charles]

Could possibly be an El Degas if the previous owner removed the logo very cleanly. Hard to say. If it's not an El Degas, it could have been easily made in the same place.

The thing to understand is that El Degas did not actually "make" anything. El Degas is simply a "white label" - all of their instruments were made by overseas manufacturers and their name was put onto the ones made to their specs. Many names of the era (and, indeed, today) operate in this manner - a manufacturer makes products for many brands and puts logos on the ones that are for each brand.

In my opinion, you're better off trying to determine the actual manufacturer, but that might be a goose-chase. In the end, if you have a great 70's MIJ guitar, that's the important thing!

[Barry]

(You were posting as I was writing Charles.. )

Hi Fly.
It does not appear from the one picture of the headstock like there has ever been a logo on it. If there was and it was removed, there should be some evidence of it. The El Degas brand was a Canadian "white label" product owned by B&J Music, so if this was an ED it should have had a logo.

Many of the MIJ ED's were exceptionally well made and featured a MOP inlay logo. Later versions were simply decals. Your guitar may have been made in Japan but I do not see much evidence of it. Very unusual to not see some reference to "Made in Japan" somewere, especially the neck plate. Stamping on the hardware is no guarantee the guitar itself was made there. And if it was I would not think it was done by the usual plants with which we've become accustomed, like Matsumoku, FuijiGen, Chushin, etc.

All in all, it looks to be typical construction for the time, and should play well. Worth restoring.

[Flyswatter]

Thanks for the replies, Charles and Barry. To answer your speculations, there has never been a logo on the headstock -- and it is not a refinish which I could tell when I replaced the original worn out tuners with Grovers and the original bushings showed no evidence of ever being removed from the guitar. I've refinished a couple of old guitars in the past (including a 90s Epiphone LP) and I'm pretty familiar with the traces that are left when logos are removed or covered over.

I got a reply back from Dimarzio. They suggest that absence of any markings on the underside of the pickups make it unlikely they are theirs. At any rate they are very good imitations of Dimarzio Super Distortions -- the guitar has monster tone, is quiet as humbuckers should be, and there's no reason to upgrade the pickups, no matter what they are.

I'm gonna stop worrying about what brand it is... good advice there. I do think it is MIJ because in spite of no logo every part of it is characteristic of one or more of the 70s-80s MIJ LP copies. There is no evidence whatsoever of the guitar having been modded or upgraded before I got it.

I've upgraded to Gibson pots, an Epiphone toggle switch, Grover tuners and now the guitar plays and sounds great. I own a recent model U.S. Gibson SG and I'm amazed at how strongly this so-called "knockoff" Les Paul rivals it in sound and quality.

BTW, Brian. I notice your location is Milton, Ontario. I lived in Stratford for many years and used to play "the old Jail" back in the 80s.

Cheers and happy new year!

[charles]

FYI about the Dimarzios - the Dimarzio pickups I have seen in El Degas guitars/basses actually had a printed clear sticker/label with the Dimarzio label on the top of the pickups when new. This could possibly explain the pups having no markings on the back, or perhaps not!