Les Paul Bolt-On

[stilllifer]

Hey everyone. Been a while since I've posted but have been lurking!!! Someone fairly local is selling a nice LP bolt-on...I am being told that everything appears to be original, although I am not convinced based on the pics. I expected to see Made in Japan and serial numbers on the neck plate but there aren't any markings. Also, I've never seen a plate that looks like this one, so I am skeptical. The seller says "serial numbers happened after '78 and this guitar was made somewhere between '73-77". If this is true, it would have been an Arai "diamond inlay" guitar (most likely) and not Uncle Mats; however, the "lore of Arai" says they put serial numbers on the neckplates, even if they didn't mean anything.
The guitar looks nice and similar to my white Uncle Mats one from '76-77 - diamond MOP inlay but I don't think it's all original. Mine has the 2 screw TRC but this one is 3.
Any thoughts???? Geoff

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=598849327

[charles]

Hmmmm.....

After the years, some of this stuff gets a little fuzzy for me but I definitely would expect to see a standard rounded-rectangle neckplate with a "Made in Japan" stamp on it, as you mentioned. However, the 3-screw TRC is typical of the MIJ bolt-ons (I just checked some old photos of bolt-ons I've owned and sold and they did indeed have 3-screw TRCs).

I swear I've seen an ED with that neckplate before... however, for all I know (and I would not be surprised in the slightest), this is the same guitar that's come up for sale again after several years.

In the end, my advice is usually the same - if it feels good, plays well, and you get a great deal on it... probably worth a shot.

No idea on the seller's assertions about serial numbering - that's the first I've heard of it and perhaps the seller knows something I don't (after gleaning all the information I can on the brand for almost ten years) Although, honestly I've never given much of a damn about serial numbering since no info has ever survived to make it a viable ID'ing tool. He may have known a guitar shop owner or someone who passed that notion on to him. Another mystery.

[stilllifer]

Hmmmm.....

After the years, some of this stuff gets a little fuzzy for me but I definitely would expect to see a standard rounded-rectangle neckplate with a "Made in Japan" stamp on it, as you mentioned. However, the 3-screw TRC is typical of the MIJ bolt-ons (I just checked some old photos of bolt-ons I've owned and sold and they did indeed have 3-screw TRCs).

I swear I've seen an ED with that neckplate before... however, for all I know (and I would not be surprised in the slightest), this is the same guitar that's come up for sale again after several years.

In the end, my advice is usually the same - if it feels good, plays well, and you get a great deal on it... probably worth a shot.

No idea on the seller's assertions about serial numbering - that's the first I've heard of it and perhaps the seller knows something I don't (after gleaning all the information I can on the brand for almost ten years) Although, honestly I've never given much of a damn about serial numbering since no info has ever survived to make it a viable ID'ing tool. He may have known a guitar shop owner or someone who passed that notion on to him. Another mystery.

Thanks Charles...yeah the neckplate thing is a headscratcher for me...although, I can see some rusting around the screws on that neckplate, so maybe it's the original and that's what was laying around the shop that day. The 2 screw vs 3 screw thing is no biggie - I've seen both but the TRC itself is def MIJ. There is some discolouration on the binding around the headstock - that's a good thing!!!
Yep I guess the best thing to do is go an try it out. Will arrange to check it out. Cheers!

[Barry]

Nice looking guitar Geoff (that's my brother's name too! )

She certainly looks and "feels' like a good quality MIJ build eh?
That crest shaped neck plate looks familiar to me too Charles, but I can't put my finger on it either but I suspect it's just a generic style common to the period.

It is a bit odd that the fretboard tray has square corners rather than rounded but I wouldn't lose any sleep over that detail either. Have you had a look at the bottom of the pickups yet? Curious to see if they're Dimarzio Super Distortions.

As for the seller's info on serial numbers, Charles is right, he's likely picked up a bit of erroneous info somewhere along the way. Believe me, we've all tried to find dating/serial information and there just aren't any records or reliable anecdotal data to be had.

[Jefferson]

The white El Degas Les Paul I just bought has the exact same badge neck plate with no ID #. It is 1974-75. There is another white LP on this site that shows a sticker saying Made in Japan in gold and black on the neck plate. The tail piece on mine has Made in Japan underneath it. The second digit of the # on the underside of the pups, is the year of the pup manufacture. This is as close to the guitars manufacture date as we can get

[charles]

That is some good sleuthing, Jefferson. The pups can sometimes be the best indicator of the year of manufacture, if you are lucky enough to have originals that have a serial #.