The Electra Forums

i have a old gibson style headstock on an lp electra. the tag on the back begins with the number 0. anyone know the date of my axe? thanks

Nope. Gibson open-book style headstock means 75 or before, but serial numbers didn't indicate year until 1980 or so.

Your best bet is to compare hardware details with others of the same model with a known year, but even that is dicey as some sat around for a few years before being sold.

did guitar model years come out prior to the current year, as in '75s available for purchase in '74? You know, kind of like how certain model year automobiles are sold before the year actually arrives .........

Well, first we don't know any answers for sure, mostly what we can piece together. Nobody was calling anything a model year at the time, in fact they carefully avoided showing dates on anything so that catalogs and materials could be used for several years. The catalogs provide a sort of snapshot but the models appeared when they appeared.

REalize that early on Electras weren't designed for Electra. A distributor like SLM would pick from existing models that were available, which were all based on copies of Fender and Gibson (and Rick). They'd specify details like which pickups and which tuners, etc. So if you look at different brands made by the same factory, you see similarities but with detail differences. So an Electra tele might greatly resemble an Ibanez or Greco tele down to the detail (in routing patterns, stuff like that) and yet have a different bridge or fretboard.

That all changed when SLM hired Tom Presley to actually design guitars. The 'lawsuit era' had been given the thumbs-down, and the idea was to design all original guitars. SLM's idea was to cut out the japanese middleman (Hoshino or Arai) and go directly to the factories that did the manufacturing, and that meant providing their own specs. That was 75-77, when that started happening. By the 77 catalog, all models were either original or were Gibson copies with the wave headstock substituted, which had been shown to be enough. (but notice in the 77 catalog how nothing is shown with a headstock- to be safe?)

All of which to say that we have a general idea when different models appeared. Some were apparently launched with the Electra brand, and appear in the first catalog. Most of those (except a couple LP's) faded away by 75 to 77.

Some new models appeared, some better archtops, a Howard Roberts, a Vee, and they appeared at the same time as other brands got them- it really seems like Hoshino would call up and say "Hey, we've got some nice (insert model here), want them for Electra?"

When Tom started designing guitars, he started with the Omegas, which were an LP with a maple neck like a Fender- kind of a hybrid, despite their familiar look. Tom started workign details like brass nuts, bridges, pickups- things a guitar designer cares about, not jsut some sales rep offering the latest same old usual. As a result (and the fact that they switched to having Matsumoku make all of them) the quality really did improve in the late 70's,a nd it got even better in the 80's.

There are some anomalies in guitars and dates. I have one Electra I bought from the first owner who got it as a Xmas present in 67. Could be a fish story, could be a very early PCM, or? And we've had one visitor who bought a nice flamed LP with a lawsuit headstock, bought it new much later than it should have been available- like maybe when the problems appeared they stashed a bunch of good ones away that were too hot to sell until the dust settled for a bit.

Other than that, the dates we all mention are solely what we have figured out. By 1980 it gets much easier to tell what's going on datewise. Likewise some 76-77 LP's (the ones from Hoshino) use Hoshino-style numbering, with an initial letter for the month, and the next two digits for year. When you see F7739208, you can tell it's a 77, etc.

Probably the best way to get an accurat date on your LP is for you to post pics and let us all have a look. The little details did change over the years, especially hardware as suppliers changed. Closeups of tuners, binding, pickups, neckplate and headstock especially are helpful.

And do realize- the mystery is still afoot on these models (which is why they're so fun). They questions you're asking, we're all asking, and it always helps to have a fresh set of clues to examine and compare.

i think i have it tracked down to a zephyr, probably a 1976. the sticker type serial number on the headstock does still have me puzzled. it can't match up with first digit month, next two digits year. the serial number is 5 digit and begins 030. i would almost consider it pulled from some other electra and stuck on, but it appears to be virgin tight factory stuck on. at some point and time, i will post it's picture and my custom's picture. they are both flames with neck inlays, and very fine playing. thanks to all that tried to help.

Oh, a Zephyr, that's interesting. I would like to see pics of the headstock- I have two transition (75 & 76) Zephyrs and they're very strange.

Hoshino sourced, probably. Matt or Fujigen? we don't know.

X189player

so, on your zephyrs, where are the serial numbers, how many digits, sticker or engraved/stamped? i'm waiting on my download cable for my digital camera, but i will tell you now that it has a gibson style headstock, but the abalone electra logo is the 80s type small letter (not capital letter) fully spelled out electra down the length of the headstock. make sense? thanks the sticker serial number on mine has me stumped.