B Prefix Serial Number Neck Plates

[FZTNT]

Hi All, hope the holidays went well for everyone so far. Have a safe New Year.

So, I have one of those oddball Guitars with a B serial number neck plate shown below. I have never seen another B plate so, my question is, Were all the B plates black crinkle coat or were there chrome one's too. It seems that on most guitars the hardware all matches with the exception of the tuners although there are black tuners on some guitars with chrome hardware.

So my ASAT III with the black B plate has chrome everywhere else. Anybody ever seen a chrome B plate?

Tom

[Tooslowhand]

I'm not an expert, but I thought the B was for bass, and the G plates were for guitar

[Craig]

I'm not an expert, but I thought the B was for bass, and the G plates were for guitar

See this post in the G&L Knowledgebase: Serial number significance.

Note: Many 3-bolt guitar plates in the range 52000 to 55000 were mis-stamped with a B-prefix instead of the
usual G-prefix. It was a mistake and the plates were used rather than wasting them.

Also see, this post: http://www.guitarsbyleo.com/FORUM/viewt ... eck+plates

[Craig]

Hi All, hope the holidays went well for everyone so far. Have a safe New Year.

So, I have one of those oddball Guitars with a B serial number neck plate shown below. I have never seen another B plate so, my question is, Were all the B plates black crinkle coat or were there chrome one's too. It seems that on most guitars the hardware all matches with the exception of the tuners although there are black tuners on some guitars with chrome hardware.

So my ASAT III with the black B plate has chrome everywhere else. Anybody ever seen a chrome B plate?

Tom

I have not seen any 3-bolt chrome guitar neck plates with 'B' serial numbers. i did check the G&L Registry and these potentially could have them, as they are listed with chrome hardware:
http://www.guitarsbyleo.com/AUTOREG/int ... nter_fmt=1 .

[yowhatsshakin]

In mid-1990s, even if the guitar had chrome hardware, in particular a chromed DFV, the neck plate with S/N would still be black wrinkle powder-coated. So I am pretty sure there is no chromed B-plate for guitars. Would not make sense from an order perspective either: the batch would be uniform in its specs.

- Jos

[y2kc]

All I know from collecting all these G&L's is that this guitar is cursed and will eventually need to be exorcised. Please feel free to send it here for that service. Turn around time is between 6 and 18 months.

just trying to help,

y2kc

[FZTNT]

In mid-1990s, even if the guitar had chrome hardware, in particular a chromed DFV, the neck plate with S/N would still be black wrinkle powder-coated. So I am pretty sure there is no chromed B-plate for guitars. Would not make sense from an order perspective either: the batch would be uniform in its specs.

- Jos

I did not know that. So, what you are saying is that it was normal in the mid '90s, for a guitar, say an ASAT of any particular sub model, with all chrome in the front would come standard with a black crinkle coat neck plate?
Or say a Legacy or some other model? That's messed up man...

Tom

[KenC]

I did not know that. So, what you are saying is that it was normal in the mid '90s, for a guitar, say an ASAT of any particular sub model, with all chrome in the front would come standard with a black crinkle coat neck plate?

My '96 or '97 ASAT Classic Custom has chrome hardware with a black crinkle neck plate. Based on my current herd, chrome plates gave way to flat black by November '81, and were transitioning to black crinkle when the SC models came out in September/October '82. They stayed black crinkle throughout the Leo/Dale era, as the rest of the hardware gradually shifted back to chrome.

Ken

[yowhatsshakin]

I did not know that. So, what you are saying is that it was normal in the mid '90s, for a guitar, say an ASAT of any particular sub model, with all chrome in the front would come standard with a black crinkle coat neck plate?

My '96 or '97 ASAT Classic Custom has chrome hardware with a black crinkle neck plate. Based on my current herd, chrome plates gave way to flat black by November '81, and were transitioning to black crinkle when the SC models came out in September/October '82. They stayed black crinkle throughout the Leo/Dale era, as the rest of the hardware gradually shifted back to chrome.

Ken

+1

For guitars with 3-bolt neck, exceptions I know of are the non-S/N bearing F-100 neck plates from the early years, the original "JJ" neck plate for the John Jorgenson Signature (but the actual model has black S/N neck plate), the George Fullerton Signature model with "GF" S/N (I only have a 4-bolt), and the Commemoratives. I have one S-500 Signature which has a golden S/N neck plate, so there might be some more. But even my Interceptor II, George's ASAT Classic Signature with Leo Fender Fine-Tuner Vibrato, "Buck Owens", and ASAT III Signature HSS have a black S/N carrying neck plate combined with otherwise gold hardware.

For basses, beyond a commemorative ASAT Bass, I have an early L-2000E with shiny, S/N-less neck plate.

Hope this clears up a bunch of stuff.

- Jos

[FZTNT]

Well, ya learn something new every day. Never really noticed but all my guitars from that ere have black neck plates. Cool.

Tom