I know what you mean; it's just that the photo of the neck pocket looked to me like it had the narrow plate spacing. Take a look at this comparison of Springy neck pockets, one from (early) '78, the other from a year or two later:
http://home.pacbell.net/duosonic/eBay/pockets.jpg
As for the plate, the earliest Springys have blank plates (the serial number is ink-stamped on the heel of the neck):
http://home.pacbell.net/duosonic/eBay/plate.jpg
As for the guitar in question, it's obviously not original; I was just weighing in on the year of manufacture.
http://home.pacbell.net/duosonic/eBay/pockets.jpg
As for the plate, the earliest Springys have blank plates (the serial number is ink-stamped on the heel of the neck):
http://home.pacbell.net/duosonic/eBay/plate.jpg
As for the guitar in question, it's obviously not original; I was just weighing in on the year of manufacture.