Help me identify this Love Rock, please

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rosenguitar

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Just bought it off ebay. May be a refin as it has no visible serial number,has a volute on back of headstock. In pickup cavity has black inked on numbers:S-85 and LS-65.
Backs of pickups have no name or number. Pots all say Japan opn them. Neck does not have a scarf joint.Truss rod cover has two screws and is the type the used on early 80s models.
Here are some jpgs:
http://members.aol.com:/jmros7/tokai1.jpg
http://members.aol.com:/jmros7/tokai2.jpg
http://members.aol.com:/jmros7/tokaiserial.jpg

Thanks for reading!



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: rosenguitar on 2002-07-07 06:07 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: rosenguitar on 2002-07-07 06:08 ]</font>
 
Congrats on your new guitar,

Call me crazy, but i'm willing to say it's an LS-65. I've never seen the model inked on inside the pickup cavity. Or maybe i just never paid attention to it.

Here's some info i found on the registry site that could explain the lack of serial number:

"2) All Love Rocks with the "LS" prefix are Japanese. All Love Rocks with the "ALS" prefix are Korean. However, this change didn't occur until sometime in the mid 1990's, around 1995 or 96. Previous ALS models were made in Japan. Could this be more confusing?
Also, Korean models do not have serial numbers."



I wonder if it's Korean possibly made before mid 90's.

I'm sure someone can ring in with a more assuring answer. Congrats again.

Dana

 
[thanks!!
Anyone else have info that might help???

quote]
I'm sure someone can ring in with a more assuring answer. Congrats again.

Dana


[/quote]
 
I can't really nail the model for you but I don't think it's a 65. It looks from the photo of the cavity that it says S-85, L. and then S-65 (the L. is out of line with the S-65). I've just had a look at the mid-80s catalogues on the registry and the ALS models (US market) go from ALS60 to ALS80, could even be an ALS-100 - all had flame tops. IS there anything at all at the back of the headstock, however feint? If it's had some lacquer put onto it it may well have disappeared altogether but there may be some traces of a serial number - this would only give us the year but not the model, Still, it'd be a good starting point. Another clue may be the pick-ups - any markings underneath, in 1985/86 (SRV cover) they had the Michigan pick-up on the ls-60/80 and DiMarzios on the LS-100. Anyway, check the 85 and 86 catalogues out and see if you can pick it out. The colour is also quite distinctive - quite near the dee-through dark red (SDR) of the 2000 catalogue. Looks a very nice guitar whatever model it is.
 
But it's not an LS-65. My LS-65 is a veneer-free Cherry Sunburst maple cap with hat-box knobs. The LS-70s are flamed maple top (gorgeous looking but veneered) and the LS-75s are a quilted maple top (fantastic looking but veneered).

I think this range of guitars (LS-60-65-70) are recent Japanese models, not earlier than 2000. I'd like to get a look at your guitar though - very nice.
 
Have a look at the 1989 catalog, page 7.
There is a TLS65 that was offered in a Tobacco Sunburst, has a flame veneer top and the "diamond" truss rod cover.

With the Tokai Catalog Models, the "T" before the "LS" donates it as an export model but the body being made in Japan would still have been stamped "LS"

It should still have had a 890xxxx serial number and NO volute - this worries me. The pickups should have markings , too. As you say it could be a re-fin.

It is a great looking guitar and if it sounds as good as it looks then play on but I suppose 1989 would be a closer starting point.

regards
Peter Mac
 
Sorry! I didn't mean to confuse anyone by describing my 2001 MIJ LS-65 as having "hatbox" control knobs. As anyone with these upwardly mobile (in terms of value) guitars knows, they're the good old vintage gold knobs.

The LS-65 is for the players, not the poseurs!!

Thanks, Mr. Tokai!
 

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