1983 Love Rock Identity

Can anyone suggest a definitive method of identifying a 1983 Love Rock? Recently bought one that was advertised as an LS60, but from what I can work out it might be an LS80. In one sense it doesn't matter because it's a fantastic guitar and I'm not going to be selling it on; on the other I'd like to know. Trouble is, I've seen different sources that seem to contradict each other.

For example, the Registry suggests that an LS80 of that vintage would have an 18? headstock angle and Tokai PAF 57 pickups, as this one does, whereas an LS60 would have a 14? headstock and LS Vintage MkII exposed pickups.

Yet I've also seen a 1984 catalog which indicates the LS60 could also have an 18? headstock and PAF 57 pickups.

Anyway, the salient facts are these:

It's definitely a 1983 model, as indicated by the serial number (3014xxx), but assuming the serial numbers are sequential it's presumably from quite late in the year. Ageing on the hardware is similar to that on the Springy Sound ST80 that I've had for the past 25 years and which dates to 1980.

Marks and dings are consistent with a well-looked after guitar of that age, perhaps with some marks painted over on the back of the body.

Pickups are definitely PAF 57s with covers in place (and sound great).

Headstock is definitely 18?.

So far as I can tell, the back is one-piece, though it could possibly be three. Since it's painted black, it's very difficult to see any joins that might be there, but the grain (which can just be seen along the back) consistently runs a little off square right the way across the guitar. There are no joins to be seen in the pickup cavities.

I don't have sufficient knowledge to identify the finish, but can say that it seems more 'natural' than the finish on my ST80.

Though the pickguard, binding and selector switch plate are cream, the pickup mounts are black, perhaps suggesting that they've been replaced.

Any help would be much appreciated.

One more llittle factoid: the guitar was brought back from Tokyo about 18 months ago by an Australian who collects (mainly Japanese) Fenders and who bought it from a shop as an LS60 ? essentially as part of a job lot. He was told then that it was an LS60.

And another that may or may not be helpful: if you look very closely, you can see black lines at the top and bottom of the inlays. The inlays themselves are as smooth to the touch as you could hope for.

only thing I can offer is to check for joins in different lighting, i.e. outdoors, indoors, incandescent, fluorescent, black light, etc.

Black light can be helpful in locating grain pattern variance in unpainted/stained examples.

I've actually had better luck at locating joins on painted examples utilizing indoor lighting.

Whatever it is, it sounds like a nice piece of 'old wood' ................

Thanks for that MIJvintage. Haven't got any black light to hand, but two different colours of electric and Aussie sunlight don't show anything up. Am I right in thinking that a one-piece back is conclusive proof of an LS80?

Couldn't be happier with the guitar itself. I've wanted a second electric for years, but always had the problem that whenever I picked something up in a store ??including some very expensive Fenders and Gibsons ? it wasn't anything like as good as my 'good old Strat', unless it was completely out of my price range! Bought this one without playing it, and fell in love with the moment I'd got the action sorted.

I've got a related question up my sleeve. The Registry suggests that the Love Rock LS60 and 80 both based themselves on a 1958 Les Paul, but the neck seems very much slimmer than on the Gibson replicas that I've tried. So what's the story on Love Rock necks? The impression I've formed from my ST80 is that that has a very accurate copy of a fifties Fender v-neck.

A1983 ls 80 will also include fret binding assuming it was never refretted.I have one with a laminate flame top shown below

I'd be leaning towards an LS60 if it's a plain top...LS80 if it's a solid finish or flamed.

Solid colour; no fret binding (and I've got no idea whether or not it's been refretted). Pitch black here at the moment, but I'll try to get it out into the yard in the morning for a few photos.

BlueThird said:

Solid colour; no fret binding (and I've got no idea whether or not it's been refretted). Pitch black here at the moment, but I'll try to get it out into the yard in the morning for a few photos.

Click to expand...

If there's no fret binding and it's a 1983 model then it's an LS60.
Ls80's had fretedge binding til '84/85...my LS80 has none and it's an 85 model.

Some pics. The black and white beauty herself. Have it on good authority that the tree in the background is a Japanese maple.



Headstock.



Pickup and cavities. No sign of any joins in either the mahogany or the maple cap, though the finish on the cap makes it very difficult to tell.







Close up on first fret, with cat hair and fingerboard damage above and below the first fret (just in from the binding) and associated damage to the binding.





There's more fretboard damage here, immediately below the fifteenth fret and in the middle of the neck, but it's not really showing up.



Grain across the back of the guitar. Just up from the bottom of the pic, directly below the heel, you can see a vaguely circular patch that appears to be from a repair to the finish.



Halfway between the pickup and the binding there's a long dent roughly parallel to the grain. This could conceivably be a join but it seems unlikely. It's wavy, slightly curved, and only affects the lower bout. Additionally, there's a much fainter and straighter line that's dead centre on the cap and which seems to suggest a two-piece top.

I am not too sure if the early ls-80's came in the black finish but there is slight evidence of fret edge binding on the first fret so its entirely possible it is an LS-80. Is the headstock angle 18 degrees.?

Mick

Made myself a protractor to check the angle, and it's definitely 18?. There are one or two other frets where the neck binding seems to have been disturbed, though to a lesser extent. Most are as clean as the second fret.

PAF-57 pickups were in the LS-80 as well, either way, i absolutely love black LP standards, i don't really need any more guitars but i will be getting one of those...

Mick

Can thoroughly recommend this one, but I'm not about to sell it!

Think I need to get hold of some cream pickup rings to get it back to the original colour scheme. Anyone know if the Gibson historics will do the trick, or if I need to specify anything special?

The one downside with this one is that the electrics need some work. Planning to get the RS Guitarworks kit.

Are you in Aus? if so give forum member "stratmoto" a pm he may be able to get you Tokai pickup surrounds.

Mick

Thanks Mick.

If you change those pickup surrounds i would be interested in the black ones if you want to get rid of them.....

Mick

Will bear that in mind! Aiming to work on the electrics and a possible tailpiece/bridge upgrade first, so it might not be immediately.

In the 4th & 5th pics I see some possible clues on the lumber

Do tell!

BlueThird said:

Pickup and cavities. No sign of any joins in either the mahogany or the maple cap, though the finish on the cap makes it very difficult to tell.

Click to expand...

BlueThird said:

Do tell!

Click to expand...

From veiwing the pic of the mahogany & maple in the pickup route, I don't see any indication of a center seam in the maple top.

A LS-60 & a LS-80 would normally have a center seam in the maple top.

A LS-50 would normally have a three piece top, with no center seam.

AFA the mahogany having no visible sign (as you state) of a center seam, a LS-80 would normally have a one piece back, and a LS-50 would normally have a three piece back.

If there is no center seam in the maple or the maho, the odds AFA the lumber seem to point to a LS-50.

Of course, anything is possible with the MIJ stuff.