Case questions

[guitar1580]

Deos anyone know if this the correct case for a 1983 Cavalier? The guitar fits perfectly, but it seems I saw a chart on the forum here, and I was expecting brown interior. Notice the "Guitars by Leo" on the tag. Didn't the "by" terminology come along later?

Also, the two rivets on the neck side of my handle are loose. Does anyone know a quick fix without tearing out the interior lining? Are they split rivets? Thanks in advance for any info.

JT

[Fumble fingers]

it looks like mine , but I'm at work , case at home , so I can check later to verify

[KenC]

I'd need to look at some of my cases to be sure, but I believe your case is about 8-10 years younger than your Cavalier. At least one of my Leo-era G&Ls came to me with a tagged case. Anyway, your case is totally Leo-era G&L.

Ken

[Craig]

Deos anyone know if this the correct case for a 1983 Cavalier? The guitar fits perfectly, but it seems I saw a chart on the forum here, and I was expecting brown interior. Notice the "Guitars by Leo" on the tag. Didn't the "by" terminology come along later?

Also, the two rivets on the neck side of my handle are loose. Does anyone know a quick fix without tearing out the interior lining? Are they split rivets? Thanks in advance for any info.

JT

See this post in the Knowledgebase: Can you describe the various instrument cases G&L used/uses?.

[Echoes]

What's funny is supposedly the strat style black interior cases didn't start til 85, but I now think that information is incorrect in the gallery, they had to have started earlier is yours isn't the only one I've seen with one.

[Fumble fingers]

that looks just like my 1984 Cavalier E case .....

[guitar1580]

The guitar fits perfectly in the black G&L case. I sure wish I could get the handle tightened up.

Here's the guitar in the tweed case I bought for my Ibanez. I may have posted this pic in another thread, not sure, but I think it looks really good in the red /tweed case. Of course, every G&L looks good in any case.

JT

[Craig]

Deos anyone know if this the correct case for a 1983 Cavalier? The guitar fits perfectly, but it seems I saw a chart on the forum here, and I was expecting brown interior. Notice the "Guitars by Leo" on the tag. Didn't the "by" terminology come along later?

Also, the two rivets on the neck side of my handle are loose. Does anyone know a quick fix without tearing out the interior lining? Are they split rivets? Thanks in advance for any info.

JT

How did you determine the build date of your Cavalier? Neck and body dates?
See Serial number significance.

Cavalier production dates were 1983-1986.
Black lined Tolex cases [without metal G&L logo badge] for Cavaliers were used in 1985-89.
According to Greg Gagliano, the "1990-91 cases often have a metal G&L logo badge riveted to case between handle brackets.".
See: Can you describe the various instrument cases G&L used/uses?

So, I think the case your Cavalier is in, is not the original factory shipped case. This case would appear to be a 1990 or 1991 case.

[Craig]

What's funny is supposedly the strat style black interior cases didn't start til 85, but I now think that information is incorrect in the gallery, they had to have started earlier is yours isn't the only one I've seen with one.

Of the others that you have seen, were you able to verify their actual build dates? Without the production log date or the neck/body date, you cannot
assume the build date from the serial number. I have not seen any real proof to dispute Greg Gagliano information on G&L cases in the Gallery.

[Echoes]

What's funny is supposedly the strat style black interior cases didn't start til 85, but I now think that information is incorrect in the gallery, they had to have started earlier is yours isn't the only one I've seen with one.

Of the others that you have seen, were you able to verify their actual build dates? Without the production log date or the neck/body date, you cannot
assume the build date from the serial number. I have not seen any real proof to dispute Greg Gagliano information on G&L cases in the Gallery.

Well, it was a Nighthawk with the black interior case. Unless someone happened to swap it out later... but from what I understood, it was the original.

[guitar1580]

Hi Craig. I had checked the date on my bridge, and the fellow who sold me the white Cavalier was a member here, and gave me the following dates: Neck - Sept. 30, 1983, Body - Oct. 21, 1983. I think he had it on the registry here on the forum.

I'm not sure how he pinpointed the dates to the day. Maybe you can tell me?

Thanks, JT

[Craig]

Hi Craig. I had checked the date on my bridge, and the fellow who sold me the white Cavalier was a member here, and gave me the following dates: Neck - Sept. 30, 1983, Body - Oct. 21, 1983. I think he had it on the registry here on the forum.

I'm not sure how he pinpointed the dates to the day. Maybe you can tell me?

Thanks, JT

Not sure what date you are finding on the bridge. For 1983 instruments, the serial number could be on the bridge or it could be on the neck plate.
The serial number is not date coded. See: Serial number significance.

The previous owner would have taken the neck off. The build date for the neck is stamped on the neck heel and the body date is stamped in
the neck pocket on the body.

[guitar1580]

Sorry Craig... I typed that last post in a hurry, while I was watching TV. I meant that I checked the serial number on the bridge. I had seen in the SN thread here on the forum that in '83, the number moved from the bridge to the plate, so I felt confident that my Cavalier was an '83, as described by the seller. And since Cavaliers were made from '83 to '86, I don't really see any way a Cav with a SN on the bridge could be anything other than an '83, unless it was completely pieced together, in which case, the neck and body dates would possibly not make sense.

I have not personally taken the neck off, but I had talked to the seller, and he was pretty into G&L's, and was upftont & honest about every issue with the guitar, so I trusted his info on the neck and body dates. It's all set up & plays so well that I didn't want to remove the neck.

Thanks very much for your help.

JT

[KenC]

I don't know anything about the history of this guitar, but I just wanted to point out that a lot of Leo-era instruments spent time in BIG collections where the chance of accidental case swapping could be pretty high. My collection is small compared to many others, but I've come close to mixing some of mine up before. I have also found several empty Leo-era cases for sale, and bought a few for guitars or basses that came to me in damaged cases.

As far as fixing the rivet, I'd suggest taking the case to a luggage repair shop for evaluation and an estimate. I took the OHSC from an '81 L-1000 for an estimate a couple of years ago. It turned out not to be repairable due to the condition of the plywood, but if the wood had been in good condition it might have been feasible. The repair shop owner did tell me that replacing latches would have required pulling the cloth lining back along with the padding.

Ken

[Elwood]

I don't know anything about the history of this guitar, but I just wanted to point out that a lot of Leo-era instruments spent time in BIG collections where the chance of accidental case swapping could be pretty high. My collection is small compared to many others, but I've come close to mixing some of mine up before. I have also found several empty Leo-era cases for sale, and bought a few for guitars or basses that came to me in damaged cases.

Good points Ken, I've seen it happen

[guitar1580]

I actually really like the case, other than the loose handle, even if it's not original. As worn as the guitar is, I figured the original case would be beat. I'm pretty sure the guitar was used a lot for gigs, because the wear areas are where you'd wear it if playing while standing. I can just tell.

I've actually replaced the latches on a Fender case before, using split rivets. It was no easy task, but definitely possible, by peeling back the lining. The problem with this handle area is that it's right by where the cross member is, complicating things.

I'm going to try the suggestion above, and talk to an upholstery / luggage repair guy. Luckily, I'm not going to be needing the case a lot, and if I take the guitar out, I'll likely use the tweed case pictured above. It's new, sturdy, and the Cavalier fits in it like a glove.

Thanks again for the help, folks.

JT