Help Identifying Body Wood

[FZTNT]

So here is an '81 F-100 from October and December. There are two body date stamps. Any idea why this may be? What I would like to know is if any of you might be able to identify the wood used. And what any of the markings represent, such as the RR in black ink. I noticed from the registry that a number of different woods were used such as swamp ash, mahogany, maple and even poplar. I am no expert but you guys have seen many more of these than I have and I would appreciate any input/insight. Perhaps it could be looked up in Dale's log book. not sure how far back that goes. Serial #G003601

Also, was this the candy apple red of the time or just plain red? It's a sweet little guitar and I bought it to learn how to set it up, take the neck off and these kind of things and am learning a bunch. Have a look at some pics and let me know what you all think. I really love the range of sounds I can get out of this thing and discover more and more as I flip switches and turn knobs. Probably the end of GAS for a while, it's time to get some playing and tweaking done, and having fun doing it. This forum has been a great help in my process lately and you guys are the best!!

Tom

[Elwood]

Dang!
Nice find. It looks like Candy Apple over Maple (Now I'm craving maple covered candied apples )
Do you see little gold flecks in finish?

Old F-100's are fun to dial in, many have strayed from specs over the years and just need some TLC to get
that buttery feeling back.
Making sure the pickups were low enough to avoid string pull was one of my eureka moments.

Congrats ,with a little healthy envy

[Katefan]

As Elwood said - Dang. That's sure a beauty.
Them early F-100's are Sweet and that one is CLEAN IMO it has the same Mojo as a Pre-CBS Strat.
Looks like a Custom colour. At first I would have said its CAR but looks a bit pink or magenta - either way its RAD.
I've seen quite a few custom colour early F-100's. Gotta remember Leo & folks were back in full swing making instruments again and custom orders weren't out of the question.
Don't know why the 2 dates on the body but perhaps fellow member and former old school G&L employee Fred Finisher could shed some light of it.
Again with Elwood I'd say the body wood is maple… they seemed to use Ash on the translucent finishes. I had an early one in blue and it was pretty sweet.
Sound-wise they're pretty versatile… Congrats on a Sweet guitar!

Cheers,
KF

[FZTNT]

Thanks Guys,

There does not appear to be any gold in the finish so I'm not thinking its a flake of any sort. I too was thinking it might be maple, it's a bit heavy for it's size. The R.R. may be a color, ?.Red. perhaps but it's not a magenta or pink. I can also say that the ebony fret board is just awesome. So clean and warm to the touch. It's always been my favorite wood for guitar frets.

I think I will put it in the registry as a maple w/CAR finish for now and edit if/when someone can shed a bit more light on this one. Either way I am loving this guitar. Next under the workshop lights will be the '87 Invader. Needs some cleaning up and a good fretboard conditioning. It's just a bit grimy so I will try to clean with water and then use some walnut oil as KEN has suggested on this forum.

Tom

[Fumble fingers]

I would say CAR and maple too ...... I would say the purple hue is the indoor lighting , take a outside picture with sun shine and it will look right for pictures

what a Beauty , especially for it's age it's like brand new

[KenC]

I'd say CAR over maple, but it could be poplar. The grain structure is similar between poplar and some of the maple used in the early days. If you still have the neck off, try pressing your fingernail into some of the bare wood in the pocket. Poplar should dent fairly easily.

The CAR finishes back in the Leo era were different from recent ones. They started with an opaque sanding sealer, followed by a fine gold metallic coat and then a red topcoat. You won't actually see the metallic coat sparkling through the red topcoat, but it will definitely look different than a plain opaque red finish.

For comparison, here are a couple of shots of a CAR over maple ASAT I used to own:

Needs some cleaning up and a good fretboard conditioning. It's just a bit grimy so I will try to clean with water and then use some walnut oil as KEN has suggested on this forum.

I've found that rubbing alcohol and a toothbrush does a great job cleaning old gunk off a fretboard.

Ken

[Elwood]

For comparison, here are a couple of shots of a CAR over maple ASAT I used to own:



Ken

Did you buy that from Penny Marshall ?

had a thought; How about a MOP CNC Leo Sig. Inlay... if that's O.K. with FMIC

[Katefan]

LOL… Wonder whether Laverne used it with her buds here -

[youtube]HLTx5ZwJiS0[/youtube]


P. S. Cool Axe Ken! Had an '88 CAR ASAT w/ a rosewood fingerboard.

Cheers,
KF

[FZTNT]

Thanks for the input...keep 'em coming. Especially if there is any chance this might be logged in Dale's book. Like I said, I have no idea how far back it goes.

I am inclined to go with the early CAR and that was my initial gut feeling. Can't take it outside here, its cold and rainy. Supposed to warm and sun up mid week so maybe then.

Ken, it does look a lot like the CAR in the pics of that ASAT. I can't really make out gold specs, but there are kind of black specs under the red. It's weird that way. Forgot to test for softness of the wood while I had the neck off but that's a good quick test. Never had a poplar guitar (well, I've had poplar acoustics) but would imagine they would be very light weight. I don't have a scale that would be accurate to weigh this thing but perhaps I could track one down since it's easier than removing the neck again. Is it unusual to have some Bleed or overspray on the neck itself like this one has? It just looks a bit odd but maybe it's more of a rub off than overspray. I would think that the finishing was done without the neck on. The colors in the neck pocket match the body color and there is the nice nitro lacquer on top with just a few minor areas of checking, mostly where screws are located. So I'm not fearful that it's a resin unless it was done at the factory for some reason...thus the two body dates? Just a guess. I suppose if there was a factory defect paint job it would have been caught right away by the seller or buyer, shipped back, re finished and boom, slight variation in paint and new date...?

Very cool guitar nonetheless, thanks again for the input and accolades, my G&L collection is shaping up nicely!!

Tom

[y2kc]

Is that a #3 neck on the asat? You guys have all the cool guitars.

Y2kc

[KenC]

Ken, it does look a lot like the CAR in the pics of that ASAT. I can't really make out gold specs, but there are kind of black specs under the red. It's weird that way.

I can't find the right words to describe how the old CAR finishes look, but that's pretty close to what I'd say. It is definitely darker than the Red finishes from the early years.

Is it unusual to have some Bleed or overspray on the neck itself like this one has? It just looks a bit odd but maybe it's more of a rub off than overspray. I would think that the finishing was done without the neck on. The colors in the neck pocket match the body color and there is the nice nitro lacquer on top with just a few minor areas of checking, mostly where screws are located. So I'm not fearful that it's a resin unless it was done at the factory for some reason...

Your neck pocket looks just right for an older G&L. The bodies were attached to a jig, which left the three painted spots exactly opposite from the neck bolt holes (the bass jig had six holes). It's normal to have overspray up to the edges of the jig, which was sanded off around the sides of the pocket to get a tight fit for the neck.

...thus the two body dates? Just a guess. I suppose if there was a factory defect paint job it would have been caught right away by the seller or buyer, shipped back, re finished and boom, slight variation in paint and new date...?

It's not unusual for Leo-era instruments to have multiple date stamps. There have been some discussions about that around here in the past, but I can't remember any details. The CAR ASAT in the photos had two stamps on the neck, which I think were the same date but in different colors. I have several others with more than one stamp on the body.

Is that a #3 neck on the asat? You guys have all the cool guitars.

Y2kc

I'm pretty sure it was a #1 neck. The current owner is a friend of mine, so I will double check the next time I see it. I have yet to find an ASAT with a 1.75" nut, but when I do I will most likely be putting something in the Marketplace to make room and fund a purchase.

Ken

[Craig]

Is that a #3 neck on the asat? You guys have all the cool guitars.

Y2kc

In refererence to the F-100 that this post is about:

No, There were only two neck types for the F-100 in the early build years. (1980-1983). See: What are the USA neck size options, past and present? and from our Gallery: There is a copy of the 1980 and 1981 G&L Catalogs: Album: 1980 - 1981 Memorabilia.

The 3 stamp on the neck is the builder's id number. They were paid by the number of necks/bodies they worked on.

The neck is a listed by the Series I (12" radius) or Series II (7 1/2" radius) in the model name and is also stamped on the neck heel (F-100 II). So, this one is a Series !! which has a neck radius of 7 1/2".

Hope this helps.

[FZTNT]

Spot on Craig, I do remember reading that in the past, just couldn't remember which guitar it was for. It's definitely a 7.5" radius, you can see that from the picture, real tight.

Ken, thanks again for the observations. I will switch to CAR in the registry and leave it like that. Still a bit unsure about the wood though but it's heavy enough to be maple.

Tom