I’m looking for info on my LP copy. The sn is 73155. It says made in Japan but was wondering what year it was made. Does this have a model number? I see it’s a 2 piece pancake body but I’m wondering if it’s a mahogany body with maple cap or is it plywood?
I’ll ask the Service Dept., but the serial no. seems unusual. Can you post a photo?
Your guitar was built in 1987. In order to provide more info, they would need the model name. Maybe someone could help with that if you post a photo.
Steve
Hi Steve,
Five digit serial numbers are common on late 1970s Japanese made copies, usually on a gold sticker on the headstock which remarkably often survives for 50 years. I don’t think you can date from the serial number, but it’s likely to be around 1978 give or take a couple of years. Chances are the model is an HG-430LP - block fingerboard inlays, four diamond headstock inlay. Likely made at the Moridaira factory, who managed Japanese production on behalf of Hohner.
Thanks for the info Phil! That sounds very plausible, Hohner worked closely with Moridaira for many years.
Thanks Phil. Yes it has the block fingerboard and diamond inlay. Do you know if the body is mahogany with maple cap or plywood with veneer?
The catalogues always just described the body as mahogany - but not solid mahogany like the SG copies. I think the answer is, it depends. There’s a natural version of the 430 which has a pancake body (like the contemporary Gibsons) consisting of a 3 piece top and a two piece back. I don’t think there’s a cap on those, the top half of the pancake looks like it has the arched carve instead. So I guess it’s reasonable to assume the other colours are a similar construction. There is a very similar Korean model - HG-135 - which is a ply construction. If it’s natural/cherry then it’s easy to tell by looking at the side. If it’s a solid colour, you need to take the pickups out (or the backplate off) and look in the cavity.