Help determining what year my vintage SG was made?

[martysnarf]

Good Afternoon All!!

 

New member here; glad I found this Forum. Nice to "meet" you all!!

 

I am hoping those on this Forum with much more knowledge than I have will be able to help me out. I bought my vintage SG Standard about 15 years ago from a vintage dealer, and I seem to remember him telling me it was a '72 or '73. I can't remember which he said; it's been a long time. I've done quite a bit of Googling, and it looks like this is something that's rather difficult to determine.

 

By everything that I have read online, she's an SG Standard. She's walnut, with 2 covered humbuckers, and does not have a trem or maestro vibrola tailpiece. The truss rod cover is plain black with no engraving, and the emblem on the headstock is the "crown-looking" one, not the big diamond like on the Les Paul SGs, and the fretboard inlays are rectangles, not trapezioids. The pickguard is the small one that only comes down on half the guitar next to the switch; it does not go under any of the strings beyond the first.

 

It is stamped Made In USA on the back of the headstock, and the SN is 115435.

 

Is there any way to tell what year she was made? Any help from you guys would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

 

I can certainly post more pics if that would help, but here's one:

[L5Larry]

Open up the control cavity and look for the code numbers on the back of the potentiometers. You are looking for a seven digit number probably starting with "137", the last four digits are a code for the week and year the pots were manufactured. This number is the best way to give an approximate date the guitar was made, but many times these code numbers have been covered by the solder from the ground wire connections.

 

Post the numbers and I'll tell what they mean.

[martysnarf]

Thanks Larry!!! All were covered by solder except one, thankfully!!

 

1377412.

 

So it's a 74, maybe???

[L5Larry]

Pots were made by CTS (137) in 1974 (74), during the 12th week (12) of that year.

 

It is safe to say that parts made in the 12th week of the year were certainally used up before the end (52nd week) of the year. Plus the fact, as I stated before, the serial number system changed during 1975.

 

Your guitar was made in 1974.

[martysnarf]

Hey THANK YOU so very much!! I really appreciate it!!

 

And am I correct in my assumption that it's a Standard?

[L5Larry]

Yes, it is a Standard, as denoted by the combination of the "crown" headstock inlay, two covered pickups, and the small block fingerboard inlays.

[martysnarf]

Cool. Again, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to help me with this. I appreciate it so very much. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!