Help with a Continental

[beaverHausen]

Can anyone tell me what the serial number refers to on a Continental resonator. 

It's signed Gunther Lutz/Letz and from what I've read on production I'm assuming it's circa 1994 but does the serial number denote month, year, where it was made etc?

[snakehips]

Hi there !

Sorry I can't be of much help to you, but that's a really nice guitar. Good repro for 1994 !
Any pics of the back ?

[beaverHausen]

Hey snakehips,

First off, I got to tell you I really like your playing and love your version of dust my broom, I'm still trying to nail that.

Yeah it is a nice guitar. It belongs to a friend of mine and was left to him in a will. I've changed the strings and given it a bit of a clean for him.

Plays and sounds real nice and seems to have a better build quality than most of the resos I pick up these days - I don't want to let him have it back to be honest lol.

I'll post a pic of the back.

[Pickers Ditch]

Aha! - look wot I found....

michaelmesser.proboards.com/thread/4747

Doesn't say anything about numbers but there's a bit of history and stuff.

[beaverHausen]

Here's pic of the back snakehips.

Hard to get a good pic without all the gaudy wallpaper being reflected.

[Deleted]

I've had 2 Continental resonators, a single cone, made in the 90s  and recently a tricone. Both were made in China and assembled in Germany. I didn't like either - despite having dreamt about owning one. Why not write to AMI, who produce Continental guitars, E-Mail: [e-mail]. They're very helpful.

[beaverHausen]

Thanks jryder, I shall makes use of that there email address.

Can I ask why you didn't like them?

[bluesdude]

That does not look asian made!




Kenny,

[lexluthier]

Hi!
The serial number begins with '97, I've no reason to believe It's date of manufacture is not 1997.
Also, to the very best of my knowledge, it is made after the split in early '97 but still constructed from the remainder of the 'quality' constituents that were left with AMI.
Never heard one of these single cones in the flesh so to speak but listen to a few on line and they sounded pretty good, looks very cool too!
I deeply regret missing a similar one for £500 a couple of years back, strapped at the time
Chris

[Bottleneck John]

I think that's one of the Continentals that Amistar made in the Czech Rep. Very nice craftsmanship there!
They're nothing like the Chinese made ones..

[Deleted]

I have a German made 1993 Tricone with the Hans O Graf signature. The other numbers are the week of the year, and the number of that model made.
Mine shows Made in January, 1993, 112th guitar made.  Your number seems to show yours was made in 1997. Maybe the 25th week and the 989th made? Anyways, nice guitar!

[lexluthier]

Hi again. Apologies for not covering the points made after my last reply but I'm pretty much in agreement with what has been said. Body made in Czech republic, neck made (I believe) in Japan and assembled in Munich.

I believe Danny is right about how the serial number works. My tricone has quite a crude body with a square platform for the body/heel joint which I believe was an early prototype for a square neck but was abandoned and fitted with a round neck it an attempt to not waste anything(There are stories of a few pretty poor guitars leaving the factory at this time I assume for similar reasons) My Tricones serial number is 923939, which makes good chronological sense.
Three or four years ago(ish) Amistar announced they had made their 2000th guitar, which included the first run of Continentals. So it is not beyond belief that they may have made 989 by mid 1997 given AMI are a reasonably large company.

Danny, I have noticed all the early Tricones I've seen that have that damned neck joint/screw arrangement have had a large, Roman numeral II in red pencil on the left hand side of the S/N label. Written crudely, it suggests it was an after thought and had to be done through the grill. I can't see this on your photo, does it have it?

Chris

[Deleted]

Hey guys...
Lex- I took a peek inside last night and didn't see any evidence of an extra handwritten "II", but mine was a basket case when I got her and I had to rebuild the neck stick & props & posts... and so much more, so its possible it was there and then rubbed/smeared off. Someone took the neck off with a drill! I was able to fit a National style stick, and refit a heel block for the screw, as the body is pretty warped in the heel area and needed that extra support.

[lexluthier]

Hi Danny.
The label on my guitar is filthy from much working the inside(which is nearly black!?) and the mark never rubbed off so I think yours never had one. Thanks for the info anyway, it all helps me put a picture together.

Chris

[beaverHausen]

May 3, 2016 14:34:52 GMT @hookedonrzophnx said:

"Your number seems to show yours was made in 1997. Maybe the 25th week and the 989th made? Anyways, nice guitar!"

That would make sense, my BMW serial number is similar..