Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 608
Location: Caribou, ME | The never ending quest to learn everything there is to know about Moosup production. My 50th Applause came in the other day. The first couple things I noticed was the 'not normal' tuners and the fact it was the worst attempt at sunburst I've ever seen. Tuners on these were inexpensive yet functional imports and for the most part they were identical over the years. These were different; small oval buttons as opposed to larger rounded hex shape. I then compared them to two "known" 1976 models, one NOS with the sticker still on the guard, the other the 1000th one made, signed by a bunch of line workers and Beal, 8-15-76. They both had the small oval tuners, so I can assume there was a switch to the normal tuners sometime after that. Closer inspection showed me three more details heretofore unnoticed. There are two struts or braces built into the bowl near the neck joint. These are absent in 1976. Also the inner white plastic ring around the bowl, visible inside, has little tabs sticking out from it where the newer (post 1976) is completely smooth. In addition, the 1976 ones' plastic ring is gooped into place with what looks like Alison's "monkey doo". And now I see that all Applauses had seven fan braces.... except for two that I have; they have eight, the additional one being on the treble side. The 8-15-76 one has seven so I will assume the other two are earlier in the year.
Sunburst run the gamut from cherry sunburst to tobacco black sunburst and everything in between but this one's burst is pretty bad.
I'm also seeing a difference in the length of the neck heel in the earliest ones; the heels are shorter than later AA-14s but not as short as an AA-24.
Some have dates, some do not. Serial numbers mean nothing. I will be amassing what serial numbers I have and trying to see a pattern but I don't expect to determine much. Beal said he had some info in a filing cabinet somewhere.... (hint hint)
The newest acquisition, which may end up being my earliest one, has some oddness about the boss where the neck bolts thread in. That big tab that engages the bowl is normally squared off; this one is clearly rounded.
Someone on this board picked up an AA-14 a couple years ago and claims it to be a '75. Sure would like to snag that one!
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Early Applause construction - Beal please read
