Jubzz Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 I'm looking at 2 different JTV-69 for purchase, forgot to write down the serial #'s to figure mfg year. Regarding the back cover plate over the tremelo, one cover is solid, the other has 2 open slots in it. Which cover plate is the newer version? TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 Well mine is from 2012 and has the slots, but I don't think it's a particularly good yardstick to judge the production date, anyway. Maybe they ran out of the slotted ones that day, who knows? Plus, if the guitar in question is hanging on the wall down at Megalotunes, any of the 16 year old scut-monkeys manning the helm could have swapped it out for reasons unknown. You never know with those places... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jubzz Posted March 13, 2016 Author Share Posted March 13, 2016 Any particular advantages of having a closed vs a slotted cover over the tremolo cavity? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 No. Look for something else to distinguish them like which one feels better when you play it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Any particular advantages of having a closed vs a slotted cover over the tremolo cavity? Depends on how much it's going to irritate you to have to remove the backplate entirely when you have to adjust the tension on the tremelo springs. That's what the slots are there for. It's a floating bridge...sooner or later, it will be necessary. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 I don't see how you adjust without removing it. It's a non issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 I don't see how you adjust without removing it. It's a non issue. By sticking a Philips head screwdriver through the slot. It's not supernatural. I've done it numerous times, on this guitar, and others with the same style backplate. Is it a deal breaker? No. Would I buy, or not buy a guitar based on what the tremelo backplate looks like? No. But that doesn't mean that there is no difference between them, and that was the question that was asked. So with that in mind, why remove and replace 6 screws if you don't have to? It just makes a 4 second job take 5 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jubzz Posted March 15, 2016 Author Share Posted March 15, 2016 Just to close the loop on this issue, found out: JTV-69 Sunburst, both guitars; the mfg Feb 2012 (W1202xxxx) had the solid cover back and the mfg Mar 2012 (W1203xxxx) had the cover with 2 slots and easy access to the 2 tension screws for the trem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Just to close the loop on this issue, found out: JTV-69 Sunburst, both guitars; the mfg Feb 2012 (W1202xxxx) had the solid cover back and the mfg Mar 2012 (W1203xxxx) had the cover with 2 slots and easy access to the 2 tension screws for the trem. That's kinda what I figured...they guitars were made a month apart. I'll bet they use the different backplates interchangeably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 More recent ones have the double slots for convenience of adjusting tremolo spring tension. Some players like the solid one used on earlier JTV's, so every now and then, one comes across my bench. I forget what the transition date was from solid to double slot, but early 2012 sounds close enough. BTW,... 1202 is 2012, but not February 2012. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jubzz Posted March 15, 2016 Author Share Posted March 15, 2016 Sunburst JTV-69's: W1202xxxx solid trem cover W1203xxxx slotted trem cover I was under the belief that W stood for Korea (World Music in Korea) and the 4 serial numbers after the W were for YYMM. Thinking that W1202xxxx was made in Feb 2012.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 World Music,... yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Sunburst JTV-69's: W1202xxxx solid trem cover W1203xxxx slotted trem cover I was under the belief that W stood for Korea (World Music in Korea) and the 4 serial numbers after the W were for YYMM. Thinking that W1202xxxx was made in Feb 2012.... Oh yeah, I forgot about this. We were all under that impression. This is an example of "sensitive info" that they're not gonna part with. You see, if you actually knew when your guitar was made, somehow that will curve your spine, and make the Allies lose the war...;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Less to do with being "sensitive", more to do with being for our own internal tracking on these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Either way, harmless info in the wild...but I know it's beating a dead horse, as it shan't be forthcoming. On the count of three, everyone approximate! Whew...that was close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 :) Rock on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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