Generic dating of Westerly made acoustics

[hearth_man]

This may have been asked before, so I apologize ahead of time, but when acoustics were made in the Westerly plant which was put on first. The ink stamped date on the neck block or the empressed stamped serial number on the back of the headstock?

 

[fronobulax]

This may have been asked before, so I apologize ahead of time, but when acoustics were made in the Westerly plant which was put on first. The ink stamped date on the neck block or the empressed stamped serial number on the back of the headstock?

At one time the serial numbers were stamped on the headstock when the neck was completed in which case I would expect the neck block to be "newer" than the serial. Regardless of the order the amount of time between the two events was also variable. There is a reason I try and say "the serial number dates to xxxx" and not "the guitar was made in xxxx" or "finished in xxx". If I have a neck block date, I will say "it was completed after <neck block date>".

 

[adorshki]

This may have been asked before, so I apologize ahead of time, but when acoustics were made in the Westerly plant which was put on first. The ink stamped date on the neck block or the empressed stamped serial number on the back of the headstock?

For flattops at least, the neckblock stamp was put there on completion of the rim, which occurred before the neck was mounted:
https://letstalkguild.com/ltg/index.php?threads/neck-block-stamp-or-label.165740/#post-1461058

Frono and I have discussed whether necks were stamped prior to being attached to the body. Im' very sure that at certain times a east, specifically during late'90's, te ncks were stamped after the guitar was completely assembled, just before being finished (NCL).

From post #14 in that thread:
"During 1999, Joe Fusaro wrote up the numbers he had stamped on a group of JF-30s that he was about to finish and the last number for that day, which was Jan. 26, 1999, was ser. # AJ302733."

Things may have been done differently at different times, and electrics, especially solid-bodies, may also have used different procedures. Don't recall any specific threads/posts about that.

 

[hearth_man]

Thanks gentlemen. That 2011 post by Hans was also very helpful. I figured this question had been asked before. I will have to spend a bit more time searching the forum next time.

 

[fronobulax]

Thanks gentlemen. That 2011 post by Hans was also very helpful. I figured this question had been asked before. I will have to spend a bit more time searching the forum next time.

Sometimes not searching is a minor annoyance but in this case I forgot that Al and I had hashed this out before and, at the very least, things are not as clear cut as I want to make them. So I kinda want to thank you for asking again.