BassesByLeo
Est. 2009

I've found online another July 24 1980 bass with a red cap, B000962. So, there must have been no standardization.

Just got it back from the shop. Plays fantastic. No ski jump, no dead spots, no issues with the neck at all. Pretty excited to play it with the band at rehearsal tomorrow!!

Well, I got lucky again. Just put this on layaway. Should be receiving it within the next few weeks. Very excited!!

I haven't seen the dates on the neck or body yet, but based on the # there is a good chance it is a 1980. And it's another white toggle switch bass, which add's to Derick's toggle color theory!

The large hex poles were phased out by Dec '80 -Jan of 1981. And, if my white switch cap theory holds up, that should be a summer 1980 bass.

Congratulations, on the find!

Well, just received the L-1000. The serial number on this one is only 75 away from my first one, which is kinda cool. Letting it acclimate before I open things up to check it out.

Here is my L-1000, just delivered, in very nice shape. I need to replace the 3 knobs with proper ones, and the strap button needs some work. But it is really clean. Looking forward to checking out the neck and body dates! Any idea if this case looks original?

gbrooding wrote:Any idea if this case looks original?

L-1000.jpg

Yes, that is the correct original case. Sort of a shimmering rust color. You're in luck about the knobs, for decades those were commonly referred to as "hen's teeth" but the CLF project has caused G&L to remanufacture them.

As to details that only the the earliest basses have, the white switch cap is one, 1/16 side position markers is #2, and the lack of the "birthmark" on the back of the headstock is #3.

Apparently some of the earliest basses and all later ones until 1985 or so had the red switch cap.
Sometime between October 1980 and April 1981 the side dots increased in size, to 3/32 I believe.
Between October and December of 1980 the Birthmark on the headstock appeared. Actually, before that the birthmark was there but was underneath the D tuner.

My inventory of Pre- November 1981 basses is exactly one, and also an October 1980 L-1000 Neck. Photos with datestamps could narrow the blanks, somebody will have better information than I. These are very minor manufacturing changes, I'm not certain anyone has documented them.

Neck date is stamped Aug 22, 1980, and the body date is written in pencil, hard to read, but sure looks like 8/9/80. I've been super fortunate to run across 2 L-1000's from 1980 in the past year, and both are in fantastic shape. I'm learning a lot about these instruments as I go, and I really appreciate the input.

Is that an El Toro on the left?

Can you confirm that both 1980 basses have the smaller side dots?