Bill Lawrence BL1-R72 PW (c. 1987)

Bill Lawrence guitars have serial numbers stamped on the neck plate, and I once contacted Moridaira Musical Instruments to ask whether it was possible to determine the year of manufacture from these numbers. According to Moridaira, detailed production records were not maintained at the time, and there are no documents linking serial numbers to specific instruments. In other words, it is not possible to date a Bill Lawrence guitar accurately by serial number alone.

Today, the only reliable method of estimating a Bill Lawrence guitar’s production year is to check the model name stamped inside the neck pocket and cross-reference it with the Model List on Sam Jordan’s Bill Lawrence Data Box website.

From the neck pocket, this particular guitar has been identified as a BL1-R72 PW, suggesting it was manufactured around 1987. The list price at the time was ¥72,000. Production of the BL-2 and BL-3 models ended around 1989, and by the 1990 catalog, the entire BL series had disappeared.

The BL-1 appears to have been the most popular model of the series and is still frequently seen at auctions today.

Body: Alder
Weight: 3.49 kg (including strings)
(Updated August 18, 2016)