Make of this guitar? I suspect it's UK made...

[robdean]

My only guess is that HL may stand for Hal Leonard, but I've never seen them brand guitars.

The pickup and rout are (obviously!) not original, scratchplate missing as it needs replacing, the control plate is also an addition by a previous owner...





Thank you!

Rob

[robdean]

Figured it out... it's a Hayman, the company that became Shergold, early/mid 1970s...

[VintAxe]

Good work Rob. I agree with the Hayman attribution. Do you think it is a version of the Vibrasonic or something else? I've also never seen that logo before.

[robdean]

It's a variant of the Hayman Slimline 2020 but with a neck more characteristic of the late model Hayman guitars and lacking drilling for a couple of the normal pots. My best guess is that it was assembled in 1975 or even a little later by Shergold: I've read online that old models were sometimes put together in this way for customers who wanted something particular. I have a possible lead on a set of original pickups, which would be fascinating as they were bespoke in-house models. And this guitar does have the hidden resonant springs that were a Hayman innovation... tap it and you can hear them ring like Strat trem springs

[VintAxe]

It's a very cool historic piece Rob; a shame a past owner abused it. Hopefully the hole beneath that add on control plate is small enough to be covered by something more aesthetically pleasing. Great that you have a lead on some pups, a convincing pickup surround can probably be fabricated at a reasonable price.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge