Pre-serial plate (1947-1954?)

 

 These pre-serial number guitars seem to be very rare and there isn't currently any indication of when they started manufacturing them. I am going to place the two I have examples of as from 1954-1956 as the Bantam was still described as new in catalogs and adverts that are dated to 1956 (admittedly it seems like they might've carried on doing that till 1960...). Both these guitars have no serial number plate and no screw holes where one has been removed. I would guess that these plastic cover Fransch pickups are a feature of early guitars as I haven't seen them on examples I consider to be later.

This is the precursor to the Bantam:

Unfortunately, most of the hardware has been replaced, but the headstock logo, shared volume and tone controls, fingerboard dot pattern and lack of f-holes all suggest this is an early guitar.