Letters ES below the pickguard

[lapsteel]

My '66 jazzmaster has the letters 'ES' engraved on the finish below the pickguard in two different places. The letters are small, about 5 mm (1/5 inch).

Could they be original or maybe a luthier's signature? The finish seems original.

I'll try to post some photographs later.

[daydreamdelay]

both 66's I've had have that, here's the explanation I've read..

two-letter "ES" paint code meaning "Entered Special" for
a special order or a show guitar. This does not indicate a factory refinish
job, but was instead used by the factory to tell the finish booth to paint this body
special order.


what I find odd about that though is both of mine were originally sunburst.. something we all know was quite common, definitely not a custom color so why would it be considered a special order?

[lapsteel]

I really appreciate your answer, as that code looked fishy to me

Mine's also sunburst. The first code is between the pickups, an the other is near the bridge, so the "S" is partially visible with the pickguard installed

[mynameisjonas]

what I find odd about that though is both of mine were originally sunburst.. something we all know was quite common, definitely not a custom color so why would it be considered a special order?

maybe they were hand selected by someone who just couldn´t stand seeing the beautiful grain of those two bodies being covered up by a solid finish?

[daydreamdelay]

well that could be plausible if we were talking about two tone burst but I don't think that'd be the case with a target burst

[daydreamdelay]

I really appreciate your answer, as that code looked fishy to me

Mine's also sunburst. The first code is between the pickups, an the other is near the bridge, so the "S" is partially visible with the pickguard installed

odd, here's both of mine..

this is my old one just before it was refinished, the markings were kept but it's easier to see in this pic..



and my current one..





the ES markings on mine are roughly in the same spot.. is yours?

[sookwinder]

Justin, that "S"  in the top photo looks similar to the "NS" that was in th PUP cavity of the 66 jaguar I restored



Does any one have an idea what the "NS" may stand for ?

Not Special

[fullerplast]

The S in magic marker between or in the cavities means sunburst.

As for NS... it probably relates to sunburst in some way, but I'm not sure how.

My guess is that these designations were put on there by an inspector that was examining the cut bodies. The ones with better grain or less obvious mismatches in the seams were marked with the S and reserved for sunburst. True, most bodies ended up being sunburst... but if it were me, I would use uglier bodies for the opaque finishes. Seems like the bizarro world to use lesser bodies on special-ordered custom finishes (that cost more), but it's true. Today they even charge extra for sunburst due to the better wood, $30 last I noticed.

[lalalandstudios]

Here's my Dakota 66's "Entered Special" code.... I've seen with both custom colors and bursts - many possible explanations for whey they'd be entered special, either to fulfill an order that they needed quickly, a rep/demo guitar, a NAMM guitar, etc..... I've always been happy to see it, especially on a custom color model...

[daydreamdelay]

I forgot who said it over at the old forum but ES stands for EXTRA special 

and yeah what Doug said about the S, no idea what the N could mean though 

[Jay]

My new XII has the ES on the body along with the DEMO stamp on the neck and neck pocket.  It's definitely EXTRA special too.