What's this MSA?

[Roger Rettig]

Lying 'backstage' in my local Music store is this old 12-string MSA.

It's 3+4, but lacks connecting-rods and pedal-rods.

He might part with it as a 'project steel' (I don't know), but can anyone ID its approximate year?

[Bob Carlucci]

Early MSA from late 60's I'd say, but not 100% sure of the year.. In the early 70's, maybe from 72-73 on they were labeled MSA Micro, and used the now familiar bulletproof MSA Classic pull system.. The early ones looked almost like a ZB underneath as well as at the pickup.. Never played one, or seen one up close, but I heard they sounded really good, even better than the MSA/Micro Classic style guitars from the 70's 80's... bob

[Roger Rettig]

Thanks, Bob.

What might it be worth? It's also missing legs.

[Jim Palenscar]

It is definitely a pre-Micro MSA- more similar to a ZB in the cross shafts. They did a real good thing changing the design.

[Bobby D. Jones]

If you could get the serial number on this guitar, Would be a real good one to date.
Maybe David Wright and/or Kyle Bennett at MSA, Could help sort this one out and give it a birthday.

It looks like the changer fingers do not have a cross shaft through them, The fingers look like they just pivot on the straight bar with a knife edge. Like some other early steels.

The knee levers on the outside of the body, And the reverser for the knee lever flat against the body, And flat cross bars instead of round cross shafts dates it back in the early days of developing a modern steel guitar.

[Joe Bill Moad]

Roger email sent to your inbox.

Respectfully

Joe Bill Moad
Oklahoma

[Roger Rettig]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone!

My first impression was its similarity to a ZB but, beyond that, I was stumped.

He did ask me what I thought and I replied: 'Not much - there's a lot missing - maybe $500?'

Reading the posts here, I can see that I was a bit optimistic.

However, I have no involvement and I was simply curious about it.

Joe: I have replied privately.

[David Wright]

I went to work 1970 at MSA, we were building these at that time, so..I think you can go back to 1964 they were building same thing,I have Maurices 1965 guitar, rebuilt by Darvin... I got the guitar from JR.Knight...
As far as a value on the guitar, don't know, the system on that guitar is a bitch to work with, Darvin put mid 70's MSA parts in it, changer, rods, bell cranks, still has org keyhead, end plates , knee levers..