Help! Silhouette Special can't find serial in database / strange tuners with screw on top

[Halgar]

Hoping someone can help trying to establish the date of manufacture and any other info about this guitar.
The number 97009 is stamped on the plate where the neck connects to the body.
The model is printed on the head as “Ernie Ball Music Man Silhouette Special”.
On the back of the head is printed “Made in St Luis Obispo California, USA”.

I’ve checked in this database but it explains that serials that don’t start with a letter are not in the database.
Does this mean the guitar is pre-1990s?
Serial Number Database

Also the Grover tuners are very unusual with a slotted screw on top of the tuner (see photos attached).
Appreciate any advice how to string these up.
Searched far and wide on the web can't can't find anything like them.
They appear to be an early type of locking tuner?

Many thanks any help!! Much appreciate.

 

[Steve Nukather]

I remember those Grover tuners. They were featured on Tom Anderson guitars for a short time in the mid 1990s and they are despised by many. Tom himself now admits the design is inferior. They are quite peculiar - a rather primitive locking design with tons of slop in the post and not enough break angle over the nut.

To re-string... you pull the string taut, wrap 1/2 turn counter-clockwise between the lock-screw head and the washer (wrap clockwise for the thin E and B strings). Hold string in place and tighten the lock-screw to pinch the string between the lock screw and the washer, tune up, and trim excess.

The lock-screws are soft brass and easily strip, snap, or develop grooves from the strings. Inevitably, a lock-screw will go missing at the gig and there's no way to attach the string without it. I've tossed my fair share of these into the bin and replaced with Sperzel, Schaller, etc.

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

Halgar, your serial number 97009 appears in the Serial Number Database as:

Serial #	097009
Manufactured	January 2nd, 1996
Model	GUITAR SILHOUETTE CANDY RED ROSEWOOD HSS TREM

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[GWDavis28]

Wow that's an old one for sure!! It's probably got the old Wilkerson style bridge as well.

Congrats on the purchase and welcome!!!

Glenn |B)

 

[beej]

I had one like that years ago ... Rolls Burgundy, with the older tuners & bridge. Played like butter.

 

[Halgar]

Wow so grateful for these responses. Nothing like having a mystery or two solved at last!

No wonder I couldn’t find those tuners in google image search! They obviously are a bit rare.

And this morning my daughter says to me “your guitar is my favourite colour”. And my colour blind brain is thinking “what do you mean - it’s black!”. She goes on to show how when you shine a light on it it looks like a cherry red.

And hence why I thought the database lookup was wrong. Expected a candy red to be much brighter red.

Thanks so much for all the helpful responses to my first post!
It seems this forum is truely AWESOME!

Cheers.

 

[Halgar]

Also many thanks for the advice on how to string those tuners.

Attached a close up of those gnarly tuners and the bridge.

Curious if the bridge is also an unusual type?
And what could those two tiny holes just above and to either side of the bridge be for?
Cheers and thanks again.

 

[DrKev]

Those are the stock tuners and they worked just fine. If they still feel good and function well, there's no need to replace them.

I'm not sure that's the original bridge, I was expecting a Wilkinson VSVG, the one with the wrap-around bent steel saddles with the locking screw. Those two holes either side of the bridge are probably where someone mounted a Roland midi pickup.

And yes, the Candy Red in the 90s was DARK. Here's an example also from 1996...

Ernie Ball Music Man Silhouette Special HSS Candy Red - 1996 | Reverb

Super Cool 1996 Candy Red Ernie Ball Music Man Silhouette Special HSS Trem in Very Good Condition!Another very cool and beautifully crafted Music Man has just landed in-store! In particular, this is a Hss Silhouette Special in a dark metallic Candy Red which features Grover top locking tuners &am...

reverb.com

There are few other '96s on Reverb right now. And if you go to All Filters > Show Only > Sold Listings you'll find some more.

That looks like a nice guitar. With a deep clean and a fret polish it'll be great!

 

[Iperfungus]

It seems this forum is truely AWESOME!

Cheers.

Yes, it is!
Full of good and helpful guys with a lot of knowledge!

Very nice Silho version.
Bridge looks not the original Wilkinson, as DrKev already stated...but it looks a good clone of a PRS one.

Welcome in the family!

 

[John C]

Also many thanks for the advice on how to string those tuners.

Attached a close up of those gnarly tuners and the bridge.

Curious if the bridge is also an unusual type?
And what could those two tiny holes just above and to either side of the bridge be for?
Cheers and thanks again.

View attachment 42820

View attachment 42821

Congrats! That's a very early one.

As @Iperfungus says the bridge appears to be a PRS clone - maybe even made as an aftermarket by MannMade (the company that made the original bridges for PRS back in the day).

Those 2 small holes might have been for a Roland hex pickup or some other kind of hex pickup for controlling a synth. Here's a current Roland pickup assembly: