GFI Without Expo or Ultra Nameplate

[Brayden Doolittle]

What's the deal with GFI guitars that don't have the Expo or Ultra nameplate? The one I'm looking at looks most like an Ultra. It's a single neck with a pad. Also it has a GFI-1 pickup. I'm guessing that it's an older model?
I'm new at steel guitar, and I'm looking to get my first pedal steel.

[Rich Ertelt]

Don't know about earlier ones, but my Ultra was made Dec '02. It looks identical to what is on their website. Has the Ultra name plate.

However, a quick google search (I read that GFI started in '89) shows early 90s ones that look very close to the Ultra, with no extra name plate.
https://reverb.com/item/67094330-gfi-d- ... eel-guitar

There is also a student model that has no extra name plate. Pics show a completely different bridge/changer than an Ultra. That might be the first clue.
https://guitarfactory.net/products/gfi- ... eel-guitar

[Andrew Frost]

It could also be that the logo has been removed.
I play an Ultra D10 and removed the labels on mine.

[Brayden Doolittle]

It’s not a student model. I’m thinking it must be an older guitar. Curious of how those compare to the new Ultras…

[Jerry Overstreet]

You are correct. The very earliest models did not have model nameplate. So, if it's not a student model, it's one of the first gen pro models.

[Bobby D. Jones]

The earlier GFI's I have dealt with, Have George L E-66 pickups, Then there is a GFI 1-11-111 series pickups.
The Ultra and Expo are all pull changers, I have not seen or worked on a student model.

Another thing that sort of help date a GFI, I am not sure of the date, But at 1 time, The standard was 6 hole bell cranks, With just 1 or 2 where 7 hole bell cranks where required. The GFI's Built in the last few years have all 7 hole bell cranks. Last time I checked they had no 6 hole bell cranks in listed stock parts.

A month or 2 ago I packed a GFI for a friends widow. I think 6-10 years ago, He bought the guitar. It was an Ultra SD10. Had GFI III pickup and all 7 hole bell cranks. And had the Ultra badge on the right side of front apron.

[Brett Day]

I once played a red and gold GFI Ultra D-10. I'm thinking it was a 2004 model because I got it in December of '04. It had eight pedals and five knee levers, and had the GFI-II pickups on both necks.

[David Higginbotham]

Early models didn’t have a model badge and there’s a few differences from later models. I much prefer the earliest models built and have for many years. The first 10 models were unique and had the gold vein design on the necks and end plates. I previously had the 2nd pro model D-10 and currently have the 8th pro model D-10 which were built on 1992. There are also 10 models with duplicate serial numbers that were later used on Ultra models. A serial number will help determine the year model with a bit more accuracy.
Dave