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My 1977 DR103 2 input has DR504 on the serial plate. Everything is original, bought from the original owner. Any explanations?

that isn't terribly uncommon.
hand stamping the serial tags is very tedious and borders on mindless.

Or could it be that the guy that fixed the plate picked up the wrong one?

It's not as if the plate has to match a serial stamped into the chassis, so they either stamped them as they went or stamped up a few of each at a time for each model. If they do them for each amp and get the model wrong, put it aside until one of that model comes through and do a new one with another serial.

If you are picking them out of a box that is for 103s and someone has put a 504 in there, it may not be noticed especially if the amp has some other identification attached to it.

Do we know if amps were built to order or whether batches of each were done?

the amps were done in batches. To my knowledge tags were done one at a time. There weren't boxes of 103 tags, etc.

Serial tags were the last step before placing the amp in the cab. By 1972, this was often done by the newest and least skilled employee.

It is most likely that the installer had just done a DR504 or a DR504 was the next amp to be done. It is just a simple mistake.

I have seen DR201's with DR103 stamped. I have seen the letters stamped upside down or rotated 90 degrees.

It has been rumoured that when DR was away, minor stuff like this made it out.

My early 70s 103 has "DR504103" stamped on it with the "504" struck out!

--mark

mhuss wrote:My early 70s 103 has "DR504103" stamped on it with the "504" struck out!

--mark

oh yes, I forgot about that one.

Dr.HIWATT wrote:
I have seen DR201's with DR103 stamped.

My "Moody Blues" DR201 would be one of those.

Dave