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Historic Production numbers?

CoolJoMark

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Feb 15, 2009
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anyone know if over the past years if the number of historics produced per year has been consistent? anyone have that number?
 

resha

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I've asked it a few times: to the customer service and to a couple of sellers. Nobody was able to tell me anything. The customer service said that these are secret numbers and that Gibson is not likely to give them away and the sellers told me they had not idea.

Probably an experienced insider can shed some light on this :rolleyes:
 

vintage58

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The serial number format that Gibson has used for the Historic Collection is one indicator of production numbers. In 2003 and on, for example, the "highest" serial numbers of six-digit '59 reissues have never advanced to a point where the third digit is a "3" (although there have been a year or two where the third digit was a "2"). So, in general, my guess is that they're making somewhere from 1,500 to 2,000 R-9's in a typical year. This, of course, is just for R-9's. I would think that the other most abundant reissue models are the R-8's and R-7's, whose highest serial numbers do not seem to be terribly different from those of R-9's.

Some years had markedly different production totals for R-9's, though. Like in 2002, far fewer were produced. I also don't think Gibson was making nearly as many Historics in general, during the first few years of the Historic Collection. The numbers then were probably in the low to mid-hundreds rather than the thousands (as they are now).
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R

R9.

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A forum pal had a 2007 R9, around/under #2300, that Gibson told him was made right around Xmas 2007.
 

resha

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I'm really looking forward to know this number, at least a near idea.
My R9 was made in the late March and it's 376 so I guess they produce something near 400 guitars per trimester. That would be a total of about 1600 per year. Probably a single model can go up to 2000 or maybe a little more, but as vintage58 already said it's more likely to be in the 3000 for the most productive years.
 

bluesforstevie

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I'm really looking forward to know this number, at least a near idea.
My R9 was made in the late March and it's 376 so I guess they produce something near 400 guitars per trimester. That would be a total of about 1600 per year. Probably a single model can go up to 2000 or maybe a little more, but as vintage58 already said it's more likely to be in the 3000 for the most productive years.

400 per Trimester....

400 X 3 = 1600????

...:hmm

I know I'm from a cow town, but I come up with 1200?




PS: I'm just busting your chops...for grins...:rofl
 

Zoomer

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anyone know if over the past years if the number of historics produced per year has been consistent? anyone have that number?

According to Walter Carter's article "Keeping the Flame Alive" 1999 and earlier they were only making 500 or less guitars per year. I am not sure when the production started to increase but in recent years they have been making tons of them. In 2009 I played one R9 serial number 99238X that's over 2300 R9's alone.
 

markguitar

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According to Walter Carter's article "Keeping the Flame Alive" 1999 and earlier they were only making 500 or less guitars per year. I am not sure when the production started to increase but in recent years they have been making tons of them. In 2009 I played one R9 serial number 99238X that's over 2300 R9's alone.

Actually 1999 was the first year of over 2000 R9's produced. Prior to 1999 there were around 300 per year. In 2002 there was a limited amount of R9's, maybe 300-500 and they sold for $5500.00. There have been around 2000 or more in all of the other years since '99.
 

Zoomer

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Actually 1999 was the first year of over 2000 R9's produced. Prior to 1999 there were around 300 per year. In 2002 there was a limited amount of R9's, maybe 300-500 and they sold for $5500.00. There have been around 2000 or more in all of the other years since '99.

Thanks Mark I didn't realize that Carter was not talking about the year 1999. It's surprising the earlier ones aren't more desirable then they are. That 1998 on your site is spectacular -- rare color for then as well I have seen very few in tobacco burst.
 
Last edited:

resha

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400 per Trimester....

400 X 3 = 1600????

...:hmm

I know I'm from a cow town, but I come up with 1200?




PS: I'm just busting your chops...for grins...:rofl

:lol
Well, a year has 12 months and a trimester has 3. So 12months per year/3 months per trimester=4trimesters per year
RIGHT?!
400guitars per trimesterx4trimesters=1600 guitars per year

:3zone

Just kidding bluesforstevie!
 

bluesforstevie

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:lol
Well, a year has 12 months and a trimester has 3. So 12months per year/3 months per trimester=4trimesters per year
RIGHT?!
400guitars per trimesterx4trimesters=1600 guitars per year

:3zone

Just kidding bluesforstevie!

I always thought there were 3 per year...hence the word "tri" 12/3 = 4 months per trimester. Right? I mean I don't know...maybe its a business cycle thing??

You know Semester...there are 2 per year. Quarter...there are 4 per year. Tri-mester...3 per year. Least when I went to school...many, many moons ago...We had 3 trimesters per year.
 

resha

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I always thought there were 3 per year...hence the word "tri" 12/3 = 4 months per trimester. Right? I mean I don't know...maybe its a business cycle thing??

Well... :wah

A trimester is period of 3 months. Hence TRImester. 4 TRImesters make a year.
A semester is a period of 6 months. 2 semesters make a year.

Probably the error is that you have 4 trimesters in a year, so a trimester is a quarter of a year being indeed 12/3=4. A trimester is a quarter of a year, hence it's got 3 months.

In Italy we also have quadrimester, which is a period of 4 months, and it is logically a third of a year.

This causes the confusion! 4 trimesters in a year VS. 3 qadrimesters (I don't even know if this word exist in english language :hmm ) in a year


Tri-mester...3 per year.

That's wrong because a you don't have 4 quadri-mesters in a year, that would be 16 months!
Or 6 sem-ester: you don't have 6 semesters in a year, that would be 36 months!

Least when I went to school...many, many moons ago...We had 3 trimesters per year.
In a school year you have 3 trimesters and the fourth is holiday, isn't it?
Indeed in Italy we use the quadrimester and not the trimester at school.

:bike
 

doodman

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First of all- "trimester?" Who talks like that? Trekkies?

A trimester refers to a period of time divided by three. "Trimester" and "semester" are used when talking about periods of time that are NOT yearly or monthly. There is no reason to use the term trimester because the year is already broken up into months. If there are 4 in a year it is quarterly. If there are 2 in a year it is bi-annually. "Tri-annually" really isn't used, but it would be the proper term. Pregnancy is the most popular use of trimester. Some colleges use this term, as well. But if referring to something that happens 3 times per year the best form is "every 4 months" because "trimester" is a bit too "Robin Leach" for the world to handle.

Now you know. You're welcome.
 

doodman

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Actually 1999 was the first year of over 2000 R9's produced. Prior to 1999 there were around 300 per year. In 2002 there was a limited amount of R9's, maybe 300-500 and they sold for $5500.00. There have been around 2000 or more in all of the other years since '99.

I bought a 2001 R9 and I printed a short article off of the Gibson site that said either 400 or 500 were made that year- I don't remember which it was at the moment. It is in the case of the guitar and I'll check it later.
 

bluesforstevie

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Well... :wah

A trimester is period of 3 months. Hence TRImester. 4 TRImesters make a year.
A semester is a period of 6 months. 2 semesters make a year.

Probably the error is that you have 4 trimesters in a year, so a trimester is a quarter of a year being indeed 12/3=4. A trimester is a quarter of a year, hence it's got 3 months.

In Italy we also have quadrimester, which is a period of 4 months, and it is logically a third of a year.

This causes the confusion! 4 trimesters in a year VS. 3 qadrimesters (I don't even know if this word exist in english language :hmm ) in a year




That's wrong because a you don't have 4 quadri-mesters in a year, that would be 16 months!
Or 6 sem-ester: you don't have 6 semesters in a year, that would be 36 months!


In a school year you have 3 trimesters and the fourth is holiday, isn't it?
Indeed in Italy we use the quadrimester and not the trimester at school.

:bike


Straight from Wiki:

Trimester - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TrimesterTrimester may refer to:

An academic term comprising one-third of an academic year; The division of pregnancy into three-month sections ...*

Maybe your getting it mixed up with the trimester in pregnancy which is 3 months. But it isn't 3 months because that's what a trimester is, it is 9 months divided by 3.

A Trimester can be any number of units or months in this case.
 
Last edited:

keef

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Actually 1999 was the first year of over 2000 R9's produced. Prior to 1999 there were around 300 per year. In 2002 there was a limited amount of R9's, maybe 300-500 and they sold for $5500.00. There have been around 2000 or more in all of the other years since '99.

So that makes before 1999 around 2,500 R9s. 1999-2011 24,500 or so.

27,000 R9s and counting....how many original bursts were there again.....? :peace2
 

bluesforstevie

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So that makes before 1999 around 2,500 R9s. 1999-2011 24,500 or so.

27,000 R9s and counting....how many original bursts were there again.....? :peace2

It just shows how killer these guitars are...That's a lot o Lesters!!!

However, this is one of the reasons I went for one of IA's guitars. Got tired of waiting for Gibson to go ahead and build one just like they did in the glory days. Each year they get closer...but that's part of the plan. I didn't like being a part of this plan...at least not for right now. I wanted something just a little different.
 

markguitar

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Nov 27, 2001
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I bought a 2001 R9 and I printed a short article off of the Gibson site that said either 400 or 500 were made that year- I don't remember which it was at the moment. It is in the case of the guitar and I'll check it later.

Well, here's #945 from 2001 and i know I've seen higher. So I'd say the article was wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

91945.jpg
 

doodman

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Well, here's #945 from 2001 and i know I've seen higher. So I'd say the article was wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

91945.jpg

Something I have always questioned was the numbering. Are we sure they started with 0001 and continued without any breaks numerically? I am not trying to be a smart ass (just this time, though)- I have no idea and would LOVE to know if we can guarantee they number "correctly."
 

Black58

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It just shows how killer these guitars are...That's a lot o Lesters!!!

However, this is one of the reasons I went for one of IA's guitars. Got tired of waiting for Gibson to go ahead and build one just like they did in the glory days. Each year they get closer...but that's part of the plan. I didn't like being a part of this plan...at least not for right now. I wanted something just a little different.

Discovered, this in '01-'02, myself; Was ROYALLY pissed! :pisd I opted to ditch EVERYTHING I had, 'cept fer "Audrey" ('97 R8), and grab a MIGHTY fine sounding '57 Special (7 7457)! ... REALLY, miss that guitar, needed a car, a year later. :dang ... They DO eventually come 'round, though, Dan; You DO know that. :ganz ... Patience, and pay attention to that feeling; That feeling gave me a suitable spare in '03, and something WAAAAYY different, in '09, that's blown EVERYTHING I've ever encountered, out of the water! :ganz .. :jim
 
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