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Year-by-Year History of the Historic Les Paul Collection

FlamingTop

New member
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Nov 23, 2006
Messages
361
What do you guys think of posting 1 pic per year to show what the guitars looked like then? I guess first come first serve basis would be fair? got any ideas? :dude: This way, we have a visual reference data base of sorts as well :)
 

fjminor

Active member
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Apr 28, 2005
Messages
3,623
Hi Danelectro

You can add this item to 2008 Historics...thanks to SealNYC for the info:

- New COA for CustomShop Guitars

No more orange or tan certs...

"Gibson logo is printed on the outside cover with an embossed logo on the certificate inside. This new COA ‘book’ measures 5” wide x 6-1/2” high (when closed) and will be placed inside the case pocket of every regular guitar shipping in 2008 and beyond. The “Inspired By” series will also include a COA book but will be more personalized to reflect each specific artist."

Pretty cool little package

Gibson 2008 COA Cover_&_Inside sm.jpg

Gibson 2008 COA Inside sm.jpg
 

kink56

Les Paul Froum Member
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Dec 20, 2004
Messages
7,672
Wow, those R4s do not show up in the catalog until 97. These must be pretty rare!! 780? They sure must have made a LOT of R4s between the GTs and the Customs in 1995? I really DOUBT they made that many R4s!! They probably did not even make that many R9s! (usually the most numerous in most years, except 2001 and 2002) Which raises the question....I know that since at LEAST 1999 each series R2, R4, R6, R7 etc had its own sequential SN. That is there could be a 4 9001, 6 9001, 7 9001, 9 9001, 0 9001 and so on. But is it possible that ALL Rs intermixed within the SAME sequence in the early/mid 90s? That is 4 5001, 6 5002, 7 5003, 8 5004, 9 5005, 0 5006, like this?

I would REALLY like this SN thing answered by someone who knows, please do not let it die off.
 

moonpie

In the Zone
Joined
May 24, 2003
Messages
9,781
I think the guitars out of the Custom Shop were sequential in the early 90's regardless of which model.

IE: 2 0001 could be a Classic, 2 0002 a Reissue, 2 0003 a custom order and so on.

I wouldn't bet my life on it, though.
Maybe one of your legs, but not my life :hmm
 

TT100

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Jul 22, 2002
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4,724
Great thread!

If this helps anything, my '01 R4 appears to have black side markers, did not have a lightweight bridge (same part as the tailpiece used with TOM guitars?), has the rounded corner milky white inlays, greenish tuner buttons, "pink" switchring and p90 covers and a very dark rosewood board.

Serial number is 4 10xx (under 10). Trying to get date information on Gibson's forum a few years ago I was told there were no available records but depending on production requirements the numbers could be mixed between the R4 GT and R4 BB. My son's birthdate is Jan 7th 2001 so I'm happy to believe that it was "made" on his birthdate.

So, at what point during construction is the serial number inked on? When the neck and body are mated? Finish applied? After QC? If before final QC would there be missing numbers because of rejected guitars or would the numbers be re-used, then out of sequence?

Inquiring minds and all that...

Thanks,

TT
 

kink56

Les Paul Froum Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2004
Messages
7,672
I think the guitars out of the Custom Shop were sequential in the early 90's regardless of which model.

IE: 2 0001 could be a Classic, 2 0002 a Reissue, 2 0003 a custom order and so on.

I wouldn't bet my life on it, though.
Maybe one of your legs, but not my life :hmm

Yes this is true of the PreHistorics. I just wonder if this went on with the Historics as well for a few years?
 

55Custom

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Sep 5, 2003
Messages
6,251
For those who are interested, I phoned Gibson today (waste of time as usual) they said that they have no records and cannot verify if Eastern or Western maple was used at 'ANY' time.....just that they have used both throughout.
!!
+1


'03 Stingers had the confirmed Eastern, that's what separated them from the other 03's.



2007
*
* Real honduran mahogany.............
*
That's just unsubstantiated heresay, unless there is documented proof.
 

sunburst_59

New member
Joined
Jun 20, 2006
Messages
8
Wow, those R4s do not show up in the catalog until 97. These must be pretty rare!! 780? They sure must have made a LOT of R4s between the GTs and the Customs in 1995? I really DOUBT they made that many R4s!! They probably did not even make that many R9s! (usually the most numerous in most years, except 2001 and 2002) Which raises the question....I know that since at LEAST 1999 each series R2, R4, R6, R7 etc had its own sequential SN. That is there could be a 4 9001, 6 9001, 7 9001, 9 9001, 0 9001 and so on. But is it possible that ALL Rs intermixed within the SAME sequence in the early/mid 90s? That is 4 5001, 6 5002, 7 5003, 8 5004, 9 5005, 0 5006, like this?

I think you are right!! Some of the serial numbers on older historics are too high and would suggest production numbers way above the numbers that would have been produced, so Gibson must have been amalgamating serial numbers somehow. Then again I have a Murphy aged Goldtop from 2000 # 7 01025, obviously the 7 means 1957, the 0 means 2000, but does that mean this was the 1025th 57 reissue made that year? That seems an awful lot?
 

55Custom

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Sep 5, 2003
Messages
6,251
^^ '00 and '01 were big production years. I had an '01 Murphy R7 with
711XXX serial number.

On the early '90's historics like that '95, Gibson said at the time, that there were some historics issued where the last 3 digits were "custom shop" numbers, and not typical Historic sequential numbers. They said those numbers were used for special orders. For instance, "784" was an R4, but 785 could have been a completely different custom shop model and not even a Les Paul. This format was still active on a small number of historics through at least 1996. By 1998 they were using "CSxxxx" to designate special orders, but not even that was consistent. I owned examples of each type of such numbers back inthe '90's and made inquiries at that time.
 

MIKE20

Active member
Joined
Aug 11, 2004
Messages
7,688
I think the guitars out of the Custom Shop were sequential in the early 90's regardless of which model.

IE: 2 0001 could be a Classic, 2 0002 a Reissue, 2 0003 a custom order and so on.

I wouldn't bet my life on it, though.
Maybe one of your legs, but not my life :hmm

they were sequential regardless of model...
 

kink56

Les Paul Froum Member
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Dec 20, 2004
Messages
7,672
Okay then what year did they separate R7s R8s R9s R0s into separate sequences? 1999?
 

kink56

Les Paul Froum Member
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Dec 20, 2004
Messages
7,672
But then again the R7s and R9s of 1994 had their own sequences! And the 50 R8s of 1994 were SN 8 4001-8 4050!! So it seems that the high numbers on those R4s just don't make any sence. Maybe Gibson is JUST NOT CONSISTANT or logical?!
 

sunburst_59

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Jun 20, 2006
Messages
8
But then again the R7s and R9s of 1994 had their own sequences! And the 50 R8s of 1994 were SN 8 4001-8 4050!! So it seems that the high numbers on those R4s just don't make any sence. Maybe Gibson is JUST NOT CONSISTANT or logical?!

I'm fairly sure that all R9's from '93 thru to '98 had their own number sequence, not sure about the rest of the historic range, but you don't tend to see R9's from that period with huge numbers, ie the highest numbers only seem to show 400 or 500 max made. Anyone seen an R9 from the '93 to '98 period with over 600+ in the last 3 digits? Obviously in '99 they started making them by the cart load so I'm only taking about pre-99.
 

delawaregold

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Jun 27, 2005
Messages
1,814
Gibson Electric Serialization

Taken from the 11 th Edition Blue Book of Electric Guitars
By Zachary R. Fjestad


In 1992, the serialization of reissues became standard. The configuration
of M YNNN is still in use by Gibson. The M indicates the model code,
specifically the last digit of the year of the reissue. The Y indicates the last
number of the year of the guitar, and the NNN are the production numbers.
For example, 4 8256 indicates a 1954 Les Paul reissue built in 1998
and is the 256th instrument of the year. The following codes represent
most of the reissues:
NUMBER MODELS
2 = 1952 LES PAUL
4 = 1954 LES PAUL
6 = 1956 LES PAUL
7 = 1957 LES PAUL
8 = 1958 LES PAUL
9 = 1959 LES PAUL
0 = 1960 LES PAUL


EDIT: It does say “MOST” of their reissues, eluding to the years where
Specials, Juniors, Explorers, and Flying Vee, reissues for that year would
have been included in the numbers, when applicable.
 
Last edited:

delawaregold

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Messages
1,814
'03 Stingers had the confirmed Eastern, that's what separated them from the other 03's.

You know that is not true, as you and I have debated this before,
yet you continue to spout your empirical knowledge as fact.
Post something from a reputable source, show some documentation,
as I have done so many times in the past, or label your post as opinion.
You continue to mislead and confuse this, as well as many other issues.
 
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