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Old wood = good wood

generankin

generankin

Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2003
Messages
299
I've got me a 1942 SJ that's been rode hard & put away wet. Previous owners have stripped off the sunburst, filled top cracks, put a new back on it (several of these previous owners had bought the guitar from me, did the "work", then defaulted on paying, so I repoed it), and I had it shoved back in a closet for years. Played my new-in-1973 Alvarez-Yairi copy of a herringbone and was a happy bunny. Then I was cleaning out the closet, found the old Gibson with a ding in the upper bout, so I hauled it off to get fixed. A year later (the guy's slow, but pretty good) I got it home and played it.

Revelation: Even being beat-up, 66-year-old axe, probably made from some of the last pre-war wood Gibson had on hand, leaves a damned-good Martin copy in the dust! :wow
 
W

wooderson

New member
Joined
Jan 13, 2008
Messages
798
I had a 1943 Epiphone Olympic that had been left in a garage for years, owned by a mechanic, covered in motor oil.

Once the oil residue got removed, "shaved off" was actually more like it, that guitar was an F-bomb of an instrument before it was stolen.
 
keef

keef

Active member
Joined
Jan 27, 2002
Messages
5,006
Not a Gibson, but...

Bought a 1890s Washburn as a wall hanger at a guitar show. Somebody had painted over the entire top, likely to cover a number of ugly splint repairs.

When I strung it up at home I was amazed by the tone. I then had the top stripped and French polished. Great sounding guitar, despite about 5-6 large top cracks.

I later got an 1885 Washburn - completely crack free, and even better sounding.
 
guitarvoodoo

guitarvoodoo

Formerly fishnose, Les Paul Forum Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2006
Messages
2,000
My 1954 LG-1 sounds sweeeet sweet sweet. Talk about blues!!
Everything is original and in good nick apart from a later bridge (some time in the 70's most likely) and lefty nut.

It's lefty converted, but an easily reversible procedure.

LG-1_54_0274.jpg


/GV
 
plaintop

plaintop

Active member
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
9,591
'42 was one of the absolute best years for Gibson Flattops. That's a nice player. Looks like a Sitka top.
 
AtomEve

AtomEve

Les Paul Forum Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2002
Messages
4,666
Just beautiful!!!!!

Here's my Flat top harem!

50 D-28, 52 J-45, 56 J-45 and 37 L-00!

:dude:

4flats1.JPG
 
TM1

TM1

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
8,356
Is the 1942 a "Banner" headstock? BTW, that book is a pretty good read. Seems odd though that even to this day Gibson will not admit they made any guitars between 1942 till 1946
 
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