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NGD: 1949 blonde ES-5

58dutchie

New member
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
602
Hi there,

Treated myself for Christmas and got me a 1949 ES-5N, a blonde beauty! She sounds and plays really good, in fact she looks and sounds exactly like this: https://youtu.be/vAW9zP9Ftwg

Like I said in another thread, there is a name and address written under the trussrod cover: Irvin F. Lynn of 97 Saint Joseph Avenue in Buffalo, New York. I would love to get in touch with him, can anyone please help? Or a younger relative of mr. Lynn perhaps? The dealer where the guitar was for sale (in Rochester, NY) said that they had the guitar from a guy that bought it new in 'upstate New York'...so that could be correct! And now the guitar is in Europe! :)

Enjoy the pics! By the way, what do you think the darker spot is (left of the knobs)? My guess is that it's from a cigarette (someone turning the knobs while holding a burning cigarette).

<a href="https://imgur.com/56x8L2a"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/56x8L2a.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/ITnh9Oc"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/ITnh9Oc.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/yJiRB5X"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/yJiRB5X.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/7DfZj6y"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/7DfZj6y.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/Sm04C3S"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Sm04C3S.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/ZDHBBie"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/ZDHBBie.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/K3Au7MA"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/K3Au7MA.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/RWeJBW0"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/RWeJBW0.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/EbCR3OG"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/EbCR3OG.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
 

58dutchie

New member
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
602
By the way, on this one the middle pickup is out of phase...shouldn't it be the bridge pickup?
 

58dutchie

New member
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
602
It just got even cooler: there's a message hidden inside the guitar! It says that Irvin Lynn bought the guitar on October 29, 1949, at the Wurlitzer Company in Buffalo, NY, for the price of $390,00 !!!

hedhZhS.jpg


8Kc2MuF.jpg
 

58dutchie

New member
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
602
By the way, since these P90's have nickel polepieces where they should be gold (ES-5 officially has gold hardware, but I've seen more ES-5's with nickel polepieces), can you all please take a look if these pickups, pots and cap look original to you (end 40's)? The pickups (all three of them) have these typical black-white-black bobbins; I have seen those before but only on pre-1950 P90's, so that's a good sign! Furthermore, the pots are IRC (0.5 meg) but I can't read the date codes (solder on it)...but they look 'end 40s' to me...only thing I cannot really see well is the capacitor...is there someone who can recognize it? It looks to me like some paper in oil cap...could be 40's, don't know. The pickup covers don't have any markings on the underside and that is also correct for the very early ones if I'm not mistaken. All solder looks to be original.

yzRrRcz.jpg


BjzSFwL.jpg


f7LxGuF.jpg


8Kc2MuF.jpg


1YsLGKj.jpg


qHfsw2M.jpg


TtrFfNn.jpg
 

58dutchie

New member
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
602
Isn't there anyone who can comment on the pickups, pots and capacitor? Come one you guys!
 

Phatfrank

Active member
Joined
Feb 5, 2015
Messages
309
Awesome guitar! Sorry, can’t help you with the electronics. Bought myself an old Super 400 for christmas also, and these big Gibsons truly are amazing. Congrats!
 

VamboRool

Active member
Joined
Nov 25, 2015
Messages
424
Beautiful guitar, enjoy. It looks like the plastic brace on the back of the pick guard is out gassing, you might want to consider getting a replacement p/g and not keep the original in the case. I had the same thing happen to a 1950 ES-300.
 

blauserk

Active member
Joined
Mar 12, 2002
Messages
1,778
Beautiful guitar. Those pickups definitely look original to me. Even if those pole pieces had gold on them in 1949 (take a look at some 1950s Gretsch 6120s to remind yourself that gold, nickel, and aluminum were once deemed to match), they've had 60-plus years to wear off the few microns of gold and revert to the pre-plating nickel. If you want to assure yourself, drag the pots and cap out through the f-holes and give us the production codes off them. But save yourself the trouble and just enjoy the thing. P90s guitars are much less likely to be pillaged for parts than PAF ones. I've never seen the caps on a 1940 Gibson before (although if you send me your camera, I'll send you gut shots from my 1949 ES-300). It sure looks jake to me.
 

Wally

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 27, 2003
Messages
3,535
Congrats...beautiful guitar. I am wondering, though, how did those two pieces of paper get inside that body and are so well placed in that position....at what I take to be the butt of the guitar???
 

Ed Driscoll

Les Paul Forum Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
4,688
Great looking guitar -- and great photos. What did you use to get the shots inside the body of the guitar?
 

F-Hole

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 2, 2015
Messages
2,171
Awesome. I love the "message in a bottle" vibe to it.

Jealous, moi?
 

sidekick

New member
Joined
Jun 20, 2005
Messages
3,060
I'd just say enjoy it ... Looks fantastic and a testimony to all at Gibson who were involved/crafted it at the time.

Stunning ... :)
 

jwguitar

Active member
Joined
Jul 28, 2015
Messages
153
Hi there,

Treated myself for Christmas and got me a 1949 ES-5N, a blonde beauty! She sounds and plays really good, in fact she looks and sounds exactly like this: https://youtu.be/vAW9zP9Ftwg

Like I said in another thread, there is a name and address written under the trussrod cover: Irvin F. Lynn of 97 Saint Joseph Avenue in Buffalo, New York. I would love to get in touch with him, can anyone please help? Or a younger relative of mr. Lynn perhaps? The dealer where the guitar was for sale (in Rochester, NY) said that they had the guitar from a guy that bought it new in 'upstate New York'...so that could be correct! And now the guitar is in Europe! :)

Enjoy the pics! By the way, what do you think the darker spot is (left of the knobs)? My guess is that it's from a cigarette (someone turning the knobs while holding a burning cigarette).

















That is my dream guitar! That looks amazing. I'm sure it sounds as good as it looks or even better!
 

58dutchie

New member
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
602
Well, time for an update! I discovered some new info (this guitar turns out to be a real time-capsule): after finding the note about Irvin Lynn inside the body I now also found something on the underside of the tailpiece. There are two small pieces of tape with Irvin's NAVY service number and his drivers license number stamped on it. I discovered by searching on the internet that Irvin served om the USS Antietam (CV-36) from mid-1945 onwards (don't know how long). The USS Antietam first returned to the US in mid-1949 so perhaps Irvin bought this guitar on the 26 October 1949 with his NAVY-money? After that, the USS Antietam left for the Korean war but I don't know if Irvin (and the guitar?) were on board. Were sailors allowed at all to take such a thing as a guitar on board?

So some cool new info! There's also a local guy who I got in touch with through Facebook now trying to find Irvin himself (in the Buffalo, NY, area)...so who knows! I've sent two letters to two different addresses but there has been no response so far.

To be continued! :)
 

Luciad11

New member
Joined
Mar 21, 2019
Messages
1
By the way, since these P90's have nickel polepieces where they should be gold (ES-5 officially has gold hardware, but I've seen more ES-5's with nickel polepieces), can you all please take a look if these pickups, pots and cap look original to you (end 40's)? The pickups (all three of them) have these typical black-white-black bobbins; I have seen those before but only on pre-1950 P90's, so that's a good sign! Furthermore, the pots are IRC (0.5 meg) but I can't read the date codes (solder on it) assurances obsèques...but they look 'end 40s' to me...only thing I cannot really see well is the capacitor...is there someone who can recognize it? It looks to me like some paper in oil cap...could be 40's, don't know. The pickup covers don't have any markings on the underside and that is also correct for the very early ones if I'm not mistaken. All solder looks to be original.

yzRrRcz.jpg


BjzSFwL.jpg


f7LxGuF.jpg


8Kc2MuF.jpg


1YsLGKj.jpg


qHfsw2M.jpg


TtrFfNn.jpg
A model that I have never seen but that can be interesting. I'm still on the 2015 because I love the sound.

 
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