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Is this a 1949 capacitor? ES-5N content!

58dutchie

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Aug 31, 2006
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602
:)Hi,

I own a 1949 ES-5N that seems to be all original (I have no reason to believe it is not). I'm the second owner, it has a known history and it's a fantastic guitar. The other day I decided to check the pots for date codes and they have a code that says week 18, 1949 (IRC). So far so good...but the capacitor on the master tone pot looks strange to me, never seen one before. It looks almost too new to be from 1949. It is a Gudeman capacitor with code 438940: 438 stands for Gudeman and 940 would be week 40, 1949. That could be just right because I know for a fact that the guitar left the Gibson factory after october 1, 1949 and was bought in Buffalo, NY on october 29, 1949. Week 40 is october 3 - october 9, so that is possible in theory. It also reads Gudeman on the capacitor (not visible in the picture). But again, the capacitor doesn't look 40's to me...on the other hand, the date code matches with 1949 (or 1959, or 1969, etc...but if it was changed later then it would be a big coincidence that it has a '9' in the code as far as I'm concerned). Everything looks to be original on this guitar: pickups, wiring, soldering, pots, etc...I just wanna know if the capacitor also is original.

Is there anyone who has seen this type of capacitor before? Did they make and use them in 1949 or before? Any info would be great!

Here's the cap:

ZpDJXvs.png


And here's the guitar:

qk9Tuof.jpg
 
Last edited:

58dutchie

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Aug 31, 2006
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Well, what can I say? Thank you all for your reactions and feedback...:salude

Come on, anyone?
 

Tom Wittrock

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42,567
How could a cap made on Oct 3 through Oct 9 be in a guitar that was shipped on Oct 1? :wah
 

58dutchie

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Aug 31, 2006
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Hi Tom,

I didn’t say that the guitar was shipped on Oct 1...I said AFTER Oct 1 (because the serial number puts it between Oct 1 and Nov 1, 1949 according to the ‘Gibson Electrics’ book by A.R. Duchossoir). I know for a fact that the guitar was bought on Oct 29, 1949. So the guitar must have been shipped (from Kalamazoo to the Rudolph Wurlitzer music company, Buffalo, NY) between Oct 1 and Oct 29, 1949.
 

samsdad

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Aug 21, 2015
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Hi Tom,

I didn’t say that the guitar was shipped on Oct 1...I said AFTER Oct 1 (because the serial number puts it between Oct 1 and Nov 1, 1949 according to the ‘Gibson Electrics’ book by A.R. Duchossoir). I know for a fact that the guitar was bought on Oct 29, 1949. So the guitar must have been shipped (from Kalamazoo to the Rudolph Wurlitzer music company, Buffalo, NY) between Oct 1 and Oct 29, 1949.

That appears to be a Gudeman Cap The 328 is there EIA Code The 940 is the 40th week of 1949 it could be 1959 but unlikely
What are your pot code Dates? that will help you as well
 

58dutchie

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602
That appears to be a Gudeman Cap The 328 is there EIA Code The 940 is the 40th week of 1949 it could be 1959 but unlikely
What are your pot code Dates? that will help you as well

Pot code is week 18, 1949 (IRC). The problem is that all codes and dates etc seem to be right, but the cap itself just doesn't look like '1949' to me...so I want to know if this cap is original to this guitar? Not that it's very important, just curious...is there anyone who has seen this type of cap in use in the late 40's/early 50's? Because the strange thing is, again, that all codes DO say '1949'...
 

samsdad

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Aug 21, 2015
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Pot code is week 18, 1949 (IRC). The problem is that all codes and dates etc seem to be right, but the cap itself just doesn't look like '1949' to me...so I want to know if this cap is original to this guitar? Not that it's very important, just curious...is there anyone who has seen this type of cap in use in the late 40's/early 50's? Because the strange thing is, again, that all codes DO say '1949'...

Why are you questioning the cap?
Its Dated 1949 and appears correct for the time period
You will have to research other models of this guitar to see what they have for a cap
its looks correct to me in my experience with old caps
 

Tom Wittrock

Les Paul Forum Co-Owner
Joined
Aug 2, 2001
Messages
42,567
Hi Tom,

I didn’t say that the guitar was shipped on Oct 1...I said AFTER Oct 1 (because the serial number puts it between Oct 1 and Nov 1, 1949 according to the ‘Gibson Electrics’ book by A.R. Duchossoir). I know for a fact that the guitar was bought on Oct 29, 1949. So the guitar must have been shipped (from Kalamazoo to the Rudolph Wurlitzer music company, Buffalo, NY) between Oct 1 and Oct 29, 1949.

Thanks, I missed the word "after". :doh
 

58dutchie

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Aug 31, 2006
Messages
602
Why are you questioning the cap?
Its Dated 1949 and appears correct for the time period
You will have to research other models of this guitar to see what they have for a cap
its looks correct to me in my experience with old caps

I know, but to me and my experience the cap looks 70's or 80's...also the script/font of the writing and the numbers doesn't look '1949' to me...but, the soldering etc is also original as far as I can see...just to be clear: I hope I'm wrong, I want the cap to be original of course!

By the way, there's another thing that keeps me wake at night: the knobs on this guitar don't react under blacklight (no 'glow' etc)...but again, I have no reason to think that these knobs are not original to the guitar. I've seen other guitars from this era with exactly the same knobs. They are the long transparent type speed knobs but with numbers, sort of a transitional model. They don't have the later ribbed shafts, but the era-correct 'smooth' shafts. I've also never ever seen this type as a repro. But why don't they glow under blacklight? Shouldn't all vintage Gibson knobs glow under blacklight?
 

samsdad

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I know, but to me and my experience the cap looks 70's or 80's...also the script/font of the writing and the numbers doesn't look '1949' to me...but, the soldering etc is also original as far as I can see...just to be clear: I hope I'm wrong, I want the cap to be original of course!

By the way, there's another thing that keeps me wake at night: the knobs on this guitar don't react under blacklight (no 'glow' etc)...but again, I have no reason to think that these knobs are not original to the guitar. I've seen other guitars from this era with exactly the same knobs. They are the long transparent type speed knobs but with numbers, sort of a transitional model. They don't have the later ribbed shafts, but the era-correct 'smooth' shafts. I've also never ever seen this type as a repro. But why don't they glow under blacklight? Shouldn't all vintage Gibson knobs glow under blacklight?

It seems like you looking for reasons to tear your guitar apart chill out and relax
the cap is a 1949 nothing else the font is correct
As far as the knobs go somebody else can help you with that
If you bought it from the first owner whats the problem?
Just enjoy it and be happy its yours its not worth getting uptight!
 
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