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This 53/54 LP Custom is out of a big collection in Ontario. I'm not terribly knowledgeable about this model and I figured I would see if any of the experts here could help me out. Pot codes are 134323. There is no serial number on the headstock but there is a stamped/embossed number on the heel...
Gilvis gets the nod for bringing these early 345's to the attention of guitar buying public. The term "first rack" came from him. I'm just the cheerleader. I keep telling folks how great these "first racks" are and they are still a pretty good deal in a somewhat overheated vintage market...
There is a photo on the auction site of the back of the guitar that looks like there is a small piece of mahogany grafted to the body making it two piece. Looks a little suspect. Anybody got an opinion? (dumb question). Sorry about the small photo. You can see it big using the link in the OP.
OK, I'll start this thread. For those who don't know what a "first rack" 345 is, it is a term I credit to Gil Southworth that describes the very first 100 or so ES-345's built by Gibson in 1959. Although there are two or three earlier examples that surfaced last year from February of 59, the...
In my never ending quest for ES-335 knowledge, I'm trying to find the lowest known serial number ES-335. I seem to recall one in the A27685 range a few years ago but I wasn't paying that much attention at the time. The earliest serial I've seen recently is A2770x (it's not mine so I don't want...
I'm trying to get a sense of the timeline regarding very early ES-345s. The lowest serial that I know of is Tom H's blondie in the A296xx range. These early 345s have some characteristics that later went away but there is some inconsistency (big surprise) in both the serial number sequence and...
I love the weird stuff from Gibson that requires amateur sleuthing. I'm looking for theories about this one. Let me explain. I bought this nice "62" block from a gentleman who had owned it since 1974. When I got it, the only thing that struck me was how shallow the neck angle was for a 62-more...
I keep track of little things like measurements and weights on the guitars that pass through my hands. Up until today, the widest nut I had ever encountered on a 50's or 60's Gibson electric was a 59 ES-335 with a nut width that measured 1.693. For those who don't do the math 1 11/16" which we...
This showed up on my doorstep a few weeks ago. There are, I believe, only four of them (and a 58). In deference to the spam police, I didn't post it until it was sold.
I was reading the SG Jr. thread and wondered... Can anybody truly say that they can hear a significant (or even discernible) difference in tone between a Brazilian board, a maple board, an ebony board, a Madagascar board and an Indian board. I know the conventional wisdom says that Brazilian...
I love SGs but I'm not really an SG guy. I'm learning more about them as I play and acquire more and more of them (it's my second favorite Gibson line). Recently I bought a 62 from a LPF member and it was sold as an unbroken, unrepaired, no neck reset example. It is a beautiful guitar and I paid...
I recently bought a very, very clean '64 SG. It came today and was very well packed but when I opened it, I saw that it was loaded into the box headstock down, which didn't bode well. When I opened the case everything looked great until I turned it over. The were two sort of "flap" like breaks...
A LP Special with a 62 serial number walked into my office today (and I might add, didn't walk out.). I wasn't planning on buying a Special but sometimes opportunity smacks you in the face, so, once again I have a guitar I know almost nothing about. Here's what I do know-The serial is in the...