01211I have now
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Latest known 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard with a SG body shape
- Thread starter Sheyamax
- Start date
I figured out the problem
This really is a beautiful guitar! Could you please tell us more about its history?
It has got all the late 1960/early 1961 specs like the brown and pink case, the stepped heel, tha long guard and the metal saddles. And the memorabilia is very cool.
What bugs me is the serial number. It should either be a 6 digits number (in the old system) or a 3/4 digits (in the new system that began early in 1961). According to your picture and the available knowledge there are two possibilites.
Either it has a 6 digits number and the last one has been removed (01211x). Given the position of the serial on the back of the headstock and the fact that 012095, 012104 and 012121 are known that would be very plausible.
Either it has a 3/4 digits number and the 0 at the beginning and the last one have been added to make it look like a late 1960. In this case it would be 1221, which is less plausible considering the fact that only 131 and then 2104 are known.
Either way the codes on the sides of the potentiometers could help us rule out one of the options.
It has got all the late 1960/early 1961 specs like the brown and pink case, the stepped heel, tha long guard and the metal saddles. And the memorabilia is very cool.
What bugs me is the serial number. It should either be a 6 digits number (in the old system) or a 3/4 digits (in the new system that began early in 1961). According to your picture and the available knowledge there are two possibilites.
Either it has a 6 digits number and the last one has been removed (01211x). Given the position of the serial on the back of the headstock and the fact that 012095, 012104 and 012121 are known that would be very plausible.
Either it has a 3/4 digits number and the 0 at the beginning and the last one have been added to make it look like a late 1960. In this case it would be 1221, which is less plausible considering the fact that only 131 and then 2104 are known.
Either way the codes on the sides of the potentiometers could help us rule out one of the options.
I wondered that too. Matt Koehler, Gibsons head historian said it’s real and it’s a late 60 probably 3rd batch. I’ll get you pictures of the pot cavity. Its original owner had it since new. He got sick unfortunately and his daughter sold it last year. That’s when I got it. Also I’ve got serial number 2212 early 61 standard
corpse
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- Jun 9, 2007
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- 5,178
Expletive!
That is like "New in Box"!!
That is like "New in Box"!!
I’ll get the pot codes. So last year I acquired this guitar. At that time Gibson had the Red Whale for sale at the Gibson garage. The whale serial number is 08xxx I can’t remember the rest of the number. But seeing how this is 01211 I thought it was fake or it was from early 1960. So I called the Gibson garage and spoke to Will Thomas. I sent him a bunch of pictures. He told me it’s legit. He said sometimes Gibson serial numbers are not in sequence and different stamps were used. I also told him I spoke with other vintage collectors/ dealers and some said Gibson would do a guitar and shelve it then fully assemble it months later for whatever reasons. 01211 is early 1960. Will said that’s actually possible. I was hoping it could have been a prototype or something that got delayed. But he showed everything to Matt Koehler and he said it’s late 1960
blueline
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The pot codes are not going to pinpoint the 60 as 1960 codes carry on into 1961. However, where the pickup wire enters the cavity will distinguish 5 from a 6 digit 1960 LP , eg. 0-8749. . So check where the wires enters the cavity.
I’ll take pictures of it. I’m pretty sure they were dated forty something week of 60. The Gibson guys said it was a late 60 sg for sure.
Almost like that . The guy only played it a few years after he bought then played it a little when he got older. His daughter didn’t remember him playing it when she was a kid. It sat in the case for decades. It’s not mint but it’s great still. There’s a little rub in the back that you can’t see in the pictures. I thought it was fake at first, like somebody very talented made the guitar but put vintage PAFs and pots on it. When he did his homeowners insurance back in like 2010 he pulled it out do take pictures of his possessions and seen the tuners shrunk so he put on single lines which threw me off too at first when I just seen pictures of it. But in contacted a lot of people on it being real and it’s a special one for sure. After I looked over everything and stared at it for hours there’s no way it’s fake. The grain is too straight in areas for it to be sanded and refinished. Blacklights perfect. I’ll be posting more pictures of it.
The position of the pickup wire will be a valuable information! As for the pot codes, some of the first batch of 1960 (0 8779 and 0 8869) have 1346027 codes. Conversely, one of the last batch of 1960 (011186) but also some early 1961 (2224, 13016) have 1346043 codes. So I think this information might help date the guitar.
What I can't make sense of is that all of the 5 digits Gibsons of 1960 (Les Paul or not) have a space between the first and the second number of the serial. For instance 0 1494 (which is a Les Paul Old Style featured in The Beauty of the Burst) or 0 8749 so this one should be 0 1211 rather than 01211, right?
As a sidenote, blueline, would you mind giving us more information about the guitars you are knowleadgeable about (011185; 2098; 2105; 2106; 2225; 2238, 8556)?
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I’m away working but I’m doing more pictures Sunday. I’ll do the pots on the 60. I’ll do 2212. 2212 is apart. I believe it’s factory black. I bought it disassembled 13 years ago. That’s not inked it’s pressed. I’ve got another 61 too I’ll do pics on that. There’s another late 5 digit serial like mine I’m trying to get pictures of. It’s 01123 factory white late 60. She’s not responding though on that.
Bruce R
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- Mar 2, 2007
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Wow. Stunning
Also forgot, at Winter Park guitars in Florida, they have 2222 for sale right now. The guy from Heart owned it
Here’s some of 2212
Attachments
This one had a headstock repair so it’s been repainted. I tried to get the 2212 in the glare but it’s there. I’m sure it’s factory black. When I picked at the cavity paint that was from the refinish there’s black underneath and then raw wood. The binding has no red bleading. There’s no red anywhere in the cavities or underneath the paint around the nicks and dings. It’s not factory stop tail. I have no real information on it. I was lucky enough to get it from someone who didn’t want to get it restored. I don’t have the original vibrolla unfortunately but the parts are real.
Attachments
blueline
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- Mar 31, 2005
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- 200
Thanks for posting these pictures. The way the pickup wires enter the cavity is charactersitc of the last batch ot LPs in 1960. This supports the idea that the serial number is actually 01211X.