Gibson Serial Numbers Vintage

Vintage Gibson Acoustic Guitar Serial Numbers. Gibson Custom True Historic 1959 Les Paul Vintage Dark. Gibson Memphis 1959 Es-175dn Vintage Natural Serial #. Vintage Fender Jaguar Guitar. Over the years, Gibson has gone through several different serial-number changes, sometimes resulting in multiple guitars with the same number. The book, which lists all the company\'s historical serial number schemes, is an invaluable resource when dating vintage Gibson guitars.

Gibson A Model Guide Copyright © 1995, 1996 Dan Beimborn and Maxwell McCullough This page was authored by Dan Beimborn and originally appeared on the Mandolin Pages web site, now revised as the Mandolin Archive, a guide. In the spring of 1997 Dan decided to liquidate the Mandolin Pages and distribute them in various locations on the web. I was pleased that he offered the Mandolin Cafe the following Vintage Gibson A Mandolin guide. The Vintage Gibson guide was made possible in part by Maxwell McCollough who provided the beautiful photographs you see in the A-Model guide. Information from George Gruhn and Walter Carter is used throughout the guide. This guide is intended as a starting point in a search for a Gibson A-model mandolin from the years 1907-1935. Brief Historical Notes The Gibson Company went through several stages of model design for their mandolins in the last 100 years.

The early prototype models were hand-built by Orville Gibson himself, and are very thick and chunky looking as evidenced in of his workshop with many of the earliest A and F model mandolins made hanging on the wall (photo used with permission of the Gibson company). The basic \'A' and \'F' model shapes were developed around the turn of the century, and have become the basis for most serious imitators since.

Regular production began in the early years of the 1900\'s, and continued unbroken until the WWII years, and again afterwards up to the modern times. The most generally trustworthy vintage Gibsons fall into the 1900-1930 years, when the instrument was popular and many were produced.

First Impressions If you are looking to purchase a vintage Gibson to use as a playing instrument, the first good thing to check (before even the price!) is the sound. Strum it, hit chords, open notes, etc. Tune it up, or get the owner to tune it for you. If it doesn\'t sing, forget it- there are enough of them out there that you will eventually find one that you like.

Get a general impression from the instrument how \'played in\' it is. A nearly unplayed instrument will sound somewhat quiet and muffled (not \'Broken in\'), where one that has had a lot of service may ring loudly with little effort at all.

If it has the \'unplayed\' sound, it is harder to judge what it will eventually sound like. Instruments can take anywhere from 1-10 years to really break in, depending on how often you play.

Sometimes instruments that haven\'t been played in a while are \'sleeping\', it can take a month or so to \'re-break\' them. Mine sat in the shop for 2 years after the first owner died, and it took about 2 weeks of solid playing to get it to have a \'wide open\' sound again. The best thing you can possibly do is try several different instruments.

You will build a strong knowledge of the variations through experience. Remember, you are looking for an instrument that will have a very strong influence on your enjoyment of playing music! If you\'ve discovered a well broken-in instrument that you like the sound of, you can move onto the next step-. If the sound is \'muffled\' or unplayed, check out the following section. What to Look For in a \'Mint Condition\' Instrument A vintage mandolin that hasn\'t really been played much or broken in should be approached like a brand new instrument. The sound will probably mellow over the years (if it isn\'t abused or mistreated) into a sound that is similar to a broken-in model of the same vintage. The important breakdowns are: 1900-1910 Orville Gibson labels, \'pineapple\' shaped tailpiece cover 1910-1920 Fixed bridge models, the biggest production years 1921-1925 Adjustable bridges, truss rods other Loar-Hart innovations 1925-1935 Varnish finish changes to a shinier lacquer topcoat.

Vintage Gibson Acoustic Guitar Serial Numbers. Gibson Custom True Historic 1959 Les Paul Vintage Dark. Gibson Memphis 1959 Es-175dn Vintage Natural Serial #. Vintage Fender Jaguar Guitar. Over the years, Gibson has gone through several different serial-number changes, sometimes resulting in multiple guitars with the same number. The book, which lists all the company\'s historical serial number schemes, is an invaluable resource when dating vintage Gibson guitars.

Gibson A Model Guide Copyright © 1995, 1996 Dan Beimborn and Maxwell McCullough This page was authored by Dan Beimborn and originally appeared on the Mandolin Pages web site, now revised as the Mandolin Archive, a guide. In the spring of 1997 Dan decided to liquidate the Mandolin Pages and distribute them in various locations on the web. I was pleased that he offered the Mandolin Cafe the following Vintage Gibson A Mandolin guide. The Vintage Gibson guide was made possible in part by Maxwell McCollough who provided the beautiful photographs you see in the A-Model guide. Information from George Gruhn and Walter Carter is used throughout the guide. This guide is intended as a starting point in a search for a Gibson A-model mandolin from the years 1907-1935. Brief Historical Notes The Gibson Company went through several stages of model design for their mandolins in the last 100 years.

The early prototype models were hand-built by Orville Gibson himself, and are very thick and chunky looking as evidenced in of his workshop with many of the earliest A and F model mandolins made hanging on the wall (photo used with permission of the Gibson company). The basic \'A' and \'F' model shapes were developed around the turn of the century, and have become the basis for most serious imitators since.

Regular production began in the early years of the 1900\'s, and continued unbroken until the WWII years, and again afterwards up to the modern times. The most generally trustworthy vintage Gibsons fall into the 1900-1930 years, when the instrument was popular and many were produced.

First Impressions If you are looking to purchase a vintage Gibson to use as a playing instrument, the first good thing to check (before even the price!) is the sound. Strum it, hit chords, open notes, etc. Tune it up, or get the owner to tune it for you. If it doesn\'t sing, forget it- there are enough of them out there that you will eventually find one that you like.

Get a general impression from the instrument how \'played in\' it is. A nearly unplayed instrument will sound somewhat quiet and muffled (not \'Broken in\'), where one that has had a lot of service may ring loudly with little effort at all.

If it has the \'unplayed\' sound, it is harder to judge what it will eventually sound like. Instruments can take anywhere from 1-10 years to really break in, depending on how often you play.

Sometimes instruments that haven\'t been played in a while are \'sleeping\', it can take a month or so to \'re-break\' them. Mine sat in the shop for 2 years after the first owner died, and it took about 2 weeks of solid playing to get it to have a \'wide open\' sound again. The best thing you can possibly do is try several different instruments.

You will build a strong knowledge of the variations through experience. Remember, you are looking for an instrument that will have a very strong influence on your enjoyment of playing music! If you\'ve discovered a well broken-in instrument that you like the sound of, you can move onto the next step-. If the sound is \'muffled\' or unplayed, check out the following section. What to Look For in a \'Mint Condition\' Instrument A vintage mandolin that hasn\'t really been played much or broken in should be approached like a brand new instrument. The sound will probably mellow over the years (if it isn\'t abused or mistreated) into a sound that is similar to a broken-in model of the same vintage. The important breakdowns are: 1900-1910 Orville Gibson labels, \'pineapple\' shaped tailpiece cover 1910-1920 Fixed bridge models, the biggest production years 1921-1925 Adjustable bridges, truss rods other Loar-Hart innovations 1925-1935 Varnish finish changes to a shinier lacquer topcoat.