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Gibson Acoustic Identification


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I am working on an old Gibson acoustic. I was told it was a 1966 J50, but I am not sure. The serial number is 636026 and is in ink, There is also an embossed "Made In The USA" stamp on it. Someone attempted to repair the broken head stock with fiberglass, it was a total mess.

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That serial range could also be in the early 70s. If it's a true '66 it would be round shouldered. They went to square shoulders in '69 or so.

 

Yes I noticed that it has the square shoulders, so it could be a J-50? Did they still use ink stamps then? Also it has Kluson 3 connected tuners with the small ivory buttons.

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A J-50 typically has a natural finish spruce top with mahogany sides and back. In the 70s it was common for them to have a sticker on the headstock that said "J45/50" and the final model designation depended on whether or not it got sprayed sunburst.

 

But yes, it could have been inked. In addition, the square shoulder puts it 69 or later, the "made in USA" puts it 1970 or later, and it probably has a volute on the back of the neck, which should put it 1970 or later. If you can peek inside and see that it has double X bracing that would put it 71 or later. A belly-down bridge (like a Martin) would put it 68/9 or later. Not sure when they made the change in scale length to 25-1/2.

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A J-50 typically has a natural finish spruce top with mahogany sides and back. In the 70s it was common for them to have a sticker on the headstock that said "J45/50" and the final model designation depended on whether or not it got sprayed sunburst.

 

But yes, it could have been inked. In addition, the square shoulder puts it 69 or later, the "made in USA" puts it 1970 or later, and it probably has a volute on the back of the neck, which should put it 1970 or later. If you can peek inside and see that it has double X bracing that would put it 71 or later. A belly-down bridge (like a Martin) would put it 68/9 or later. Not sure when they made the change in scale length to 25-1/2.

 

It has the double X bracing and the neck volute. Thanks for the help.

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