mjteigen Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Hi...I'm new. I have what I *think* is a Gibson B-25 from somewhere around 1960 to 1964, inherited from my mom, who was not a "guitar person" and never knew any of its details. As far as I can tell, it has a natural finish on a dark cedar top, a rosewood body, ebony fingerboard, a height-adjustable saddle (with screws), and is smaller than dreadnaught size. The only factory marking visible is inside the body toward the neck end: R6888 27__. Yes, it appears to have those two underscores, and above the last underscore is another mark, similar to "-". I don't have much in the way of a camera but I'll take some photos: Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Morton Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I had a look in the Gibson's fabulous Flat-Top book and it looks like 1960 would be the year. JM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjteigen Posted July 1, 2015 Author Share Posted July 1, 2015 Thank you! May I ask how you determined the year (and also, it is indeed a B-25, right)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvguit Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I'll second Jeremy's year ID as 1960 according to that R in the factory order number. The model during this time period would have been LG-3 since the B-25 wasn't introduced until 1962. The fretboard is Rosewood, top is Sitka Spruce and the back/sides/neck are Mahogany. Nice guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustystrings Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 +1 describing it as a 1960 LG-3. You have a VERY fine guitar there - about the only guitar I truly regret parting with was the sunburst version, a 1960 LG-2. Don't let that one get away ever! That is a spruce top, not cedar, and the back and sides are mahogany, not rosewood. The fingerboard and bridge, however, if original, are Brazilian rosewood. The top and back are solid, the sides are laminated, which is actually a good thing in guitar sides. Some of the guitar cognoscenti look down their noses at the post '55 LG-2 and -3 because Gibson changed the braces from tall and narrow and scalloped to lower, broader and straight. I respectfully disagree with them - I always felt these guitars have a distinctive bite to them, and perhaps a little more note separation than their earlier forebears. Anyway, great guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Some of the guitar cognoscenti look down their noses at the post '55 LG-2 and -3 because Gibson changed the braces from tall and narrow and scalloped to lower, broader and straight. I respectfully disagree with them - I always felt these guitars have a distinctive bite to them, and perhaps a little more note separation than their earlier forebears. In 50+ years I have never noticed much of anybody looking down their nose at something like a 1956 SJ (which remains the second best Gibson I have ever owned). The guitars from 1955 on tended to give up a bit of low end of thump and maybe some volume (Gibsons were never "loud" guitars to begin with) but the guitars are real punchy and quick sounding. You will see a parting of the ways between some Gibson freaks and the guitars made in 1960s because of skinny necks (followed by narrow nuts and a reduced headstock angle), soft spruce or laminate bridge plates, square shoulders on guitars that did not used to have them, and toward the end of the decade increasingly heavier top bracing. Bottom line is, if nothing else, if you like a beefy neck on a Gibson like I do, you pretty much have to stick with those made no later than 1959. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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