TexasFlatpicker Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Hi All, I recently bought an old Martin that came in this old looking Gibson case. Does anybody have any idea the approximate age of it and what model of Gibson it would have been for? It's 17" across. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Well it's certainly big enough for any jumbo model. As far as dating it, I've had a few that look like it come and go, and though they held 50's and 60's smaller models I can't recall if they were the originals. What Martin did you buy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasFlatpicker Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 Well it's certainly big enough for any jumbo model. As far as dating it, I've had a few that look like it come and go, and though they held 50's and 60's smaller models I can't recall if they were the originals. What Martin did you buy? I got a '56 D18 and it was shipped in this case. It doesn't fit the guitar very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jalex Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Some of those 50's and 60's Gibson cases are going for silly money on reverb. You may want to do some research on that case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Late 60s ive had a few of those with l5s in those Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Can almost smell it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 The last year for the Gibson brown Lifton case was 1960. Gibson started using the black cases with the yellow lining the following year. Not sure how long Gibson used them but I believe they were available through the rest of the 1960s. I believe these were built by Victoria Luggage. These were not custom built cases so the fit may not always be perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Mid thru late 1960's - the badge and lining are good clues. The badge was less common by 1968, and the lining changed from the 'furry' stuff to what you have by @'64. As with most things Gibson, dates are approximate. Those cases are pretty decent in most instances - if I were in your situation, I'd consider using it toward an era-correct case for your Martin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasFlatpicker Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 Mid thru late 1960's - the badge and lining are good clues. The badge was less common by 1968, and the lining changed from the 'furry' stuff to what you have by @'64. As with most things Gibson, dates are approximate. Those cases are pretty decent in most instances - if I were in your situation, I'd consider using it toward an era-correct case for your Martin. Thanks. That what I was thinking. Besides it doesn't fit the Martin very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Thanks. That what I was thinking. Besides it doesn't fit the Martin very well. I had an experience similar to yours 'way long ago (1972). Bought a new D-28 w/o case and the store threw in an oversized, used, badgeless Gibson case. It postdates yours, and I kept it around empty for 20+ years. Finally found a vintage Gibson J-185 that fits it very nicely. I enjoy cases😎 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Mid thru late 1960's - the badge and lining are good clues. The badge was less common by 1968, and the lining changed from the 'furry' stuff to what you have by @'64. As with most things Gibson, dates are approximate. Those cases are pretty decent in most instances - if I were in your situation, I'd consider using it toward an era-correct case for your Martin. It is not always a matter of year when it comes to case differences but manufacturer. Gibson began contracting with Ess & Ess as well as Victoria Luggage for cases in the mid-1960s. The Ess & Ess cases, however, were far less common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 It is not always a matter of year when it comes to case differences but manufacturer. Gibson began contracting with Ess & Ess as well as Victoria Luggage for cases in the mid-1960s. The Ess & Ess cases, however, were far less common. True enough. Are we case nerds, or what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-1854Me Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 Looks an awful lot like a case I bought that used to house a Martin D-28: Story was a local guy bought a D-28 back in the early '60s and the store that sold it to them gave him this late '50s/early '60s Gibson case for the Martin. I came to hear about it when the D-28 came in to my luthier's shop for some servicing, and I offered to buy it from him, which I did. It now houses a much more appropriate late '50s Country Western. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 True enough. Are we case nerds, or what? I hate to admit it but yeah we seem to be among those who have an obsession about this kind of stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cabarone Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 So the challenge now is not only to find an appropriate case for the Martin but a compatible Gibson for that case, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasFlatpicker Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 So the challenge now is not only to find an appropriate case for the Martin but a compatible Gibson for that case, right? I've been trying to talk a friend out of selling me his '47 J-45 for years now. I'll wear him down eventually...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 So the challenge now is not only to find an appropriate case for the Martin but a compatible Gibson for that case, right? In the world of normal folks, probably not. However, I have to admit that in the alternate dimension where most of us feel most at home, you speak with great logic and wisdom😎 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 I've been trying to talk a friend out of selling me his '47 J-45 for years now. I'll wear him down eventually...... I hereby place my name at the top of the list if you should come to possess said guitar and feel the need to find it a new home. That's my birth year guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 I hereby place my name at the top of the list if you should come to possess said guitar and feel the need to find it a new home. That's my birth year guitar! Stand in line, pal. I sold my 1947 birth year L-7 this year, so there's room in the stable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 Stand in line, pal. I sold my 1947 birth year L-7 this year, so there's room in the stable. I suppose you figure you have a couple days seniority, thus allowing you to treat me like a little brother/younger twin. I have no shame And would do the same... That scans like crap, but I understand your reasoning😳 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 "Does this case make my lower bout look big?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 "Does this case make my lower bout look big?" 😐☺😄😂😅 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victory Pete Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 This is a 1957 Gibson Southern Jumbo case. A customer of mine had an allergic reaction to this guitar he had bought from my friends father. He got a new case and gave me this one. It is for sale. One end of the handle is broken, it is the handle itself, the metal pin is still intact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 This is a 1957 Gibson Southern Jumbo case. A customer of mine had an allergic reaction to this guitar he had bought from my friends father. He got a new case and gave me this one. It is for sale. One end of the handle is broken, it is the handle itself, the metal pin is still intact. I have what looks like almost that exact same case, but bought in 1968, and not Gibson branded. As I recall, it was sold to me as a Martin case, but pretty generic dread-sized. It does not have an endpin recess, and is a somewhat loose fit for a J-45. Mine may not have as much "shaping" in the neck area as yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 This is a 1957 Gibson Southern Jumbo case. A customer of mine had an allergic reaction to this guitar he had bought from my friends father. He got a new case and gave me this one. It is for sale. One end of the handle is broken, it is the handle itself, the metal pin is still intact. The case looks like nothing I have seen supplied by Gibson in the 1950s or 1960s. I agree with J45nick on this one as the case does look more like a late 1960s Harptone case provided with Martins. A couple of good photos of the hardware would end any guesswork. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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