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Help with Les paul deluxe


aleacqua

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Alejandro, the contact form is on this page: http://www.gibson.com/Support/Customer-Service.aspx

Just click on the "Talk 2 Us" tab. I'd imagine you would need to use English, but you've obviously got that covered.

 

 

Regarding the guitar pictures, I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure Pippy would be able to help you.

 

 

Regards,

 

Ian

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Hi Alejandro.

 

The best bet would be, as Ian has suggested, to contact Gibson Customer Service but until you do here's my best guess;

 

The serial number system used by Gibson in the early '70s is notoriously unreliable. There were multiple duplicates so the best way for me to get a rough date is by looking at the guitar.

 

Your father's has a laminate neck construction. The laminated neck idea was introduced around 1969/70 and was originally mahogany but in around '73/'74 the wood was changed to maple. Yours seems to be mahogany so that would tie it in to the earlier years. The 'Made in USA' stamp was also correct for this timeframe. Starting in 1975 Gibson used a different method of marking the serial numbers so yours pre-dates '75.

My best guess just from the pictures would be somewhere between 1970 and 1973/74.

 

One other thing to check - assuming everything is original - would be to look at the code numbers stamped into the casing of the volume and tone potentiometers. All USA-made pots have a number which is a coded form of the manufacturer and the rough date they were manufactured. As an example; 1377225 would break down thus;

137 = CTS (Chicago Telephone Supplies) Corporation.

72 = (19)72.

25 = 25th week of the year.

 

As far as construction materials etc;

The main bulk of the body will be mahogany. If I'm right with my guess as to the date then it will probably have what we know as a 'Pancake' body where two slabs of mahogany sandwich a thin layer of maple.

The carved-top (under the gold paint) will be maple.

The neck, as has been discussed, seems to be the three-piece mahogany variety (with a further two 'wings' visible at the extreme widths of the peghead). The fingerboard is rosewood.

Pickups (microphones) are a pair of mini-humbuckers. These were originally designed- and used by the Epiphone company and became the property of Gibson after Gibson acquired the Epiphone marque.

The bridge is what is known as an ABR-1 Tune-o-matic. Hardware is chrome plated.

Tuning pegs are Gibson's version of Kluson Deluxe green keystone.

The guitar would originally have been fitted with a cream-coloured pick-guard. These are sometimes removed and put in the cubby hole of the case.

Knobs are 'Reflector' hat-box.

The case is Gibson's 'Protector' (AKA 'Chainsaw') high-density plastic. These were/are good cases but the locks/catches can be brittle so should be handled with care.

 

Can't really say much more. Any further questions please ask.

 

Pip.

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