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FS 1970's Gibson Heritage Flattop - Like New


laocmo

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Gibson acoustic lovers take note !!

 

OK, so my photography skills are not the best. I've had a friend take some better shots of the Heritage.

 

Here is a very special 30-year old Gibson Flattop in showroom condition. This guitar was custom ordered from Gibson by the original owner with “special wood” that cost more than the standard. It was stored away and was never really played. There is no fret wear that would tend to confirm this. It was stored in a climate controlled house closet for all these years. I’m not sure what that “special wood” implies. It looks to be made of the same high quality spruce and Indian rosewood, as my Martin D-28.

 

My Internet research on this particular model Gibson yields little information. Basically, it seems to have been introduced in the late 1960’s with Brazilian Rosewood back and sides. Later, in the 1970’s it was supposedly built using laminated Indian Rosewood. The only evidence of a “special wood” that I can detect is that the grain pattern on the inside of the guitar is identical to that outside. To me this indicates it might be of solid wood construction rather than laminated. Perhaps this accounts for the extra cost and custom order. Over the years the pickguard had curled up slightly and I had a new beveled custom one cut out and installed. Otherwise the guitar appears to be in new original condition. The action is perfect, the neck straight, and it has no bridge bellying. It sounds beautiful for voice backup and has a sweet tone for back porch picking. But note this guitar was never meant to be a banjo killer. So if you want lots of decibels, buy a Martin.

 

I don’t think you could find a better example anywhere, outside of the Gibson museum. I’m located in Pickerington about 15 miles East of downtown Columbus Ohio. It's yours for $1395 plus whatever shipping costs you are willing to pay for to your USA locale. Contact me at:

 

loliver2@insight.rr.com

 

NOTE: I will ship this guitar to USA addresses only. Too many Customs Forms nonsense and exorbitant shipping charges to ship anyplace else.

 

Heritage0001.jpg

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Heritage0004.jpg

Heritage0005.jpg

Heritage0006.jpg

Heritage0007.jpg

 

 

021978Heritage-1.jpg

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You are looking at one' date=' what in particular would you like to see?[/color']

 

Various views please and some clarity. I am getting kinda short sighted and some pics look like library pics when they're fuzzy

 

Hell some posted up here even look like they've been scanned, present company excepted.

 

Serial number would be good, as I am sure you know that would allow a prosepctive overseas purchaser to verify age and various other details of the guitar

 

You probably need to have someone make your mind up about the wood too.

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LiveSoundGuy, if you're at work (like me) Photobucket might be blocked form your company's computer. I don't see any pics either so I went to 'view' + 'source' and saw that laocmo posted a link to a photobucket pic.

 

laocmo, you might try uploading to tinypic.com. You don't need an account, anyone can post there (I do). Once posted, it gives you the url for the pic. Only drawback to that site is we can't delete them... at least not without a real account, which I've never pursued.

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You're right about some employers blocking photobucket KSDaddy.

 

I do see the photos, and I may be wrong, but it looks like a Chinese copy to me. Not a Gibson.

 

In fact, the more I think about it the more it seems to me like:

 

spam-c07.jpg

 

 

1970's Heritage's didn't have 2005 serial numbers for starters.

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"..........1970's Heritage's didn't have 2005 serial numbers for starters............."

 

You have no doubt run into the same brick wall as I did in looking for info on that guitar and tracing its serial number. One Internet site I found also said "....it was made in Nashville Tenn......" That also can't be true for a '70s Gibson.

 

If you did a search of all my various queries to various guitar groups in the last couple of years,

you will find this particular guitar is a real puzzler. Some have suggested Gibson might have recycled serial numbers, others, that it left the plant with a mis-stamped number, one suggestion was the odd number signified a special order, etc. As the original owner is dead, I may never know what I've got.

 

As to being a Chinese copy, that makes me laugh. I've played and examined high end guitars from all manufacturers for almost 60 years. Gibson/Baldwin imported a Chinese dreadnought called a "Spirit" a few years ago. See one on eBay now http://tinyurl.com/42kr2l . Inside they look like they were glued together with a caulk gun. (Surprisingly, those I've examined, were quite loud for a $100 guitar)

 

If I get any more snotty responses to my posts, as above, I'll remove the guitar and consign it locally where folks can look at it hands on.

 

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Gibson serial numbers are difficult to decipher sometimes but you have to look at all the evidence. That's why we are sometimes pushy about people posting pics... it's really helpful and sometimes keeps people like me from tasting shoe leather.

 

In the mid 70s, many of the serial numbers that were put on the backs of the headstocks in decal form began with 99, 00, and 06. I normally associate those decal numbers with guitars made in Nashville (which opened in 1974 by the way) but I can't substantiate that one bit; it's just a gut feeling I have. Kalamazoo Gibsons were stamped (by then anyway!) and they kept that method right on through the end in '84.

 

Later in 1977 they went to the now familiar serial system we all know and can decode. The info I have says 06 with a decal like that = 1977.

 

It looks like every other Heritage I've ever seen and it does look super clean, but I have no clue as to what might elevate it to "special" status.

 

One other thing though.... Gibson stopped using that type of inside label around 1970. I wonder why this one has it instead of the 70s rectangle label?

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I just now looked at this thread, the pics came up, and it looks 'dead nuts' like an early 70,s Gibson to me! You boys are coming off a little harsh on the man...in my opinion. That definitely is a weird era for Gibson in all respects. The orange oval label was used some in the early 70,s as my J-100 (,'72?) has one also! My J-100 also has the forward X-bracing versus the dreaded double X bracing making it more of an anomaly. Also, check out the similarity of the pickguard shape.

There is a rare book by Ian Bishop, an English fellow, that documents and pictures a lot of these early '70's freaks. This Heritage falls right in there!

Hers some pics of my J-100.. http://entertainment.webshots.com/album/285221220YqlrQU

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