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post your 1950's gibsons!


ivxxlxxxv

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  • 5 weeks later...

Hi -

 

I'm a real novice at these guitars, but I have what I believe is a 1954 Gibson acoustic (FON X8891)...don't even really know which model it is.

 

My dad bought it for himself as a high school graduation present. It's in pretty good shape, but needs some repairs (tuning pegs are fragile, brittle and broken, probably needs a general "tune-up", peg to hold a strap at the bottom is missing, new strings, etc.).

 

Questions:

1. What model is this?

 

2. Can you recommend a quality luthier in the northern New Jersey/New York City area who could restore this guitar to "original" condition.

 

3. Any estimate for it's value in current condition? in fully restored condition? (I do not want to sell it...just curious as to value).

 

 

Thanks!!!

 

Andrew

post-25608-063446200 1315693100_thumb.jpg

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That looks like a J-50. Probably a great guitar. I would recommend Retrofret in Brooklyn... they do museum-quality restoration and could certainly help you out getting that into shape. Probably not as cheap as your neighborhood shop, but they would do the job the right way, with no worries. Super nice people too.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 months later...

Hi, new to the forum and new to playing (4 months). I have a 1958 ES-125, will edit post with pictures later today. This was my mother's guitar till she gave it to me last fall. She never learned to play so it has been sitting in the case since she bought it used in '65. I have really been having a good time playing it and as I get better it becomes even more fun to own! Love the warm tone and sound from this classic! I bought a Martin DCX-1E to play on a regular basis but the Gibson is SWEET! Not quite sure how to rotate the pic, sorry.

CIMG6473.jpg

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My recently bought '58 LG-2:-

 

DSCN2866.jpg

 

DSCN2860-1.jpg

 

DSCN2859.jpg

 

 

AND,......She's out by only a few months but screw it,..here's my '60 ES-125 T.

 

I've never seen a better looking vintage guitar in this good condition. It's actually scary. Must have been left under someones bed for years:-

 

IMG_0340.jpg

 

IMG_0323.jpg

 

[biggrin]

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Hi -

 

I'm a real novice at these guitars, but I have what I believe is a 1954 Gibson acoustic (FON X8891)...don't even really know which model it is.

 

My dad bought it for himself as a high school graduation present. It's in pretty good shape, but needs some repairs (tuning pegs are fragile, brittle and broken, probably needs a general "tune-up", peg to hold a strap at the bottom is missing, new strings, etc.).

 

Questions:

1. What model is this?

 

2. Can you recommend a quality luthier in the northern New Jersey/New York City area who could restore this guitar to "original" condition.

 

3. Any estimate for it's value in current condition? in fully restored condition? (I do not want to sell it...just curious as to value).

 

 

Thanks!!!

 

Andrew

 

What you have is an early 50's J-50 which looks to be in excellent condition. The LAST thing you want to do is "restore" it in any way. What you should do is take to a qualified luthier to evaluate it structurally and set it up properly for playing. Someone with knowledge of the luthiers in the NYC area will probably speak up here. Do not take it to your local guitar store to have the tech "set it up", unless it is someone who really knows what he is doing.

 

The value of a vintage instruemnt that is in excellent, unmolested condition is far greater than the same instrument "restored" to new condition.

 

As far as value goes, it depends on the luthier's evaluation of its needs. A professional appraisal from Gruhn's in Nashville is a good way to know what insurance value to put on the guitar. It's hard to know from this single photo, but it could be $4-6K for insurance purposes, and toward the lower end of that for market value.

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Gotta have an early ES-335 in here,

 

1958 ES-335TD ...

 

IMG_0238_2.jpg

 

Now THAT's a beauty! Must be a late '58, with the bound fretboard. I have a Nashville ES 335 '59 Historic, which is about as close as us poor folk can come to your original.

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Thanks. Here's his little brother,

 

1959 Epiphone Sheraton ...

 

 

IMG_0249_2.jpg

Okay, NOW you're startin' to piss me off. [laugh] Just kiddin. My eyes are drawn to the Sheraton in that photo, though. If you don't mind, please tell us about that beauty. I've heard a few people criticize those NY single coils. I've never played one with those (nor have I played any guitar with those). How do you like the sound of it compared to your '65? Sheratons still fascinate me, because I spent a couple of years obsessing about them before finding the right one. I almost bid on a '60 on ebay a couple of years ago, that was similar to yours (sunburst, short headstock with the older style script logo) except that it had mini-hums.

 

Oh, by the way, I have a photo on my hard drive of one that looks very much like yours. I think it was in the inventory of Southworth Guitars at the time I found the photo.

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New York p'ups get a bad rap, always have. Somebody once said they were "weak" sounding pickups and the stereotype stuck. It's true that NY p'ups are lower output that mini-humbuckers and full-size humbuckers but they still sound great to me ... that's why they made volume control knobs, right? And it's really the player more than the pickup. Yep, they are different than humbuckers, more like single-coils should sound. Sort of like P-90's or even a "toaster". My all-time fave single-coils are dog-ear P-90's mounted on early Juniors. Whoa. Sheraton's are cosmetically fancier than the ES-335's ... even more than ES-355's. Inside, they are very similar in construction details. I try not to think of descriptions like "better" or "worse" but I do like the PAF sound of the ES-335 over the Sheraton, but the Sheraton gets playing time as well.

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Sheraton's are cosmetically fancier than the ES-335's ... even more than ES-355's.

Tell me about it. [smile]

 

62SheratonVRhead.jpg

62SheratonVRfboard.jpg

 

I've had a number of 335's, 345's and 355's, by the way. I wish I had taken more and better pictures of my guitars over the years. I need to scan some of my prints and get them uploaded.

 

Here's the pic of the '59 I referred to above:

 

p4_unqzwuxh4_so.jpg

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