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1972 Les Paul Standard


1adam12_68

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A guy is trying to sell me a 1972 Gibson Les Paul Standard. The serial number on this guitar is 174369. However, I keep reading things on the net that state that Gibson did not make a Standard in the early 70's. But then I read other sites that say they did make the standard but by special order only. This guitar is sunburst with all the right signs of a Standard and does have Standard on the truss rod cover. I sure don't want to get caught up in some scam, but at the same time, I don't want to miss out on this deal if this guitar is legit. Can someone help or offer advise?

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The writing on the truss rod cover doesn't matter as it's easy to replace. I'm not even sure whether Gibson wrote "standard" on the trussrod cover back then, but I'm no historian.

 

As for whether the guitar is legit, we need better pictures in order to spot any potential fakes.

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According to the the Gibson shipping records included in the book "American Guitars" by Tom Wheeler, between 1971 and 1975 Gibson produced 1077 LP Std. "58" Reissues. I have never seen one of these "58" Reissues, and have no idea what makes them different than what became the standard production model "Standard" that was introduced in 1975.

 

The 1XX,XXX serial numbers were used in 70 - 74, so the number itself is of no use in dating this instrument, although these possible years do predate the "production" model of 1975. The potentiometer codes would help narrow down an "era" of manufacture.

 

I have always been curious about the existence (or not) of these "58's", for I own one of the first 25 production model Standards of 1975.

 

So, according to Tom Wheeler's book, the short answer to your question is YES, it could be a 1972 Standard.

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The gentleman I am dealing with has sent emails to Gibson and has forwarded me Gibson's response. They have told him "based on the pot dates this Guitar is a 1975". The guy I am dealing with is also not sure about the dating and appears to be trying to do the right thing. ALSO, I agree that the Gibson logo on the headstock does look a little different but I have done many google searches and found other fonts that looked looked exactly like this logo in the same error. So here's the deal. Let's assume this guitar is a legitimate 1975 Les Paul "Standard"...he wants to trade his Standard for my 2007 Gibson ES339. $$$ wise I beleive I would be coming out ahead. Thoughts???

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The gentleman I am dealing with has sent emails to Gibson and has forwarded me Gibson's response. They have told him "based on the pot dates this Guitar is a 1975". The guy I am dealing with is also not sure about the dating and appears to be trying to do the right thing. ALSO, I agree that the Gibson logo on the headstock does look a little different but I have done many google searches and found other fonts that looked looked exactly like this logo in the same error. So here's the deal. Let's assume this guitar is a legitimate 1975 Les Paul "Standard"...he wants to trade his Standard for my 2007 Gibson ES339. $$$ wise I beleive I would be coming out ahead. Thoughts???

 

Im still not sure..

 

Its the thing about people on the net showing their serial numbers.. all the guy had to do was find a similar Gibson on Ebay or where ever and send that to Gibson to get an official reply.. Also you cant even see the serial number on the back (but that could just be a dodgey picture)...

 

Anyone else know more? But yeah if its real thats good swap :)

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The gentleman I am dealing with has sent emails to Gibson and has forwarded me Gibson's response. They have told him "based on the pot dates this Guitar is a 1975". The guy I am dealing with is also not sure about the dating and appears to be trying to do the right thing. ALSO, I agree that the Gibson logo on the headstock does look a little different but I have done many google searches and found other fonts that looked looked exactly like this logo in the same error. So here's the deal. Let's assume this guitar is a legitimate 1975 Les Paul "Standard"...he wants to trade his Standard for my 2007 Gibson ES339. $$$ wise I beleive I would be coming out ahead. Thoughts???

 

The pot dates can give a date before which the guitar couldn't have been built. If you Gibson is saying 1975, the pot dates likely prevent an earlier guess. The Gibson logo looks a bit off compared to the last couple decades, just like other ones of that period. Another question is - does this LP have a pancake body (~1970 to early 1976)?

 

Looking at completed listings on fleaBay - no 1975; but three 1976 - two selling at just under $2000, and one for $3000. So yes, looks like value wise, you'd have the better end. That's if the LP is stable holding tune, in good condition and plays nice.

 

.

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I'm pretty sure it's all good for a '75 Standard.

 

The headstock is fine for a 'Norlin-era' LP. These pegheads are considerably wider than anything seen since (about) the start of the eighties - which is why the 'open book' looks a bit odd. Imagine the head with about a quarter-of-an-inch removed from either side and the proportions start to look 'right'.

 

On the Gibson logo the 'b' and the 'o' are both closed. The 'Standard' script on the TRC is the correct, older, style. AFAIK when the full-size H/B'd Standard was re-introduced it was usually in TSB finish. It all looks good to me. Whether it's worth the ask is completely up to you. If it plays really well and you prefer it to what you are prepared to swap for it then you've answered your own question.

 

P.

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Guest rogerb

A guy is trying to sell me a 1972 Gibson Les Paul Standard. The serial number on this guitar is 174369. However, I keep reading things on the net that state that Gibson did not make a Standard in the early 70's. But then I read other sites that say they did make the standard but by special order only. This guitar is sunburst with all the right signs of a Standard and does have Standard on the truss rod cover. I sure don't want to get caught up in some scam, but at the same time, I don't want to miss out on this deal if this guitar is legit. Can someone help or offer advise?

The Les Paul was not catalogued as a standard but available as a Les Paul Deluxe with optional full size humbuckers, standard on truss rod cover. 1972-76

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The Les Paul was not catalogued as a standard but available as a Les Paul Deluxe with optional full size humbuckers, standard on truss rod cover. 1972-76

 

I strongly disagree with this statement. I guess the key word above is "cataloged". The "Deluxe", by definition, has mini-humbuckers. The moment the factory builds this chassis with full size humbuckers it becomes a "Standard". It doesn't matter how it was "cataloged", or what the serial number decal says, what differentiates the two models IS the pickups.

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  • 1 year later...

This is my 1972 Les Paul Standard I bought new from Leo's music in 1972. Paid $385 for it. In 1977 I sold it to a friend along with my '59 Bassman. He played it for about a month and left it in his cabin in Humboldt County. He passed last week and left the guitar and amp to me. Here it is in my house. The mods were done by me back in the day.

 

Guitar is as good as any Lester I've owned and I've owned a bunch from 1952 to 2003...

 

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