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RobinTheHood

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Posts posted by RobinTheHood

  1. Yes, this is a LP 100. They began in 1993, so it's not a 1990 and some of the details are wrong for that year anyway. The other two options are 99 and 2009. 

    However, many details are also wrong for 2009, such as the headstock shape, the Les Paul script on the headstock and the truss cover. Thay would have to make this guitar a 1999. The zero at the beginning of the serial doesnt make sense for that year though, so you could have either a replacement neck plate (which is unlikely) or there was a translation error when the serial was stamped and the zero should actually be a O, which would indicate the Choice factory in Korea. This is the most likely answer, as everything about the guitar indicates that it is a late 1990s Epiphone. No later than 2004, at least.

  2. On 8/13/2019 at 11:24 PM, buddyw said:

    Thank you  RTH that expains the white paper strip with the new serial number, l went to their web site and it only addressed being a dealer with them. I would still like to find out from them a year they got the guitar and refurbished it. 

    From what I understand they usually deface the serials before applying their label. Not sure why, exactly. With the serial gone, you can possibly figure out the era of the guitar, but not the precise year.

  3. These coronets were used mainly for promotional purposes from around 2009-2011. Giveaways, raffles, company promo, etc. I've never heard of the "make your own" version of these. They were most likely left overs that didn't get used for any promos, if I had to take a guess. The full body pickguard is consistent with the promo coronet. 

    The neck is most likely some type of Asian mahogany substitute.  The body could be anything from Asian mahogany, to alder to basswood. 

    The pickup is aftermarket. You'd have to pull it out to see what it is. These probably came with a basic Epiphone ceramic pickup or an alnico classic. Again, not sure as there aren't really any specs for these because they weren't for sale to the general public.

    The stamped tuners are typically subpar, but if they hold tune then they should be fine. Any die cast tuners would probably be a vast improvement, however.

    As far as the bridge, it's a matter of preference. I've not heard many complaints about Epiphone's wrap around bridges. They are a basic, yet tried and true design. Unless the slots  are worn down or off center, it should be just fine.

    • Like 1
  4. On 8/13/2019 at 2:21 PM, Rabs said:

    Have you tried emailing Gibson or Epiphone?  I would have thought someone there would know?

    If it's not in a catalog, Epiphone/Gibson are usually clueless about things like this. Especially from this era when records weren't well kept. Most, if not all, customer service people that work for Gibson weren't around at that time or have any in-depth knowledge of the era. Sometimes you get lucky, but not usually. 

  5. Ooh...a mystery!

    The i435, i635 & i935 are the only Epiphones with a neck like this one; 24 frets,  top dot inlays and explorer headstock. However,  the Epiphone by Gibson logo was from 1986-1988. The i-series came out in 1989. The body looks a little similar to the spotlight (1988-1989) and del-rey (1995-+2000) but not quite. It also has a few small similarities to the i-series. The pickups look like the Tech-II's they used in the S-series super strats from 1986-1988. The Steinberger tremolo would have been used on some models during this time period as well, but not after 1988, IIRC.

    This is not like any production model Epiphone that I've seen. As much as I hate to fall back on the idea, it's possible that this is a prototype or a small run market test for a limited area that was unsuccessful.  Unless you get lucky and find another one on the web, the most you can do is tear it down and look for other Epiphone hallmarks to verify it's authenticity. There were no counterfeits back then, but there have been some custom one-offs made from Epiphone bodies and parts floating around. None that I have seen tend to look as good, or factory made like this one though. 

  6. On 8/8/2019 at 4:57 AM, Fran_Sal said:

    Many thanks...

    Thanks, Robin.

    But, do you know where was made it and why doesn't it have any Gibson marks?.

    When I've tried to decode the serial number doesn't coincide with any formula YMMRRRR -or something like this- found on the Internet.

    Regards!

    It was made in Korea. Epiphones of that era with no factory code were made at the Samick factory.

    92=year

    12=month

    XXX=batch number

    There are no Gibson markings because it appears that someone replaced the truss rod cover. There is no where else this guitar would have those markings. 

    As for the serial format, they used Y and YY depending on the year and factory.  Sometimes it can be difficult to determine the year by the serial alone without seeing the guitar to determine the proper era. I know thay these guitars were only made from the early to mid 1990s, so 1999 would not be an option . The angle of the Epiphone logo on the headstock is another indicator of the era. By 1996, they were more angled instead of straight across the top. 

  7. 2 hours ago, Fran_Sal said:

    Hi all, I'm new in the forum and I have got a question.

    I bought 27 years ago, more or less, an Epiphone Les Paul guitar but I don't know the model of it. Besides, there is no Gibson inscription anywhere. Regarding serial number (with 7 numbers) I couldn't find any explanation in this (or other) forums. Only, I can provide you the serial number (9212994) and several photos... please, could you help me?

    Many thanks in advance.

    Fran Sal

    Alma.jpg

    Clavijero.jpg

    Clavijero_2.jpg

    Cuerpo.jpg

    1992 Les Paul-300. Never seen one in cherry before. Pretty nice.

  8. 15 hours ago, Muddflap33 said:

    I havent found a good dater yet I have a Epiphone Casino purchased in 1986 at Pearson Music in NC, serial # 4103089, only thing I can see comparing it to others is flat logos compared to embossed or raised logos on trussrod cover and pickguard. Mine has flat. anyone have any ideas?

    That's a weird serial for an 86. We would need to see pics of the guitar and serial to make a positive ID.

  9. On 8/4/2019 at 8:05 PM, Rickey wilcox said:

    Do all Epiphone guitars have serial #s

    Yes, but during the 1980s and early 1990s they were on a sticker on the back of the headstock and would either wear off or get taken off. And of course, the acoustics and hollow bodies have serials on a sticker inside of the sound hole which can also be removed. 

  10. The LT, for all intents and purposes, is the same guitar as the 100 with some minor differences. If the LT does well, I wouldn't be surprised if they phase out the 100. So yeah, see if you can find an LT if you like the 100. If you can't find either of those,  the next in line would be the AFD. It's the same as the Special II, but has a nicer finish and a tuner on one of the pickup rings. Very handy.  If you are buying new it comes with an amp.

  11. On 7/17/2019 at 2:31 PM, mihcmac said:
    From Guitar Insite
    Numbered factory codes
    NUMBER FACTORY COUNTRY
     12 DeaWon or Unsung  China
     13 unknown  China
     15 Qingdao (electric)  China
     16 Qingdao (acoustic)  China
     17 unknown  China
     18 unknown  China
     20 DeaWon or Unsung  China
     21 Unsung  Korea
     22 unknown  Korea
     23 Samick  Indonesia


     

    Factory code letter
    LETTER FACTORY COUNTRY
     B Bohêmia Musico-Delicia  Czech Republic
     C Cort  Korea
     CI Cort  Indonesia
     DW DaeWon  China
     EA QingDao (acoustic)  China
     ED Dongbei  China
     EE QingDao (electric)  China
     F Fuji-gen (Elite/Elitist models)  Japan
     F Fine Guitars  Korea
     FC Fuji-gen ('90)  Japan
     GR Farida, Guang Dong  China
     I Saein  Korea
     IS Samick, Bogor  Indonesia
     J Terada Gakki Seisakusyo  Japan
     K Korea Ins.  Korea
     L Leader Musical Instrument Co Ltd.  Korea
     MC Muse  China
     MR Mirr factory  China
     O Choice  Korea
     P Peerless  Korea
     R Peerless  Korea
     QG Qingdao Gibson  China
     S Samick  Korea
     SI Samick, Bogor  Indonesia
     SJ SaeJun  China
     SM Samil  Korea
     T Terada Gakki Seisakusyo  Japan
     U Unsung  Korea
     UC Unsung China  China
     Z Zaozhuang Saehan  China


     

    Unclear Letter factory codes
    LETTER FACTORY NOTE
     BW  ??  Probably China
     H ??  Probably China
     GG ??  Probably China or Korea
     GP ??  Probably Korea
     JK ??  Probably Korea or Indonesia
     SK ??  --
     SN ??  Probably Indonesia
     WF ??  Probably China
     X ??

     Probably China

    Cute. Much of this is a copy of my info on the Epiphone wiki.

  12. 2 hours ago, RIch-rookie said:

    The secret decoder ring is not working on my Guitar, Its an ES “Sheraton” here is a pic of thr “check  list for the warranty card “

    I thought I would add the information to help the data base grow ,  Its interesting that the date of the “check list”  is 3 months ahead of the serial number...  just adding to the confusion.

     

    Rich

    BF4225E1-D410-447C-B294-5E7D18E0FA47.jpeg

    S4 = Samick Korea 1994

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