pohatu771
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Posts posted by pohatu771
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It is most likely a Marauder.
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This is impossible to answer without photos.
I do have concerns based on your description, though.
Gibson serial numbers in the late 70s either began with 99, 00, or 06 (1975, 1976, and 1977, respectively) or with a 70, 71, 72, or 73 for 1977-1979, depending on the day of the year. A 2019 would begin with 10, 11, 12, or 13. There is no overlap.
Additionally, Gibson Acoustic never stamped model years on the headstock like Gibson USA did (and neither did it in 2019). As far as I know, Gibson didn't reissue the L-00 until the 90s.
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I saw him in 2017 and paid about $150 for two tickets. We were basically in line with the front of the stage and very high up. The only time we saw him in person, rather than on a screen, was when he walked out onto the short catwalk.
This time, I spent about $600 for two tickets. I'm still far from the stage, but this time I have a straight-on view. I had really built up how much they would cost, and was surprised that floor seats near the mixing board were "only" about $400.
My only complaint at the moment is that there was no way to see ticket prices in advance. I had to get an idea from a reseller site that already had tickets posted. They were about 50% more than face value (fees not included) in the sections I looked at.
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It is a B-25-12.
Based on these two pictures alone, I would guess 1966 over 1969, but that could easily be wrong.
By 1969, most B-25-12 models were using a belly-down pin bridge. I don't think this rectangular bridge is original (it would have had an adjustable saddle), but unless it was completely refinished, there is no evidence of any other footprint.
The finish is odd, though. I can't tell if it is a faded sunburst or a darkened natural. Either are possible.
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1 hour ago, sbpark said:
Have no idea what these originally had on them back in the 60's (plastic most likely?)
These were firmly in the adjustable saddle era, so they were ceramic. At least the Frontier never had a plastic bridge, as far as I know. Later years were rosewood instead, but they had dropped the western motif at that point and it was basically a maple-bodied El Dorado.
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4 hours ago, Pete Bell said:
I thought by 2006 serial numbers had 9 digits? The Gibson page on numbering says an 8-digit number starting 00 is 1976
1975-1977 serial numbers are eight digits and are on a decal on the back of the headstock.
In 1977 they switched to a different 8-digit format. Kalamazoo used production numbers 001-499 and Nashville used 500-999. When Gibson Acoustic opened, they took over 001-299, and Gibson USA used 300-999.
In July 2005, Gibson USA added a batch number and made it a 9-digit format. Gibson Acoustic did not change. When Gibson Memphis opened, they used the 1977 format as well.
Gibson USA switched to a different 9-digit format in 2014, but switched back in 2018.
Gibson's own page is incomplete and outdated.
The serial number of this guitar is January 29, 2006, the 21st guitar stamped that day. A serial number beginning with "00" can be a 1976, or it could be made between 2000 and 2009 in the first 99 days of the year.
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Twelve years ago I bought a J-45 that arrived with a strong cigarette smell.
When I asked this same question in the Acoustic section, one member berated me for erasing the "history" of the guitar.
My solution - throw away the cheap cardboard case it came in, and keep a dryer sheet inside the guitar (store in the cardboard box that it shipped in) for about a week. It worked very well. If the case is actually worth keeping, it might need to be shampooed with a carpet cleaner.
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This looks like a 1948/1949 J-45 in excellent condition. The "lot of work" that I can see is just new tuner buttons and bridge pins - that's about $40 worth of parts if you really splurge on the bridge pins.
There may be structural issues I can't see, and at that age a neck reset is probably necessary, but this would be a dream guitar to stumble upon for sale.
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1 hour ago, Matt4356 said:
This was not made by Samick Korea in 2010. AFAIK they stopped producing for epiphone in about 2002
Samick's entire Korean production shut down in 2003. They are only in Indonesia now.
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1 hour ago, Larsongs said:
No.. They were originally introduced at $2399.00.. I know because I bought the Casino… The Frontier was introduced right after the Casino on the Gibson/Epiphone website at the same Price.. Right after I got my Casino in October 2021 they were increased to $2699.00…
The Frontier is quite nice & I’m glad for the OP that he got a good deal on his… I wanted one of these Frontiers. But, at $3999.00 I’m looking at Martin & Guild too…
I got my Casino in March 2021 and Texan in July 2020. They were both $2699 at the time. There are plenty of forum posts (on this and other sites) complaining about it. Maybe some dealer was listing them lower, but that was the MSRP.
Here is an archive or the Frontier product page on July 5, 2021. Announced on April 27. $3999. I held one in my hands a week before that and was given the same price.
Archive of the Casino page on April 11, 2021, the earliest archive that I found. Official launch date was March 30 but still took a few weeks to ship. $2699.
And the archive of the acoustic page, which shows the Texan, on January 23, 2020, ten days after it was revealed at NAMM. $2699.
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6 hours ago, Larsongs said:
When they were first introduced I remember them being the same price as the new USA Epi Casino’s. $2399.00..
What happened? Now they’re $3999.00???
Those were never the prices.
The Texan and Casino were both introduced at $2699. I played a Frontier before they were even announced, and it was $3999 then. The thread in the Epiphone section is "A $4,000 Epiphone?" from the day it was revealed.
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Common issues with these are loose braces and a de-laminating bridge plate. Neither are super expensive repairs, and very important. The bridge looks fine in these photos, but make sure it isn't lifting. There is a decent chance it would benefit from a neck reset.
The only other thing I would consider is replacing the tuners if they don't work well, or if they aren't original. I'd stick to modern reproductions of the original type.
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I've played one a few times. I can't compare it directly to a Dove, but I liked it. Very resonant, but brighter than my J-45 or Texan and more defined. The specific notes seem to be clearer/
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The Melody Maker went through four designs before being discontinued and replaced with the SG-100, SG-200, and SG-250:
- Single-cutaway Les Paul-style body
- Symmetrical double-cutaway Les Paul-style body
- Symmetrical double-cutaway "fish" body with beveled edges (the Joan Jett Melody Maker)
- SG-style body
The Olympic is slightly more complicated:
- Single-cutaway Les Paul-style body (same as 1 above)
- Symmetrical double-cutaway Les Paul-style body (same as 2 above)
- Asymmetrical contoured body shared with the Coronet and other models
The Olympic Special was introduced at the same time as the transition from 2 to 3 above, but was only offered with a single pickup:
- Symmetrical double-cutaway Les Paul-style body (same as 2 above)
- Asymmetrical, elongated double-cutaway, the Joan Jett Olympic Special
They were all made in Kalamazoo. This is the first Olympic or Olympic Special to be made since 1970.
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2 hours ago, Abozz said:
I’m pretty sure the p90 are original. This model came with that cover (another rarity) maybe the only gibson with p90 cover made. I’m trying to attach the Gibson Brouchure from this guitar but is too heavy. Later I will try again.
You know what, I'm wrong-ish. The SG-100 had a single coil pickup in the neck. The SG-100 Junior was released at the end of this series, and that is what you have. It's kind of a transitional model between the SG-100 and the SG I that replaced it.
46 minutes ago, rct said:They only made a few hundred of all of them, 100,200,250. They only made them for a year.
rct
There are allegedly almost 5,000 of the three models combined, with more than half being the SG-200.
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My only criticism of the signature model is the color. Rather than copying her Gibson Melody Maker style on the Epiphone body, they should have offered this in a sunburst. I'd be tempted to get one just as a reissue of the vintage Olympic Special.
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The P-90 is not original, but otherwise this guitar looks like it's in great shape - especially with how many of them are very beat up.
The SG-100, SG-200, and SG-250 were essentially the next generation of Melody Maker. They are a little more labor-intensive than the Melody Maker, since the pickup and controls are in separate cavities and therefore require that horizontal hole to be drilled, but they were less effort than a standard SG, since the cavities are both on the top.
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It could be a SG Special Faded 3-Pickup, as you guessed. Adding two extra knobs is much easier than stripping the entire guitar. The finish remaining inside the control cavity supports that. If you open it up, you will probably find that there is no finish around the original pots and switch location, but there is for the two additional.
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That's not much to work with. A pickup can also be angled in two different ways.
The SG-100, SG-200, and SG-250 from the early 70s had angled neck pickups.
The ES-300 had an angled pickup that stretched from the neck to the bridge around 1940, but other pickups in different years.
The Les Paul Personal, Les Paul Professional, and Les Paul Recording all have angled pickups.
Early L5-S models had an angled neck pickup.
The Flying V-II has V-shaped pickups.
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The 1993 Orville catalog just says "Spruce/Mahogany/Mahogany" in the Top/Side/Back field. I believe they are solid. Previous sellers have made that claim.
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The belly-down bridge suggests 1967-1970, and the serial number confirms 1967.
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If you take out the bridge pickup (or maybe the neck) at your next string change, there is probably a sticker or hand-written code inside the cavity that will be a semi-clear indication of which model it is.
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From the features that aren't easily-swapped parts, I'd guess that this was a 70s Tribute, and that the things that don't match are modifications. The tuners and truss rod cover would be invisible swaps. The pickups would leave some evidence of the solder change (unless they swapped for new pots as well), and the pickguard wouldn't leave any sign, since there was nothing there to start with.
It could also be a Future Tribute with the same modifications, but I'm not sure what evidence would be left behind on those tuners.
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I watch a lot of guitar-building videos, and many of them are alternative materials.
I've been casually planning how to build my own carbon fiber acoustic using no wood at all. The closest I would get is Richlite for the fretboard and bridge.
Made in China?
in Epiphone Electrics
Posted
High-end Japanese Epiphones have existed in a few forms, and most of them have only been sold in the Japanese market. The Gibson copies have traditional Gibson-style headstocks, as seen on that SG.
Between 1975 and 1985, Casinos, Sheratons, and Rivieras were made by Matsumoku (via Epiphone's partnership with Aria). These were for the Japanese market, but were offered worldwide beginning in 1980. The Casino was mostly accurate to Kalamazoo specs, but the Riviera and Sheraton both had full-sized humbuckers. Later models also had stop-bar tailpieces, like the Samick-made Sheraton II and Riviera would eventually have.
Under Gibson's new ownership, standard-tier production moved to Korea in 1986, and high-end Casinos were produced by Terada for the Japanese market. These lasted until 1994, with the Korean version coming in 1996.
In 1988, the Orville by Gibson line was launched, all copies of Gibson models. Most were electric, but there are a few uncommon acoustic models. These were only sold in Japan.
In 1998, the Epiphone Japan line replaced Orville, and produced both Epiphone models and Gibson copies. These were also only sold in Japan.
The John Lennon Casino (1999-2008) and John Lee Hooker Sheraton (2000-2005) models were built in Japan and then finished in Nashville.
In 2003, the Elitist (first Elite) line replaced the Epiphone Japan line, still producing a mix of historic Epiphone and Gibson models. These were discontinued in 2008, except for the Casino (in 2018) and a few unusual signature models that were Casino variants. There is some difference in models available in Japan (with Gibson headstocks) and the rest of the world (with a New York-era Epiphone headstock).