rct

Way overthought. If you can't pick up a decent guitar made by the handful or so decent guitar makers left, Gibson included, and make decent sounds come out of it, yer in trouble. A mahongany bodied guitar with humbuckers in it will only make so many sounds, the guitar player does the rest. If you have to think this hard about tenon lengths and wood densities you have the wrong hobby. Just my grouchy opinion. Overthinking is usually what kills most things. rct

Yes, I am in Americur. Both Sweetwater in Indiana and Wildwood out there in northern Colorado have offered me a choice of serial numbers. Most dealers use the weight of the guitar and the serial number to try to sell you a decision when they have a few of something. Odd that yours do not, to me. I don't own one, may or may not ever own one, but have looked at lots and they all had a serial number along with the sequence number inside on the blue label. rct

I don't have a dog in this fight, but I have had a burning in my loins for a Sorrento, so I've looked at quite a few. Each had an "x of 1962" inside the secret chamber, and an imprinted serial number on the back of the 'stock. I have been offered a choice of serial numbers, I think in CO they have a half a dozen, and all of them come with a serial number. rct

I agree. rct

The ones in your guitar and the ones in the ebay look like Dimarzio minis. Not saying they are, but they sure look just like his. Believe it or not, the pickups might be worth more than the guitar. rct

The number of 'A's used to name a top means absolutely nothing, because anyone can call anything anything they want. rct

I know man, I ate English for three years whilst living in one of The Queens Colonies. It was a joke about the ill-advised perceptions of most Yanks about most things Brit. rct

Well yeah, but, you know, English food sucks, so, maybe they don't drink? And it rains alot. Just trying to help you understand is all. rct

I can assure you, I will! rct

I would come over and skip the pointless Les Paul pointy ears testing because nobody can hear that crap and the internet should be ashamed for allowing such nonsense to proliferate and we could just drink 10 grand. Is that Pounds Stirling? Sterling? Or YourOhs? It's important at the airport you know. rct

I had a walnut(colored) 7d...5 strat that I did that to. For a month. Flailing around with that thing sticking out just wasn't a good idea, you don't realize how much yer hand goes by there whilst windmilling away at O'Riley until there is something there! rct

Was a brief time there end of the 70's early 80's everyone was doing that. Ok, well, maybe not everyone. rct

Grovers are 10mm. As of mid 2000s, nobody still makes their guitars with 10mm holes, need to reem them or drill them out. Well, by nobody I mean Fender and Gibson. Check StewMac, I believe they have a tulip key that fits Gibsons without drilling. rct

First of all, let me thank you for knowing why he did that. Way too many times I've been asked if I did that to clean them. From about 1982 to 2003 I boiled every set of Ernies I put on every electric guitar of mine before I took it out of the house. If I strung it on Friday and played also on Saturday I'd keep them strings on and use that guitar for next couple rehearsals. Some guitars didn't go out as much so didn't get boiled and strung up as often, my main guitars over twenty years, in two countries and three states, all got boiled strings every time they went out. I wasn't much of a trem bar user, I started boiling back when I had a couple trem'd washburns and an Electra Phoenix I remember, but oddly enough never used my stracaster trems. Still boiled strings for all of them, Mrs has a couple pictures of me over the stove with a boxa Ernies on one side and a pot on the other, Mrlbl in the face and a Heineken in my back pocket. Good times. Then, I retired from gigs and stopped boiling them because if I'm not in tune nobody but the cats will know. We boiled them to stretch them all the way, then when they cooled they shrunkdeded all the way down to shrunked, and couldn't stretch anymore. Only lasted a gig or two, would get really rough and begin oxidizing fast, but stayed in tune. Were fabulous for the first two sets, soft and slinky. I think I wasn't the only guy doing that, there were others, Eddie made it famous, but not, as many still think, for cleaning them. Thanks for reminding me CrazyTrain. rct

What is that top one and why does it look familiar? rct

Hey my 32nd anniversary is in two weeks, Mrs wants to know if you would mind her using that in the card? Thanks! rct

"tuning issue" is much more than a nut. What is wrong with the guitar, what does it do, how does it not be in tune, all that. rct

I'm sorry, but your guitar didn't breathe when it was a tree, and it doesn't breathe now. It should have been dried to the correct relative moisture content before it was painted, not painted so it could continue to dry. It doesn't work that way. It's a myth. I cringed first time I saw the whole "breathe" thing. rct

No offense intended on two counts bro, so stay with me here: #1) If you don't even know how to get the paint off, it will probably not be a very satisfying project by the time you are done. It is a piece of wood like any other, so I'm guessing you haven't even stripped an old dresser or anything. I'd pass on re-finishing a guitar if I were you. #2) Even if you could refinish something just fine, I'd pass on re-finishing that guitar and I'd leave it as is. It will be of precisely the same value whether you do it or not. Stripping and painting guitars becomes a real hassle, especially if you don't have the right equipment and place to do it, and I'm guessing you don't. It is time consuming, it is sometimes painstaking work, and it can get expensive. Good luck with it. rct

Oh. Nevermind. No L6-Sii of any kind in 1969, not no way, not no how. It was a Bill Lawrence guitar, and he didn't start working at Gobsin until 1972 or thereabouts. Serial numbers are weird and were also re-used through the decades. I don't recall mine being stamped, but then, it was never an issue in those days that anyone cared about, so I'd have no reason to remember that. My two were great guitars, I do recall the Deluxe later now that I've looked at some pictures. I had no interest in them by then, mine had long been traded for something else. Good luck with it. rct

A real L6 had three knobs, a 6 position Variac switch, and chrome covered very early Bill Lawrence pickups. At least both of mine, a 72 and a 74 did. Don't know what you have. rct