sparquelito

Okay, so I am doing some repairs to soft cases, gig bags, and guitar straps this weekend, and I bought some special black polyamide sewing thread for the job ahead. I SWEAR I set that spool of thread by the coffee maker this morning, and dang if it hasn't gone missing. The wife says she hasn't moved it, and I am feeling like I am losing my marbles anymore. I'm gonna have a cold beer and think on it, I reckon. Re-trace my steps. Can't have nothin'. 😣

We played a retirement party for a couple of test pilot friends, on a farm near Taft, Tennessee. Late September 2017. Outdoor gig, great weather. The pig was in the ground since the night before. A thunderstorm blew by just two miles south of us, which brought cool breezes and a nice backdrop to about a hundred people partying and drinking (and eating, of course). Nary a rain drop hit us. We were blessed. Here was drummer Bob enjoying a bite in between sets. God rest his gentle soul. 🙂

Happy Birthday, Robert Allen Zimmerman. (Or as I remember him best, Lucky Wilbury.) Long may you wave, good sir. 🙂

Fun afternoon. Dodging rain storms, riding to and from repairing the hinge on a broken mailbox for a beautiful lady. Got home just as the big splats were coming down. Enjoying a beverage now, watching the rain soaking the gardens and the yard. I'll go out later and wipe the motorcycle down with soft towels and some Turtle Wax spray shine. Good times. 🙂

That looks fantastic! I don't actually watch movies anymore, but I do love seeing the trailers and getting exposed to fresh, unusual film-making. 🙂

Well, let's see; * We were both born in the USA, in 1959. * We both have really stiff necks. * It wouldn't take much for us to snap our heads clean off if we accidently fell over. * A lot of battle scars, nicks, dings, and cracks are visible. * We have asymmetrical curves with a larger bottom than the top. * Really, really loud when plugged in and cranked up. Aaaaaaaand, that's about it. I'm not worth anywhere near a half million dollars, Jimmy Page never once stroked me on stage, Rick Nielsen and Joe Bonamassa have no interest whatsoever in collecting me, and I'm not coveted or revered in popular culture. But other than that, we are just like freaking twins. 😬

Probably the funniest of the lot, for me anyway. 🙂

Francyne, Any word from Gibson Customer Support? I'm curious what their response would be to a request for a newly manufactured COA for a ten+ year old guitar. I'm guessing they they would say, "Sorry, we cannot produce such a thing, and we if we did we would need to validate or authenticate the guitar. Which means you need to bring it to us in person," or some such words. Maddening, I am sure, for you and your father. Especially if you are anything like me. I need everything in order, and paired up just so. I came to realize that I ended up with one extra black sock recently, with no matching sock to go with it. I carefully checked my dresser drawers, the laundry hamper, the washer, and the dryer. And then after a few days, behind and beneath the washer and the dryer. My wife: What are you doing, tearing the house apart? Me: I'm looking for one missing black sock. I have this one, but I can't find its mate. My wife: It's not big deal. It'll turn up eventually. Me: It's unsettling to me. I need to bring them back together. My wife: Just throw that sock away, and be done with it! Me: I can't! Later on when the missing one is revealed to be hiding in the sleeve of a sweater, then I'll have an extra unmatched sock again! I'll really go crazy at that point! My wife: I want a divorce. Anyway. Good luck in your quest. I hope it turns out good in the end. 🤔

Well, it that **** sells, then surely they will produce MY latest idea for Gibson's ever-expanding marketing endeavors. 🤫

One thing to add; If that SG is a Custom Shop model (and not a SG Custom that might otherwise be sold straight out of the retail guitar store), the value would be higher. I know that sounds confusing. (A model known as the Custom, versus a Gibson Custom Shop guitar.) I can't read the actual Serial Number very well. Can you post a close up photo of the back of the headstock? That would solve the mystery of that, and help to clarify the value. 😉

Carol, An examination of the internet offerings, Fjestad's Blue Book, and Reverb.com would place the value of that 1999 Gibson SG Custom at around $2,700 USD. The artwork, though lovely, would neither add to nor detract from the value of that wonderful guitar. One note; The Serial Number is what it is. Registering it with Gibson, back in the day, wasn't even a thing. I love it, quite personally. I think your painting on it is fabulous. 🙂

If an authentic Gibson SG Standard from 1999 or 2000, Fjestad's Blue Book values the basic guitar at $1,100 USD in Mint Condition. Reverb and GC might list them a hundred dollars higher. The custom artwork from that fundraiser might allow for a higher resale asking price, but that depends upon the artwork and the disposition and tastes of the individual buyers. It certainly won't devalue the guitar, not in my opinion. Especially if, as ghost_of_fl implies, the artist is now a well-known big selling artist. 🙂

An interesting take on a classic song. 😉

The best Gibsons have always been born on a Wednesday. 🤔

Go to this link below to describe the new suggested Custom Shop idea to Gibson: https://www.gibson.com/en-US/Support/Contact Or, simply pick up the phone and call 1 (800) 444-2766. 🤫

I practice and/or perform strictly standing up, with the guitar strapped mid-belly. Not crazy high, and not crazy low. Just right. 🙂

I'll add this much; If the headstock logo is Epiphone, and the sound hole sticker is purely Gibson, detailing a model known as J-50, with no Epiphone logo anywhere on it, then what you have in your hands is what we call a HOT MESS. I'm pretty sure that Epiphone never marketed a J-50, with or without the Gibson logo on the truss rod cover. I'm hoping that some experienced Epiphone/Gibson guys will chime in now. It sounds to me like you have a cobbled-together quandary on your hands. 😗

If the guitar has an Epiphone headstock, then it's most likely a genuine Epiphone. A genuine Epiphone, made in Korea or Indonesia or one of many other locations where Epiphones have been manufactured over the years. Great guitars. But not straight-up Gibsons, which are manufactured in either Bozeman, Montana or Memphis, TN, or Nashville, TN. The GIBSON logo on the small truss rod cover is common to many Epiphone models over the years. (Epiphone as a company has been owned by Gibson for many years, so that's the connection.) So that would be a legitimate feature for many year groups of Epiphones. The sound hole sticker, on an Epiphone acoustic, may have a small Gibson logo, but it should not be the dominant feature. EPIPHONE should be on the sound hole sticker rather, to go with the earlier-mentioned headstock logo. I hope this helps, absent any of your photos being posted in the meantime. 😉

Hey, ho, hi, good morning. I picked up a used, elderly acoustic-electric the other day. A fellow had sold off a dozen guitars to my nearest music store/band supply house, as he was headed off to seminary college up north, and didn't need all of them. I visited my friend Frank (the owner), and chatted him up about the collection. The one head-turner was this mysterious guitar here. I played it both unplugged and plugged in, and was smitten. Paid $200 American dollars in cash, and headed home to clean it up and re-string it. I searched inside the guitar with a lantern and inspection mirror, and could find no inner markings or sound hole sticker. The only exterior markings are a factory label on the front of the headstock, "Shadow Bridge Installed". On the back are a couple of gold foil stickers that display (I assume) some sort of model number and serial number. Missing is one that (I found an identical guitar on the interwebs) said "Made In Korea". Dove inlays on the fretboard. Interesting, this Shadow bridge. Piezo-electric under the bridge, and passive. (No battery involved.) Primitive but charming Volume and Tone control sliders. I emailed Shadow Electronics, who have been in bidness since 1971, and asked them about the guitar. No answer yet. It plays great, and weighs just four pounds, one ounce. I love it, and plan to haul it to the next gig, an old people's high school reunion. But what is it? Who made it in Korea, back in the day? (Late 1970's, early 1980's, I am guessing.) If you have any idears, by golly, I would love to hear them. 🤫

I really like the idea of that Bigsby pedal, and I think it is brilliant. If only I didn't have to sell my left kidney in order to afford one. 🤔

Oh, you're not alone in that, old friend. I have many favorites, and then there are those who were MAJOR music artists, and I never hardly ever paid attention. Certainly didn't buy any of their records. In my case: Never bought any records, can't name a single hit song The Grateful Dead Rage Against The Machine The Tragically Hip The Stooges Aware of them, know some songs, but never sparked my interest The Doors Janis Joplin Jimi Hendrix The Who Iron Maiden The Band Molly Hatchet R.E.M. I'm gonna shut up now. 🤫

I reckon that a previous owner traded out the original chrome metal bits for gold-plated ones is all. Fjestad's Blue Book puts the value at around $1,600 US Dollars. But that's in Excellent Plus, original condition. Pretty guitar. I would gladly own one, with the gold stuff removed. (Not a fan of gold plated bits of kit.) 😉

All the details are correct, minus the gold hardware and the after-market pickups. The black headstock overlay with pearl Gibson logo inlay is right. A gold silkscreen "Les Paul Model" on the headstock was standard between 1989-1993, and late 2006-08. The "Les Paul Classic" lettering is correct for 1993 to early 2006. The Serial Number would indicate a 2006 model, so that makes sense. I guess the only head-scratcher is the gold hardware. How much does the seller want for it? 😗

I see what you did there!! 😉

Nah, not really a matter of wealth = right, not for me. I was a big KISS fan from the early days. My (teenage garage band) bandmates and I saw KISS live in December of 1975, and it was a formative experience. My current band enjoys performing a number of KISS songs, usually one or two per gig. There's some history there. Admittedly, Gene can be a major-league ******-bag. And though I never watched his 'reality TV' show (I don't watch television), I have heard about it enough, and watched small snippets of it on youTube. It was cringe-worthy rubbish. All that said, I enjoy his interviews, the ones I can find online. He's articulate. He's opinionated, but I agree with most of his opinions. To the bank account matter, he has, by all accounts, been one of the most successful marketers of a brand, any brand, in history. He's gone from a dirt-poor Israeli immigrant to a multi-millionaire rock legend. Love him or hate him, he's very much a self-made, successful, iconic figure. And he loved and respected his mother. Okay, I'm gonna shut up now. 😔