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Gibson Les Paul 57 reissue? But the serial number....


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I've got myself in the 2nd hand market a Gibson Les Paul,serial no. 5 9521. It looks exactly like this one:

 

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/attachments/historics-reissues/78190d1356122805-ngd-les-paul-custom-57-reissue-faded-cherry-57cr_faded-cherry.jpg

and this one:

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/historics-reissues/232713-ngd-les-paul-custom-57-reissue-faded-cherry.html

 

Ok so here's the thing. The serial for a 57 reissue SHOULD start with a 7 (which indicate it's a 57 resissue according to the bluebook)instead of mine which starts with a 5. Is there any possibility that it's a fake guitar or it's using another unknown serial idenification method.

 

It came with a pair of EMG and a brown case, which only make things more complicated as I guess they are not original.

 

Please advise! I'm happy to provide more picstures if needed. Thank you so much!

 

post-55783-024516300 1365431640_thumb.jpgpost-55783-081535700 1365431619_thumb.jpgpost-55783-006752400 1365431652_thumb.jpgpost-55783-014873500 1365431665_thumb.jpgpost-55783-048963800 1365431677_thumb.jpgpost-55783-098499200 1365431697_thumb.jpg

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Very Odd Indeed.

 

Can't help you much. Sorry.

 

The case is fine. It's a regular brown / pink lined Lifton-style re-issue case.

 

But, as you already know, with a PAF-routed ('57-style) Les Paul Custom re-issue the serial should start with a 7.

 

That style of numbering was used on the 1960 Classic range and that number would fit in with a guitar built in 1995 but I've never yet heard of a faded Mahogany Custom-spec'd '1960 Classic'.

 

Could you let us know what period the pots are from? At least that might help us date the instrument. Assuming they weren't swapped at the p'up change...

 

http://www.guitardaterproject.org/potcodereader.aspx

 

P.

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Thanks P.

 

The guitar came with a pair of EMG active pickups, and the pots are non-original 25K pots. They sounds VERY dark with regular magnetic passive pickups.

 

I traded a PRS McCarty for it years ago. Back then I was a ZW fan and wanted a Les Paul Custom with EMGs. I didn't bother its authenticity as long as it sounded right for me, until recently I need to cash it in for my GAS in a Nash tele and a EJ strat.

 

FYI, it is stupidly heavy (solid, non-chambered). Has Gorver tuners and gold hardwares. double yellowish cream binding. metal plate for the pots is absent.

 

ANYONE?

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Hi again.

 

If it is - as it seems to be - a re-issue then it wouldn't have had a metal plate as the originals didn't have a metal plate.

Also the original '57-'60 Customs had gold hardware and multi-ply binding on both top and back so no surprises there.

 

Reissues tend to be slightly lighter than regular USA production but your guitar being all-mahogany would probably explain the extra weight.

 

I still don't understand the serial number anomaly though.

One possible answer would be that it is a '55 R-I which has been routed for full-size humbuckers when the EMGs were installed.

I've never heard of a '55 all-mahogany Custom being made and furthermore would anyone with such an instrument have it so modified? Doubtful but, I suppose, possible.

 

The best thing you can do I suspect is to get in touch with Gibson Customer Services. They are usually very good in answering but do occasionally take a few days to reply.

They will need to see the images and info you have posted here (a link to this thread will probablly suffice) and they can be contacted here;

 

http://www2.gibson.c.../Talk-2-Us.aspx

 

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

P.

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