Brock Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Hello All, I am new to this website as I recently inhereted a '49 Model (serial No. in 2000's)ES-150 from a decorated Veteran. I feel that it is in pretty good shape for a guitar this age and having survived a fire. I do not think the owner knew the value of this beauty but am very honored to be the new caretaker. I would like to get it back into playing condition (just around the house), but I'm not really sure where to start. I do not want to do a full on restoration, by the looks of it I don't think it needs one, looks like a 60 year old guitar should look in my opinion. As far as I can tell, the original tuners are in tact, missing pick guard, and missing one of the original knobs. Any input would be greatly appreciated!! HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Congrats on your inheritance! Are you new to guitars, in general? If so, do some research before doing anything crazy to it. Some quality polish with no silicone and a new set of strings for starters....may be all thats needed. Not sure of your level of expertise with guitars, so not quite sure how to answer you, other than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted May 28, 2013 Author Share Posted May 28, 2013 I'm not new to guitars, just new to old guitars. The oldest guitar I have is 5 years old, and I really do not know the ins and outs of upkeep. That being said, I will be taking the guitar to a guy in my area thats got a pretty good reputation around here for refinishing some nice pieces. I am just mainly worried about getting taken for all I'm worth, simply because I do not know the difference between what "needs" to be done and what "could" be done. I'll definitely need to do some research it sounds like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 I guess Brock, to me at least, the word 'refinish' has severe conotations and implications for a vintage guitar. I wish that you lived close by, as I excell in cleaning old Gibson guitar finishes and taking care of electronic stuff and also keeping these guitars in the most original state possible. The guitar is not the "Holy Grail" of Gibsons but worthy of some vintage respect. "Refinish" implies re-spraying....and I don't think that the guitar needs that? Restoring to original glory would just take the right cleaning compounds and some elbow grease. I would have your luthier 'set it up' properly and give you an (evaluation and estimate) of its needs (frets,bridge, etc.) and go from there. Report back to the Forum if you want. Electronically, those old P90 pickups are "the stuff".... ....and welcome to the uber-cool and exciting realm of vintage-Gibson Nice-looking guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted May 28, 2013 Author Share Posted May 28, 2013 Ok, I'll do that. Thanks a lot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted May 31, 2013 Author Share Posted May 31, 2013 Update: Further inspection (by an expert) revealed that the binding was all in tact, the tuners were the originals, the pots were frozen, the bridge had been re-glued, the first 7 frets had been heavily used (flat in places), and the pup cover was most likely original. To save my wallet, I did what retrorod suggested and had him set up the guitar acoustically for now, which includes changing out the tuners, and moving the bridge back to its original location (if it had not been placed accurately before). And also some minor cleaning. Once I stash some funds, I ll have him do the electric work, and then the fret work last. Pictures to follow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Hello All, I am new to this website as I recently inhereted a '49 Model (serial No. in 2000's)ES-150 from a decorated Veteran. I feel that it is in pretty good shape for a guitar this age and having survived a fire. I do not think the owner knew the value of this beauty but am very honored to be the new caretaker. I would like to get it back into playing condition (just around the house), but I'm not really sure where to start. I do not want to do a full on restoration, by the looks of it I don't think it needs one, looks like a 60 year old guitar should look in my opinion. As far as I can tell, the original tuners are in tact, missing pick guard, and missing one of the original knobs. Any input would be greatly appreciated!! HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY What's the difference between that ES 125 and the ES 150? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 What's the difference between that ES 125 and the ES 150? It is somewhat minor. Without looking it up again, I believe the ES-150 body is slightly larger than the 125 and in some years had trapezoid fingerboard inlays...?...if memory serves me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Lang Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 I always thought the ES-150 had a longer scale (25.5") vs. the ES-125 (24.75") although I can't find a definitive answer - conflicting reports on the intertube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 I looked it up....24-3/4 scale , larger body size, trapezoid inlays...early 50...The ES-150 went through a lot of changes with pickups from CC style to modern P90. Just a step "out of sync" with its cousin, the ES-125 until its demise. The early ones had solid tops also unlike the 125's laminate.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamBooka Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 I looked it up....24-3/4 scale , larger body size, trapezoid inlays...early 50...The ES-150 went through a lot of changes with pickups from CC style to modern P90. Just a step "out of sync" with its cousin, the ES-125 until its demise. The early ones had solid tops also unlike the 125's laminate.... Yeah.. unfortunately Gibson recycled the name ES150. Prewar and postwar are completely different beasts. Prewar is the charlie christian model, 16in.. 24.75 scale.. CC Pickup.. V neck Postwar is a 17 version of an ES125.. 25.5 scale and later with crown inlays (the first gibson model to have them) I have had both. GAS was saying I love my 125 but wouldt it be cool if it was 17in and 25.5??? Err.. not a huge difference actually so I dropped it. And THAT actually cured my guitar gas for the past few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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