bram99 Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 I recently played a '46 LG-2 that was in great shape and amazing tone. The action was high and the bridge had already been plained down with very little saddle left above the bridge so it was clear it needed a neck reset so I passed on it. But that tone was haunting and far better that what i get from my modern LG-2 reissue and my Mahogany top LG-2.....so the vintage bug has bit me and I need to have one... I hope to find something very very clean, where the work (neck reset etc) has been done alreay and it is ready to go....I am looking at banner era, late forties and early 50s....I am familiar with the information in the Gibson Fabulous Flattop book and here... http://home.provide.net/~cfh/gibson.html but want to get narrow down my knowledge on nut widths and neck profiles....I like the big fat neck of the 40s, but something in-between the 40s fat neck and the soft-v on my J45TV would be nice...I am looking for info on how nut and neck profile changed year by year through 1954.... any help is much appreciated...thanks....and if you think you have something that fits the bill, PM me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mking Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 My 1960 had a very nice thin neck. I am not talking about width of the fret board but the thickness of the neck. So by what you relayed as to what you like neck wise, you should probably stay away from the late 50's to 1960. I don't know what the early 50's necks were like so I cannot comment. I have a 1948 that has a very thick neck and of course the sound is better than the 1960; not by much but there is a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 A neck on a guitar made in 1959 is going to feel a whole lot different than one made in 1960 which is when Gibson went to the low action, fast playing neck or whatever they called them - no real matter as it translates into pencil thin. If you prefer a wide nut you might want to stick with Banners or guitars built in 1946 with the 1 3/4" nut. The standard nut after that was 1 11/16". Neck profiles will vary a bit but to me all LGS up to 1960 ( with the exception of those Banners without truss rods which had slightly thicker necks) feel pretty much the same having a full roundback D neck. I have played a ton of LGs over the past 50+ years and own a 1946 LG-2 but I have to say some of the best sounding LG-2s I have played were made a bit later in the decade - say 1947-1949. Just an opinion though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mking Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Interesting on the 1960 being the first year for that type of neck because that is just what the neck was like on the one I had. Another thing too, my 1948 is noticeably lighter than the 1960. And although I have not played a lot of them the 1948 sounds amazing. I never measured the nut width and so I did and sure enough it is 1 11/16. Thanks for the info. By the way, do you know what years these guitars did not have a FON stamped inside? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Interesting on the 1960 being the first year for that type of neck because that is just what the neck was like on the one I had. Another thing too, my 1948 is noticeably lighter than the 1960. And although I have not played a lot of them the 1948 sounds amazing. I never measured the nut width and so I did and sure enough it is 1 11/16. Thanks for the info. By the way, do you know what years these guitars did not have a FON stamped inside? Thanks. It is not like at the stroke of midnight on January 1 of a certain year the specs were instantly changed. A friend of mine, as example, has a 1955 J-160E which still retains the 19 fret neck and solid wood top which were features associated with guitars made a year earlier and supposedly changed in 1955. I want to say 1946 LGs and Gibsons in general did not have an FON stamp. Mine does not. I recently had a 1947 LG-2 in the house (I dated it as a 1947 because of the waffle rivet tuners) without an FON stamp but I do not know how consistent it was for then not to have the stamp. Not sure about LGs but it seems most Gibsons I have run into made in 1948 had the FON stamp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mking Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 My guitar (the 1948) has the block Gibson logo and does not have a stamp in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdd707 Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Good luck on this one. Gibsons change from guitar to guitar (same models), not just year to year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 My guitar (the 1948) has the block Gibson logo and does not have a stamp in it. Ahhh, but how do you know it is a 1948? As far as I know the only way to tell a 1947 from a 1948 with no FON stamp might possibly be the tuners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Good luck on this one. Gibsons change from guitar to guitar (same models), not just year to year! While specs tok a bit to beome uniform, guitars actually get pretty consistent starting in 1948 when Ted McCarty becomes Pres of Gibson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mking Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Hey, I'm all ears, I have the original tuners so how can I tell if it is a 1947 or a 1948? I thought 1947 was the last year for the script Gibson logo and 1948 was the first year for the block logo. The tuners show "Kluson CO MFG. Chicago Ill. Pat. Appld. For" stamped circular around the middle tuning peg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Hey, I'm all ears, I have the original tuners so how can I tell if it is a 1947 or a 1948? I thought 1947 was the last year for the script Gibson logo and 1948 was the first year for the block logo. The tuners show "Kluson CO MFG. Chicago Ill. Pat. Appld. For" stamped circular around the middle tuning peg. My '46 LG-2 has the washer rivet Klusons. Neither my 1946 script logo LG-2 or the later one that came to visit had the circular stamps visible on the outside of the plate. From the guitars I have been around it looks like that by 1944 Kluson started putting a single circular manufacturers stamp on the inside of the plate. The later LG-2 without the FON stamp I had in the house had the block logo and 1 11/16" nut. What pointed in the direction of a 1947 was the tuners. This one had the Kluson waffle rivet tuners. The general rap on these is that they showed up on the occasional Gibson in 1944 but as far as I could figure out have never been seen on a guitar made after 1947. The rule of thumb, however, is if you have an early block logo LG-2 with no FON stamp stick with '47 - '48. Not a great photo but it will give you an idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mking Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 The picture you show is exactly the same as the tuners on my LG-2. Mine are the waffle rivets, not the smooth ones. So with these tuners and no FON I can surmise it is a 1947? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 The picture you show is exactly the same as the tuners on my LG-2. Mine are the waffle rivets, not the smooth ones. So with these tuners and no FON I can surmise it is a 1947? While I make no claims of being a scholar of Kluson tuners, based on what I have dug up I would think it is a '47. But it may be safer to err on the side of caution and go with '47 - '48. We are talking about Gibsons here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mking Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 I see. By the way, I wasn't clear yesterday, all the markings on the tuners I told you about are on the inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 I see. By the way, I wasn't clear yesterday, all the markings on the tuners I told you about are on the inside. I kinda figured they would have to be as I have not seen the manufacturers stamps the outside of the plate on guitars made from around 1944 on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 FWIW....I have a '40's LG2 or 3 (old refinish) that sounds the greatest! No FON#'s on the block. I always felt that it was a '46 and had a 'banner logo' placed on the 'previously stripped' headstock. It was done by a great shop in Ohio....kudos! ....many years ago! I have great respect for the tone 'out of 'em little guitars'..... Oh yeah....the neck? Full and comfortable, but no way " the biggest neck that I have played" ....THAT would be my Garcia classical guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mking Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 I think I will go with it being a 1947. After all, I have no interest in ever selling it, it will get passed down to my daughter and granddaughter. I bought a brand new Calton case for it last year, made for the LG-2 guitars so when I fly with it I don't have to worry about it. Also, the case is small enough where the airlines don't hassle me about it taking up too much room in the overhead. It's a keeper and thanks for the element of proof to help nail it down a bit more year wise. How do you load pictures up on this site? I'll put one up of the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mking Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Retrorod, where are you in North Carolina? I am in Norfolk VA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mking Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Never mind, I saw an old message from you. You are in the Outer Banks. Nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 FWIW....I have a '40's LG2 or 3 (old refinish) that sounds the greatest! No FON#'s on the block. I always felt that it was a '46 and had a 'banner logo' placed on the 'previously stripped' headstock. It was done by a great shop in Ohio....kudos! ....many years ago! I have great respect for the tone 'out of 'em little guitars'..... Oh yeah....the neck? Full and comfortable, but no way " the biggest neck that I have played" ....THAT would be my Garcia classical guitar. While the logo may have been removed, if it is a '46 the guitar also would still have the 1 3/4" nut. I agree on the neck not being even close to baseball bat status when compared to other guitars from the period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 I think I will go with it being a 1947. After all, I have no interest in ever selling it, it will get passed down to my daughter and granddaughter. I bought a brand new Calton case for it last year, made for the LG-2 guitars so when I fly with it I don't have to worry about it. Also, the case is small enough where the airlines don't hassle me about it taking up too much room in the overhead. It's a keeper and thanks for the element of proof to help nail it down a bit more year wise. How do you load pictures up on this site? I'll put one up of the guitar. I use Photobucket to post photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mking Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 The nut on my 1947 is 1 3/4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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