Help dating my LG0?

[dizzylizzy]

Thanks for reading.

 

I always thought my LGO was a 1960, but I cannot find how to date it according to the serial number, which seems to be a digit short. The serial number is 16560. It does not have a plastic bridge so that would make it pre 1964? I believe. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

[ksdaddy]

Based on the serial number, it's a 1964. A '64 should have the plastic bridge but it may have been replaced. They went back to rosewood in 1966. Hard to say what's taken place in the past. Since the plastic bridges were held on with 4 screws (bolts?) it wouldn't leave a trace when removed and the "new" bridge would lead you to believe it was original. Remember too, they changed the neck width and headstock angle in '65 so that's always a good way to narrow it down.

[L5Larry]

I'm showing it, based solely on the serial number, as a '61

[ksdaddy]

You're right. I looked too quickly and thought there were six digits in the serial number. That would make it a 1964. It does indicate 1961 like you said. And they didn't go to the plastic bridge until 1962 so it all makes sense.

[dizzylizzy]

thank you!

[Kayti Sullivan]

I just acquires a spruce top rosewood bridge Gibson LG, and the website that tracks serial numbers says they can't find this one.  It is A005229, does anyone have an idea of the year? I was thinking the 60's sometime....

thanks if you respond....

[zombywoof]

2 hours ago, Kayti Sullivan said:

I just acquires a spruce top rosewood bridge Gibson LG, and the website that tracks serial numbers says they can't find this one.  It is A005229, does anyone have an idea of the year? I was thinking the 60's sometime....

thanks if you respond....

 

  An "A" prefix  with six digits indicates a build date of 1973 to 1975.   While it could possibly be an LG-1,  if it is X braced it is a B25.

Edited September 5, 2019 by zombywoof

[bobouz]

On ‎2‎/‎19‎/‎2008 at 8:44 AM, ksdaddy said:

A '64 should have the plastic bridge but it may have been replaced. They went back to rosewood in 1966.

Actually, the bridges were still plastic in 1966.

The change back to rosewood occurred in 1967.

[cLynch]

I have an old Gibson just given to me from my Grandfather when he died and wondered the year.  No stickers, no other markings other than Gibson and the 6 digit serial number with no letters before or after.   365561

[Dave F]

24 minutes ago, cLynch said:

I have an old Gibson just given to me from my Grandfather when he died and wondered the year.  No stickers, no other markings other than Gibson and the 6 digit serial number with no letters before or after.   365561

Need pictures

[cLynch]

[Dave F]

 looks like an LG -0 , s/n says '61 or '65, the 1 at the end looks out of place. The bridge looks plastic (maybe it's not) which would be '62 or later so my guess is a '65

From website

http://www.guitarhq.com/gibson.html#serial

 

 

Gibson Serial Numbers, Feb 1961 to 1970.

• • All models, stamped in back top of peghead. No "MADE IN USA" stamp below serial number! Note many serial numbers are duplicated from 1963-1969. In these cases, to figure out which is the exact year for a guitar, see the General Specs section for more details. ALSO note: It is easy to confuse 5 digit and 6 digit serial numbers from this era, and hence get the wrong year for a guitar. That is, 55555 is not the same number as 555555 (but when reading the number off the back of a Gibson peghead, these two numbers do look very similar!)

    Range              Year
    -----              ----
    0100   to 42440    1961
    42441  to 61180    1962
    61450  to 64222    1963
    64240  to 71040    1964
    71041  to 96600    1962, a few from 1963/1964
    96601  to 99999    1963
    000001 to 099999   1967  (all 6 digit numbers 
                              starting with "0" are 1967)
    100000 to 106099   1963 or 1967
    106100 to 106899   1963
    109000 to 109999   1963 or 1967
    110000 to 111549   1963
    111550 to 115799   1963 or 1967
    115800 to 118299   1963
    118300 to 120999   1963 or 1967
    121000 to 139999   1963
    140000 to 140100   1963 or 1967

  • 348093 to 349100   1966
    349121 to 368638   1965
    368640 to 369890   1966
    370000 to 370999   1967
    380000 to 385309   1966
    

1958 LG-0 introduction specs:

14 1/8" wide Mahogany top, mahogany back and sides, straight ladder bracing, black bridge pins, screw-on black pickguard, tortoise binding on top and back, 3 on-a-plate tuners, rectangle rosewood bridge, rosewood fingerboard, 20 frets total, 3-on-a-plate tuners, natural finish. Bridge pad was spruce, which unfortunately would wear out from the string's ball-ends.
In 1962 plastic bridge used. $85 list price.
In 1963 an injection molded styrene pickguard was used.
In 1966 rosewood bridge with adjustable saddle was used.
In 1968 spruce top on some models.
In 1974 discontinued.

 

Edited January 3, 2021 by Dave F

[cLynch]

1 hour ago, Dave F said:

 looks like an LG -0 , s/n says '61 or '65, the 1 at the end looks out of place. The bridge looks plastic (maybe it's not) which would be '62 or later so my guess is a '65

From website

http://www.guitarhq.com/gibson.html#serial

 

 

Gibson Serial Numbers, Feb 1961 to 1970.

• • All models, stamped in back top of peghead. No "MADE IN USA" stamp below serial number! Note many serial numbers are duplicated from 1963-1969. In these cases, to figure out which is the exact year for a guitar, see the General Specs section for more details. ALSO note: It is easy to confuse 5 digit and 6 digit serial numbers from this era, and hence get the wrong year for a guitar. That is, 55555 is not the same number as 555555 (but when reading the number off the back of a Gibson peghead, these two numbers do look very similar!)

    
    Range              Year
    -----              ----
    0100   to 42440    1961
    42441  to 61180    1962
    61450  to 64222    1963
    64240  to 71040    1964
    71041  to 96600    1962, a few from 1963/1964
    96601  to 99999    1963
    000001 to 099999   1967  (all 6 digit numbers 
                              starting with "0" are 1967)
    100000 to 106099   1963 or 1967
    106100 to 106899   1963
    109000 to 109999   1963 or 1967
    110000 to 111549   1963
    111550 to 115799   1963 or 1967
    115800 to 118299   1963
    118300 to 120999   1963 or 1967
    121000 to 139999   1963
    140000 to 140100   1963 or 1967

  • 
    348093 to 349100   1966
    349121 to 368638   1965
    368640 to 369890   1966
    370000 to 370999   1967
    380000 to 385309   1966
    

1958 LG-0 introduction specs:

14 1/8" wide Mahogany top, mahogany back and sides, straight ladder bracing, black bridge pins, screw-on black pickguard, tortoise binding on top and back, 3 on-a-plate tuners, rectangle rosewood bridge, rosewood fingerboard, 20 frets total, 3-on-a-plate tuners, natural finish. Bridge pad was spruce, which unfortunately would wear out from the string's ball-ends.
In 1962 plastic bridge used. $85 list price.
In 1963 an injection molded styrene pickguard was used.
In 1966 rosewood bridge with adjustable saddle was used.
In 1968 spruce top on some models.
In 1974 discontinued.

 

ok awesome thanks a ton for the help!  

[j45nick]

1965.  The last digit 1 is just a mechanical misalignment of one of the wheels of the stamping device.

Tuners look to have been replaced. It looks like a plastic bridge.

[pohatu771]

1 hour ago, j45nick said:

Tuners look to have been replaced. It looks like a plastic bridge.

Those are stock tuners on an LG-0 of that era. Made in Japan. I removed them from my 1965 when I got it about 13 years ago.

StewMac's Golden Age Restoration Tuners (either three-on-a-plate version) will fit the holes and spacing, but need new screw holes. Their Vintage-style (closed back, white button Kluson-style) will also fit and are a perfect match for my 1964 Epiphone Cortez.

Edited January 3, 2021 by pohatu771
Called my guitar by the wrong name

[j45nick]

23 minutes ago, pohatu771 said:

Those are stock tuners on an LG-0 of that era. Made in Japan. I removed them from my 1965 when I got it about 13 years ago.

StewMac's Golden Age Restoration Tuners (either three-on-a-plate version) will fit the holes and spacing, but need new screw holes. Their Vintage-style (closed back, white button Kluson-style) will also fit and are a perfect match for my 1964 Epiphone Caballero.

Thanks for the clarification on the tuners.

Did your '65 also have the screw-on pickguard, like this one?

[pohatu771]

29 minutes ago, j45nick said:

Thanks for the clarification on the tuners.

Did your '65 also have the screw-on pickguard, like this one?

Yes, my LG-0 has a screwed on pickguard. I believe they switched to that in 1963 and kept it through the rest of the (official) LG-0's production. (It was officially discontinued in 1968, but a few were made as late as 1974 with regular adhesive pickguards.) The B-15 that replaced it had the same pickguard for a while and then switched back to a traditional style.

The Epiphone Caballero (introduced in 1964 but produced beginning the end of 1963) has the same pickguard with the addition of a foil Epiphone logo.

[I mis-typed earlier; I own an Epiphone Cortez, not Caballero]

Edited January 3, 2021 by pohatu771

[zombywoof]

57 minutes ago, pohatu771 said:

Yes, my LG-0 has a screwed on pickguard. I believe they switched to that in 1963 and kept it through the rest of the (official) LG-0's production. (It was officially discontinued in 1968, but a few were made as late as 1974 with regular adhesive pickguards.) The B-15 that replaced it had the same pickguard for a while and then switched back to a traditional style.

The Epiphone Caballero (introduced in 1964 but produced beginning the end of 1963) has the same pickguard with the addition of a foil Epiphone logo.

[I mis-typed earlier; I own an Epiphone Cortez, not Caballero]

 

The LG-0 had a screwed on pickguard from the first year of manufacture in 1958 on.  Gibson did change the shape of the pickguard somewhere along the way though.  The Caballero was also first introduced in 1958 as was the Cortez (although I  never run across a Cortez older than 1959).  These early versions had the metal bikini logo and  often the old style Epi metal TRC which may well have been leftover parts.  

[JoeRickard1]

I have a Gibson Acoustic Guitar.   It looks like a LG-0 with 5 digit serial number 78659.   Any thoughts on year?   Various Searches have me thinking somewhere from 1962 to 1968.  

[jeanne]

i have a lgo that i bought used in 1966? there about. the serial # 301391. can anyone date this guitar? also it's kind of beat up, should i get it refinished?

 

[Phil OKeefe]

Hi Jeanne. Welcome to the forums!

I am not certain, but if I had to guesstimate, I'd say that your guitar was probably made not too long before you purchased it. I'd estimate 1965 or thereabout, but you really should give Gibson Customer Service a call and ask if they can narrow down the exact year it was built. It might help to take some good, detailed photos of it (front and back) in case they need to have a look and want you to email those to them to assist with the authentication and identification. 

You can reach customer service at: 1 (800) 444-2766

As far as having your guitar refinished, that is entirely up to you, but please be aware that normally any kind of refinishing work tends to detract from a vintage guitar's price as opposed to making it more valuable. It would really have to be in very poor condition before that value proposition reverses and a refinish would add value rather than detract from it, and usually, the better option is to have any needed repair and restoration work done to make the most of the guitar from a playability standpoint as opposed to doing a full refinishing job, which is only going to improve its cosmetics, but again, negatively impact its appeal to vintage guitar buyers. 

Having said all of that, the LG-0 wasn't a super-high end model, and they tend to sell in the neighborhood of $1,000-$2,000, depending on year and overall condition. You can always check recent listings and completed auctions on ebay and at Reverb.com to see what similar guitars are going for.