Identifying 1976... ?? Help.

MrNick · June 13, 2017

Hi Guys! Was able to finally get accepted as a member on the site after attempting a few times

to fill out the form, but getting hung up on the site not allowing it to go through.

I had a question for all the experts at identifying the Les Pauls. I'm trying to pin down exactly

which Les Paul I have... fairly sure it's a 1976 (95% sure). Can anyone tell me a bit more about what

you see, and if it looks like it's original (like I was told it was). Serial number starts with 06624..

Thanks so much. ;o) Hopefully someone will be able to tell me exactly which model it is. I haven't

seen this paintwork on a '76. Also it doesn't say custom on it anywhere.

Thanks again! ;o)

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rct · June 13, 2017

A big blocky fret marker at #1 will make it a custom, otherwise not. It certainly could be a 76, I remember them well, the paint will have oranged a bit over time if in the sun some, so that's possible. Serial number will tell you everything really.

rct

MrNick · June 13, 2017

The serial number starts with the 006624.. I'd love to post a few

more photos... but am limited to my uploads being under 500K.

How can I post more than one photo? I'm a new member... so only

allowed 1-2 photos at first? Is that how it works.? ;o)

rct · June 13, 2017

There's a sticky in Forum Feedback, how to post pictures. I use photobucket, some use Phlicker or whatever. Use a third site to link to, not upload.

rct

Eracer_Team · June 14, 2017

create a photobucket.com account, upload your pictures there and then you'll only need to post the IMG URL here

L5Larry · June 14, 2017

The guitar looks to be a "Standard", not a Custom, and with that flame-top, it also does NOT look like anything I ever saw in 1976, or from that era. I never saw anything but plain-tops during that time.

A set of detailed photos, including the back of the full headstock, and a closeup or the serial number area, should tell the tale.

pippy · June 14, 2017

...I'm trying to pin down exactly which Les Paul I have... fairly sure it's a 1976 (95% sure).
...I haven't seen this paintwork on a '76. Also it doesn't say custom on it anywhere...

...The serial number starts with the 00.. then 66. I'd love to post a few more photos...

Hi and welcome to the forum.

The easy bit first; it doesn't say Custom on it because its inlays are those of a Les Paul Standard

Now the trickier bit...

A serial number starting 00 could indicate '76 (depending on the rest of the number!) but, like Larry, I have to say I've never seen a '76 anything like yours. For one thing its 'horn' appears to be the wrong shape for a '76. In this period the LPs horn had a slightly more 'pointy' outline. Secondly it doesn't have a screw-hole for a pick-guard and whilst this seems a small detail I've never heard of any LP Standard from the mid '70s which didn't come with a p'g fitted. Additionally some of the fitments - if original - don't tie-in comfortably with that date. The knobs, for example, are definitely not correct for the period you mention; mirror-top hat-box were the knobs of the day in '76.

We really do need to have quite a bit more info to say anything with absolute certainty.

As Larry has already mentioned some detailed pictures of the front and rear of the peghead would be very informative.

The serial numbers on the volume and tone potentiometers might also be useful to know.

Posting pictures requires a host site such as photobucket. You should be able to post quite a few. The current look of the photobucket site is slightly different from that seen here but the info in this link is still applicable;

http://forum.gibson....to-post-photos/

Looking forward to seeing the snaps!

Pip.

June 14, 2017

Given its features I think we need 1 more digit of the serial. My guess it was made on the 66th day of 2001/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9 depending on that missing number. Of course, we really need the whole serial, or at least the total number of digits before we can say for sure but I think it's much later than 76. Which would be good, of course, in terms of desirability and value.

pippy · June 14, 2017

Given its features I think...it was made (in) 2001/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9......it's much later than 76.

Yup. I concur.

In all likelihood it's some 25-30 years younger than the OP believes it to be.

Pip.

charlie brown · June 14, 2017

For comparison, my authentic '76 LP Deluxe. Same body, as the "Standard," of that time, in every detail, but with "mini-humbuckers!"

3-piece "plain" top, more pointed horn, etc. The neck has the Norlin era Volute, and decal serial number, at top back,

of the headstock. Sorry, I don't have photos of that, but it's there! I changed (but kept) the stock Kluson double ring

machine heads, for Grover's, around 2003. Mine seems to have a smaller (narrower) headstock, than most "Norlin" era LP's.

Why(?), I have NO idea, as I bought it "used," in about '78. So, it either came that way, or the original owner may have

had it "narrowed," for whatever reason? It was a detail, I hadn't noticed, or paid any attention to,

as I was blissfully unaware of those changes, at the time I bought it. That detail was pointed out to

me, years later, by a luthier, I met.

It also, as was typical of that era (and other's) has the wider binding, between

the horn and neck. It also has a 2-piece (pancake) mahogany body, as was typical of that era.

Everything, that LP "Purists" disdain, but it's a Great guitar, and I LOVE it! :D

Cheers,

CB

June 16, 2017

Hi Guys! Was able to finally get accepted as a member on the site after attempting a few times

to fill out the form, but getting hung up on the site not allowing it to go through.

I had a question for all the experts at identifying the Les Pauls. I'm trying to pin down exactly

which Les Paul I have... fairly sure it's a 1976 (95% sure). Can anyone tell me a bit more about what

you see, and if it looks like it's original (like I was told it was). Serial number starts with 06624..

Thanks so much. ;o) Hopefully someone will be able to tell me exactly which model it is. I haven't

seen this paintwork on a '76. Also it doesn't say custom on it anywhere.

Thanks again! ;o)

Fixed it. Click on quote to see my post and you'll know how to embed an image.

I haven't seen the pics as I post this so no comment on those yet.

pippy · June 16, 2017

OK.

Looking at the peghead detail, the fret-end treatment and the plate inside the wiring area It's pretty obviously NOT a '76 - nothing like one - and is clearly a recently made guitar. Can't you simply just tell us what the serial number is? It will save us all an awful lot of time...

FWIW an eight digit serial in the format 06624XXX dates to October 23rd. 2004.

This date ties-in with the details seen on your guitar.

Pip.

June 16, 2017

Wouldn't let me post them all...

June 16, 2017

Hang on. You've changed what you said about the serial. Didn't we have 0062 before? Now we have only one 0?

If it's 00624 it was stamped on 2 march 2004 (caveat, the serial looks like 00624***?).

If not then we need the serial number in full to think any further.

I'm pretty confident it's genuine and a 2004 would be more desirable to many than a 76.

pippy · June 16, 2017

Hang on. You've changed what you said about the serial. Didn't we have 0062 before? Now we have only one 0?

Yes.

The 00662 number was changed in post #1 but is still there (at the moment!) in post #3. The original quote is also in my reply in post #7.

I spotted the swap in the OP just as I was about to type my reply in post #12.

Pip.

June 16, 2017

FWIW an eight digit serial in the format 06624XXX dates to 2004.

This date ties-in with the details seen on your guitar.

Pip.

Not really. Not unless it was stamped on the 662nd day of the year. I think it must be 00624. We had 00 when the thread was new but it's been edited.

June 16, 2017

Ah, we're cross posting. Anyway. That seems as clear as mud so let's await confirmation of the serial.

June 16, 2017

The serial number starts with the 006624.. I'd love to post a few

more photos... but am limited to my uploads being under 500K.

How can I post more than one photo? I'm a new member... so only

allowed 1-2 photos at first? Is that how it works.? ;o)

Wow, this is becoming a merry-go-round.

006624**(*)

Would make it 7 march 2002. I can tell you my 2002 standard didn't have a metal plate in the cavity.

@mrnick.. Perhaps we could make the thread linear, with posts in chronological order. It's very confusing when earlier posts are edited each time.

pippy · June 16, 2017

Not really. Not unless it was stamped on the 662nd day of the year. I think it must be 00624. We had 00 when the thread was new but it's been edited.

My Bad, Farns. I was taking the edited single-zero serial (06624XXX) as a starting point which, as you point out, doesn't compute...

If it's an eight-digit serial starting 006624XX then, taking first and fifth digits (and 66th day) then it dates to March 7th., 2002.

Carry On!

Pip.

EDIT : Cross posting again........

JAF · June 16, 2017

Why not post the whole serial? Are you worried it is a stolen guitar?

June 16, 2017

My Bad, Farns. I was taking the edited single-zero serial (06624XXX) as a starting point which, as you point out, doesn't compute...

If it's an eight-digit serial starting 006624XX then, taking first and fifth digits (and 66th day) then it dates to March 7th., 2002.

Carry On!

Pip.

Ha, beat you to it this time.

pippy · June 16, 2017

Well, it's my ball and I'm Going Home!...

Pip.

MrNick · June 23, 2017

My Bad, Farns. I was taking the edited single-zero serial (06624XXX) as a starting point which, as you point out, doesn't compute...

If it's an eight-digit serial starting 006624XX then, taking first and fifth digits (and 66th day) then it dates to March 7th., 2002.

Carry On!

Pip.

EDIT : Cross posting again........

Awesome! Thanks for that info... just got back from being in Lake Tahoe for a week. Wanted to check on the site to answer

back, but didn't have my password and login info. to post. The year makes a bit more sense now. Thanks so much. ;o)

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Identifying 1976... ?? Help.

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