Need help identifying ES

[baritx62 0]

I have what I think is an ES-125, but I can't figure out the year. The FON is '4959 10'. The scale is 24.75. Cna anyone help me determine the year this one was made?

 

Many thanks...

[ksdaddy 549]

Based on the Factory Order Number it might be a 1950. Pics would help though, because it could be anything. Could be an ES-150, ES-300, an L-48 with a pickup, nobody knows just from the FON.

[baritx62 0]

Here is a pic.

[baritx62 0]

Sorry. Attachments didn't work.

Body.bmp

headstock.bmp

Neck.bmp

[ksdaddy 549]

It's an L-50 that someone added a pickup to.

 

L-50:

[baritx62 0]

How can you tell the difference? The ES-125 looks exactly the same...at least to an amateur like me.

[baritx62 0]

Thanks, FZ. We looked in the f-holes and all we saw was the FON.

[ksdaddy 549]

How can you tell the difference? The ES-125 looks exactly the same...at least to an amateur like me.

 

Fair question. Some things are more obvious than others. They are both 16" wide Gibsons. The L-50 is an acoustic guitar with a spruce top. I don't know if it is a CARVED spruce top (as opposed to pressed) but it is solid spruce nonetheless. The sides and back are usually solid maple as opposed to laminated. I'm sure there were exceptions, as the only think consistent about Gibson is inconsistency. The L-50 has binding on the neck and after WWII, they had trapezoid inlays. The ES-125 has a body that is made of laminated maple, top, sides and back. The fingerboard had no binding and it has dot inlays.

 

As stated, there were exceptions, such as an early variation called the ES-135 which had trapezoid inlays.

 

Yours also has a multi layered pickguard (L-50) where the ES-125 would be just one thin layer. Those can be swapped out easily of course, but I'm assuming it's original.

 

Here is a 125:

 

[merciful-evans 953]

kudos ksdaddy.

[baritx62 0]

Many thanks, ksdaddy.