CrunchyFr0g Posted February 4, 2020 Share Posted February 4, 2020 Hi I have a guitar claimed to be a 1949 J-50. It has the modern Gibson logo on the headstock. The serial number is on the heel of the neck, inside the body. It's 5526 (then a long space) 5 Looking this up there seems to be confusion about what that might indicate. Anyone know if this is likely 1949 or if not, what date? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted February 5, 2020 Share Posted February 5, 2020 That would seem to be a FON (factory order number). Generally, a four-digit number followed by one digit, suggests a date range from 1942 to 1952, and since yours has the modern Gibson headstock logo, that would narrow it down to 1948 to 1952. The listings I refer to (http://www.guitarhq.com/gibson.html#serial) point to 1950 as the year that corresponds with your number. Photos of your guitar might help to confirm this. Year Factory Order Number ---- -------------------- 1941 G (letter code sometimes seen after FON, i.e. 2586G). 1942 907, 910, 923, 2004, 2005, 7000ish (i.e. 7119) - all 'Banner' logo. 1942 H (letter code sometimes seen after FON, i.e. 7116H). Range 5xxxH to 8xxxH 1943 Range generally 9xx to 22xx, depending on the model. 1944 Range generally 22xx to 29XX, depending on the model, some with no FON. 1945 1xx to 10xx, but many with no FON. 1946 n/a ('Banner' logo no longer used, now script logo with no banner). 1947 700s to 1000s 1948 1100s to 3700s ('Script' logo no longer used, block logo used.) 1949 2000s 1950 3000s to 5000s 1951 6000s to 9000s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrunchyFr0g Posted February 5, 2020 Author Share Posted February 5, 2020 Thanks very much! It sounds like it probably is indeed 1949. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 23 hours ago, CrunchyFr0g said: Thanks very much! It sounds like it probably is indeed 1949. ??? No, your number suggests 1950. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrunchyFr0g Posted February 6, 2020 Author Share Posted February 6, 2020 Ah yes 5526 - 3000's to 5000's. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 8, 2020 Share Posted February 8, 2020 (edited) Like everyone says, almost certainly 1950. Post a picture if you can. Visual details sometimes help if there is any ambiguity. I have two J-45's from earlier in the same year. 1949, 1950, and 1951 J-45/50 models are generally identical in details in those three years, and basically have the same value if they are in similar condition. Edited February 8, 2020 by j45nick further information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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