hotsaucio Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 My dad's girlfriend found this guitar among her ex husband's things. He died back in the 80s I think, and he lived in Boston, where this guitar was purchased. Does anybody know how I can identify how old it is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 (edited) Hi and welcome to the forum. Assuming everything is 'above board' it would appear to be a 1956 Les Paul Special in 'TV Yellow' finish. If it's genuinely an original '56 (and if the ex-owner died in the '80s there's no reason to doubt it) then get it verified and appraised by someone who really knows what they are on about as it will be worth a tidy sum. You could do some of the easiest groundwork yourself, if you wish, by checking out the codes stamped in to the potentiometer bodies of the volume and tone controls (the silver-colured metal housings inside the plastic covered cavity on the rear of the instrument - just in case you are new to this stuff). There will be a long-ish number (or two) which will look something like this; 137 56 28 Going from last group to first this will tell us that the potentiometer (not the guitar) was made in the 28th week of (19)56 and by the Chicago Telephone Supply (AKA CTS - Gibson's usual provider) whose stamp code is 137. This number (as an illustration) would mean that the guitar was crafted sometime after the 28th week...blah...blah...blah...but DOES give a general idea of age. Hope this helps. Absolutely GORGEOUS guitar, BTW. Philip. Edited February 26, 2020 by pippy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 Contact Gruhn Guitars in Nashville regarding their appraisal process. They can do appraisals based on photographs you send them, and their formal assessment will carry a lot of weight if you decide to sell it. That guitar potentially has some serious value, so do this properly and go straight to the best dealers. Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville is also highly respected. Carter previously worked for Gruhn. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotsaucio Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share Posted February 27, 2020 Thank you everyone for your help. This is going to be challenging because my dad lives in an extremely rural area of Canada, and he barely knows how to use a camera. I'll have to figure out a way to get this guitar here to the USA I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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