pawlowski6132 Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 So, I have an L7 (I assume it's an L7) that has an internal label w/o any information. It's blank. At first I thought someone, at some point, erased the serial number (something scandalous??) but, it looks like all three lines where someone would have typically written Model, Serial Number, Type are all blank. Anywho, is there another reference on the guitar (maybe internal) that has a serial number so I can date this? Thanx much in advance Wondering in Detroit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted September 29, 2020 Share Posted September 29, 2020 Pictures would be helpful. There are different variations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 (edited) As far as I know with an archtop the label will be all that is at least visible. But as Slimt noted, features will help you verify the model and narrow down the build period. A good place to start is with the label itself. Even if it is blank the color, wording, style and such provides clues. Edited October 1, 2020 by zombywoof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 On 10/1/2020 at 10:44 AM, zombywoof said: As far as I know with an archtop the label will be all that is at least visible. But as Slimt noted, features will help you verify the model and narrow down the build period. A good place to start is with the label itself. Even if it is blank the color, wording, style and such provides clues. For example, the white oval labels start in early 1947. Photos of the guitar and a close-up of the headstock will help quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pawlowski6132 Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 Sorry I missed your replies. Here are some images. My guess is it's '45 L7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pawlowski6132 Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pawlowski6132 Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 I assume it's an L7 (vs L4 or L5)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 35 minutes ago, pawlowski6132 said: I assume it's an L7 (vs L4 or L5)? It looks exactly like my 1947 L-7, except for the non-original tuners and possibly a replaced pickguard. Originally, there were no screws through the top of the guard. There were thin celluloid blocks glued to the underside of the guard, and the fastenings went through those into the side of the neck and the body bracket. It's a shame there is no serial number on the label, which would nail down the date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pawlowski6132 Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 58 minutes ago, j45nick said: It looks exactly like my 1947 L-7, except for the non-original tuners and possibly a replaced pickguard. Originally, there were no screws through the top of the guard. There were thin celluloid blocks glued to the underside of the guard, and the fastenings went through those into the side of the neck and the body bracket. It's a shame there is no serial number on the label, which would nail down the date. Ah, good eye. Yes, the tuners were changed to the grover butter bean style tuners. They actually look and work pretty good on this guitar. I hadn't considered the pick card. Any thoughts on why the label would be completely blank? As anyone ever seen this before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 I went back and double-checked the headstock logo. Yours is slightly different from mine, which is on a slant rather than horizontal. Mine is still the script logo, which changed to the block logo on the L-7 later in 1947, judging from several L-7s I looked at when searching to buy one. Mine can be dated definitively to about May/June 1947 because of the early A-prefix serial number. Your logo may mean the guitar is a little earlier than mine. The label in mine is ink-stamped L-7, GUITAR, and A-235 on the lines that are blank on your label. It is possible earlier labels might have been hand-written rather than stamped, and the ink or pencil may have faded. The oval label itself goes back well before 1947, contrary to my earlier statement. I assume you've measured the width of the guitar across the lower bout to verify that it is a 17" (432 mm) body width. The perspective on your photo makes the guitar look a bit narrower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pawlowski6132 Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 10 minutes ago, j45nick said: I went back and double-checked the headstock logo. Yours is slightly different from mine, which is on a slant rather than horizontal. Mine is still the script logo, which changed to the block logo on the L-7 later in 1947, judging from several L-7s I looked at when searching to buy one. Mine can be dated definitively to about May/June 1947 because of the early A-prefix serial number. Your logo may mean the guitar is a little earlier than mine. The label in mine is ink-stamped L-7, GUITAR, and A-235 on the lines that are blank on your label. It is possible earlier labels might have been hand-written rather than stamped, and the ink or pencil may have faded. The oval label itself goes back well before 1947, contrary to my earlier statement. I assume you've measured the width of the guitar across the lower bout to verify that it is a 17" (432 mm) body width. The perspective on your photo makes the guitar look a bit narrower. Yup, 17". So, we've narrowed it down to pre-1947 due to logo being horizontal (on mine) vs angled (on yours). Thanx much! Curious, what strings have you narrowed it down to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 59 minutes ago, pawlowski6132 said: Yup, 17". So, we've narrowed it down to pre-1947 due to logo being horizontal (on mine) vs angled (on yours). Thanx much! Curious, what strings have you narrowed it down to? I sold this guitar a year or so ago, so strings are an open question you might want to pose in the "strings" thread in this forum. It is certainly a significant issue for archtops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callen616 Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 I have a Gibson L7 with serial number of A110 wondering how to fine the year of the guitar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 5 hours ago, callen616 said: I have a Gibson L7 with serial number of A110 wondering how to fine the year of the guitar? The first A-prefix serial number on a white oval label was A-100, issued for an L-7 on 4/28/1947. Your guitar may well have received its serial number on the same day, or shortly thereafter. Gibson serial numbers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 My L-5 is A187 and was entered into the shipping record...ledger...whatever you want to call it.. on May 13, 1947. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 (edited) 18 minutes ago, ksdaddy said: My L-5 is A187 and was entered into the shipping record...ledger...whatever you want to call it.. on May 13, 1947. So A 110 can be safely assumed to be "made" on or after April 28, 1947, and on or before May 13, 1947. "Late April or early May 1947" seems to be as definitive as we can get without access to the ledgers, but that's a pretty narrow two-week window in any case, especially in the world of Gibson serial numbers. If I had to bet, I would say between April 28 and May 2, 1947. Edited December 17, 2020 by j45nick added additional thought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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