ETG-150: How to date.

[pawlowski6132]

So, I've recently purchased an ETG-150. The owner claimed it was a 1954 model. I was skeptical but bought it anyways because I'm 80% player, 20% collector and I wanted it.

The purponderance of the evidence suggests it is a 1970 or 1971 model. There are, however, a few other facts that I can't reconcile. I hope someone can weigh in.

Supporting 1970/71

• Serial number! 107550. According to THIS site, it's either '70 or '71 (last year of production). 
• It's in IMMACULATE condition. Or, consistent with something of this era in regards to amount of checking (maybe 20% of surface).
• No FON in body. Only ETG150 stamp. I've seen some pictures of '40s/'50s and they had an FON stamp in the body.

Supporting 1954

• The above website used to date by serial number assumes the "Made in USA" also stamped on the headstock. This instrument does NOT have that. 
• Claims to have had an ex-Gibson employee setup and date it (pots?). This guitar apparently spent it's life in Kalamazoo which is where I picked it up. 
• Comes with a case consistent with that era (obviously, it could have been put in a Martin branded case but, that wouldn't mean it's possibly a Martin)
• I have read, in multiple instances, where tenor guitars didn't follow the same serial numbering convention as 6 string guitars and thus, trying to date using serial number decoders used for 6 string guitars wasn't reliable.

Anywho, my gut tells me it's from the 1970/71 era.

Does anyone have any other reliable way (parts, tuners, etc.) to date something like this?

 

thanx

[JimR56]

You've researched it quite well (although I always try to refer people to this site for reference with models and dating: http://www.guitarhq.com/gibson.html#serial), and I tend to think that your gut feeling is correct.  It might of course be helpful if you could post some photos of the instrument.  Pot codes are indeed often useful in these types of situations, but they can sometimes be difficult to access. 

[pawlowski6132]

Here's some pix.

 

[pawlowski6132]

OK, I guess rest of the files are too big. HERE's a link to an album I put them in on Google Phots.

 

 

[JimR56]

Thanks for the photos.  Beautiful specimen!  

I think there are a couple of things that point to the later production date.  First, that guitar looks completely unmolested, and I think it's pretty safe to assume that it's all original.  With that in mind, that "reflector cap" style of vol and tone knob did not yet exist in 1954, and although they had been replaced by a different knob design on many models by 1967, I've seen them on ETG-150's into the latter 60's.  I don't know why that is, but as you noted, tenor guitars kind of march to their own drum, and that's what I've observed (here's a 1969 example I found online: https://www.creamcitymusic.com/vintage-1969-gibson-etg-150-tenor-archtop-electric-guitar-sunburst-finish/).   Also, I think that the tuner buttons might have yellowed far more (or disintegrated) on a 1954 example, and you would very likely have more checking in the finish on a 50's example.  These may be sort of circumstantial factors, but taken together I think they are fairly good evidence.