AdamD213

[AdamD213]

Can anybody help me in identifying this Gibson guitar that I got at a yard sale? Not sure if it’s a knock off or worth 1 million bucks, it’s a nice guitar and sounds great. Not having much luck finding the serial numbers online.  I took a pic below the numbers are U370 10 and it says LG1 on the middle when you look directly into the soundhole. 

[egoidealmusic]

Looks like a 1957 and from the pics in pretty good shape (can't really tell from the limited pictures).  Not worth a million bucks, but definitely a sweet looking guitar!

[slimt]

Nice. I like it.  

[AdamD213]

Awesome. Thanks for the replies ! 

[slimt]

Reverb is a good place to get a idea on value.  It will give you a idea anyways.    Keep in mind yours has not been  looked at to see what if any issues may be on it.    
 

 

[QuestionMark]

It is indeed an LG1 based on the stamping in the sound hole. Looks to be in really good shape.  It appears to have an adjustable bridge when I magnify the photo.  When you further research to guitars, finding the years that a LG1 had an adjustable bridge would be a way to narrow down the possible year it was made.   The serial number appears to be the Factory Order Number (FON)  on the inside of the guitar on the neck block.    (Usually serial numbers are in the back of the headstock, but some guitars have FONs instead, such as yours.  The ladder braced LG1 was in a series that included the LG2 (that was X braced) and the LG3 that was natural colored and X braced.  As the numbering increased, so did the price.  At some point there was also a lower model LG0 that had a solid mahogany top rather than the LG1,2, and 3’s solid spruce top.   The LG2 has in recent times been reissued from different time periods as the X braced sunburst version has brine the iconic version.   Resale -wide ,the LG1 fetches a lower price than the LG2 or 3 as their X bracing has greater wider appeal as X bracing has become much more the norm in guitars. although some prefer the slightly different ladder braced sound.

  I have a 1965 LG1 in my collection.  Mine has the same pickguard, a replacement bridge because guitars from the year of mine had a plastic bridge that most replaced because they broke or before they broke, plus mine is more of a faded cherry sunburst rather than the typical tobacco colored sunburst that most LG1s are.  I bought mine  used in 1990 and with age it has opened up and become much louder and fuller sounding  it used to be.

You might want to call George Gruhn’s vintage guitar store in Nashville to inquire if they can identify the year your LG1 was made from the FON as well as give you a general ball park figure if it’s value without having them fully appraise it.  They readily usually share info on the phone.

Your guitar is a keeper.

QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

[zombywoof]

Not a whole lot of mystery here.  Everything you need to know is staring you right in the kisser.  If only all old Gibsons were this easy to get a handle on what a wonderful world it would be.

Edited May 1, 2022 by zombywoof

[Dave F]

As woof says, it's staring you in the face

A couple years ago you would be lucky to get $1000

Prices have been higher since the pandemic

Reverb selling history

 

4/25/2022	Excellent	$3,099.99
04/23/2022	Good	$1,275
04/15/2022	Very Good	$2,149
04/12/2022	Very Good	$2,400
04/08/2022	Excellent	$2,995

4/04/2022	Good	$1,400
04/02/2022	Excellent	$3,271.63
03/30/2022	Very Good	$2,525
03/29/2022	Excellent	$2,050
03/29/2022	Very Good	$1,589

3/22/2022	Very Good	$1,950
03/18/2022	Good	$1,500
03/17/2022	Good	$1,773.38
03/17/2022	Fair	$1,299
03/16/2022	Good	$2,195

 

http://www.guitarhq.com/gibson.html#serial

• • Factory Order Numbers with a Letter, 1952 to 1961.
    This letter preceeds the batch number within the Factory Order Number (FON), and denotes the year of manufacturer. Remember, the batch number is the first 4 digits of the FON, followed by a 1 or 2 digit sequence number (within the batch). This letter should be before the FON batch number. This was used on archtop models (ink stamped inside treble F-hole) and on flat top models (ink stamped on the neck block), from 1952 to 1961:

• Year    Letter
  ----    ------
  1952    Z
  1953    Y
  1954    X
  1955    W
  1956    V
  1957    U
  1958    T
  1959    S
  1960    R
  1961    Q
  

[dhanners623]

Great-looking guitar but, yeah, you should have a qualified repair person examine it to see if there are any issues that need to be addressed.

Not to be nosy, but what did this yard-sale find set you back?

[fortyearspickn]

Also wondering if this beauty had a case?    Yeah, it’s a ladder braced guitar.  So many feel it’s less desirable than the X braced ones.  But it has a unique sound and ladder braced are as scarce as hens teeth.  They’ve been appreciating faster then the overall market way before the current  economic funny business. 

[AdamD213]

Thanks for the replies everyone ! I had a couple local shops look at it, and it seems according to the U in the serial number, its a ‘57 LG1 in damn near mint condition !!!  Came with an original alligator case too.  (although the top cover came off after just opening a couple times).   
 

AND THE YARD SALE FIND OF A LIFETIME AWARD GOES TOOOOOO……… 

[egoidealmusic]

That's great, Adam.  Curious minds still want to know what you paid for this beauty at the yard sale!

[AdamD213]

Well, I didn’t want to brag, but I should mention that i got a vintage univox tube amp as well………Ok so the grand total for both……. $110 dollars. Yeah. 
 

Literally, i got dragged to this sale by the wife and as i was sitting in the car impatiently, i spotted a guitar world for $1 and said “ooh a guitar world “ and when the homeowner heard me she asked if i played, i said yes so she then sent her 20something son in to fetch the old guitar in the closet. I opened it up seen the Gibson. I told her I was broke, she said she would was going to sell it for 150, but she’ll give it to me for 100 and throw in the amp for 10. And wouldn’t take no for an answer. TRUE STORY…….    
 

heres a couple more pics 

[egoidealmusic]

Well, I'd say you did pretty damn well on that one!  And a nice looking amp, too!

[fortyearspickn]

A true Closet Queen - looks brand new !   But with that original cardboard case - I had one -   you don't  know how well it was protected from extremes in temperature and/or humidity in its 65 year life.  Like Dhanner wrote - I'd get an expert to look at it at some point. I assume the shops at least confirmed the neck is OK.  No crazing, if they say it's in near mint condition.  It would appear the value is on the upper end of the 'excellent' examples in DaveF's list.  Reminiscent of stories on the "Antique Roadshow" show.  Congrats !! 

 

[dhanners623]

Well, that was quite a find. Were it me, though, I’d have a few pangs of guilt knowing I’d gotten something for a fraction of its value from a seller who was unaware of what it might be worth.

Even on “American Pickers,” Mike and Frank will tell a would-be seller that the price they put on an item is too low….

Edited May 4, 2022 by dhanners623

[j45nick]

22 minutes ago, dhanners623 said:

Well, that was quite a find. Were it me, though, I’d have a few pangs of guilt knowing I’d gotten something for a fraction of its value from a seller who was unaware of what it might be worth.

Even on “American Pickers,” Mike and Frank will tell a seller that the price they put on an item is too low….

The OP had no idea what it was worth. It's not really fair to criticize him for taking the deal offered.

[dhanners623]

30 minutes ago, j45nick said:

The OP had no idea what it was worth. It's not really fair to criticize him for taking the deal offered.

Don’t know that I was criticizing the OP. Just said I would have pangs of guilt.

That said, a prospective buyer at the yard sale could pull out their smartphone, go to Reverb.com, type “LG-1” into the search bar and see what the ballpark prices are. The OP knew he was getting a steal of some sort; he just didn’t know how big. Of course the argument could be made the seller could’ve done that, too, but she didn’t sound guitar-savvy.

[fortyearspickn]

5 minutes ago, dhanners623 said:

Don’t know that I was criticizing the OP. Just said I would have pangs of guilt.

That said, a prospective buyer at the yard sale could pull out their smartphone, go to Reverb.com, type “LG-1” into the search bar and see what the ballpark prices are. The OP knew he was getting a steal of some sort; he just didn’t know how big. Of course the argument could be made the seller could’ve done that, too, but she didn’t sound guitar-savvy.

Agree -  I was raised to feel guilty about things like this!  The key, as you pointed out,  is he didn't know the value  at the time.   If I were me,  and if the sellers looked like they were not well off (whatever that means today)  considering they weren't planning on selling it, but thought they were doing the buyer a good turn -   I'd consider going back and giving them another $100 because you later found out it was worth more.  You'd still be over $2K  to the good and you doubled what it was worth to them.