Serial #8

[Chris Evans]

Hi Guys,

I just picked up a Gibson, archtop, F-hole guitar. The guitar obviously has some age to it, and it was in really good condition, so I bought it.

I know nothing about this guitar, however. And what is really strange is that the serial number stamped into the headstock is just the single digit, "8".

I would like to find out a little more about this old beauty.

Would anyone have any clues?

Chris

 

[jdgm]

More info and pics needed.

Pics - sign up to a (free) image-sharing site (Imgur, Postimage, etc), upload your pics and use the 'direct link' code they provide - copy/paste it into your posts on here.  Would like to see pic of whole guitar, close up of headstock front with Gibson logo and back with the number.

There should be a label inside the guitar visible through one of the f-holes, with the model no. on it.

Best wishes.

Edited April 30, 2023 by jdgm

[Chris Evans]

Thanks for getting back.

I have looked and looked but can find no label inside the guitar.

I have uploaded three images to imgur: https://imgur.com/a/dik8VMQ

 

[SteveFord]

I would say that's a 2.

[Twang Gang]

I agree with Steve.  That is not a serial number on the back, it's a 2 which stands for Factory Second guitar.  One that didn't pass quality control for some reason and was sold to an employee for cost.  Doesn't mean there was anything major wrong with it, just didn't pass for some reason.  Looks to me like an early ES125 model maybe, probably from the late 50s or early 60s.  If you post over in the "Acoustic" or "ES" forums you'll probably find someone who can identify the model.  Depending on how it plays and sounds it might hold a pretty good value.

[Chris Evans]

I bet you're right about that! It does look more like a two.

[ksdaddy]

It’s an L-50, made sometime between 1948 and 1954 (roughly but pretty close). No surprise about the lack of serial number. There are ways to narrow it further but not to the exact year. Look inside the body, at the rims. Do you see strips of black cloth? Look at the profile of the headstock. Does the headstock taper in thickness or is it completely uniform? The presence of the black cloth would place it 1952 or earlier. Same for the tapered headstock. 

[Chris Evans]

Wow! I am impressed that anyone would have this level of knowledge.

There are strips of black cloth. The profile of the headstock does not taper in thickness, it is completely uniform.

[ksdaddy]

I did a little more digging and really didn't find anything as definitive as I had first thought.  I definitely read somewhere that the black cloth was stopped in 1952 but I can't find the source. As to the peghead, I have read that they went from tapered to straight on different models at different times, with no logic, as per normal Gibson. It might have something to do with using up old stock, who knows? I can say that yours is made absolutely no later than sometime in 1955 due to the fact it has 19 frets instead of 20.

Safe to call it "early 50s".

Take another peek inside the body and make sure there's no number on the headblock. There won't be a serial number but there might be a Factory Order Number.  Any number is a good number.