BluesKing777 Posted June 3, 2023 Share Posted June 3, 2023 8 hours ago, oompahlumpa said: It is almost exactly 14.5" just under I would say. I do not see any markings on the inside of the neck block. My LG3 is 14 3/8” lower bout and my L-0 is 14 3/4”...... BluesKing777. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oompahlumpa Posted June 3, 2023 Author Share Posted June 3, 2023 2 hours ago, G Man said: If you just want them to look the part, the best option is probably these from StewMac, although they are not the greatest tuners made, but they do the job. https://www.stewmac.com/parts-and-hardware/tuning-machines/solid-peghead-guitar-tuning-machines/golden-age-restoration-tuners-for-solid-peghead-guitar-with-scallop-end These stewmac ones are pretty *****in! 3 hours ago, Dave F said: My guess would be '47-'51. As Wuff mentioned, nothing happened at the stroke of midnight. Here's some references from Reverb 1949 Gibson LG-3 W/OSSC | Reverb I would guess these were a newer upgrade especially with the metal buttons. Gibson LG-3 1942-1952 Natural | Reverb these are the open tuners mentioned earlier. Mom said that the guitar had tuners like these with the open gears but the knobs completely disintegrated over time and we had them replaced before my grampa died. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oompahlumpa Posted June 3, 2023 Author Share Posted June 3, 2023 3 minutes ago, BluesKing777 said: My LG3 is 14 3/8” lower bout and my L-0 is 14 3/4”...... BluesKing777. Too close... I have no idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted June 3, 2023 Share Posted June 3, 2023 Rings in the rosette - didn't the old LG-3 have like 5 or 7 rings? The guitar pictured has 3 ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 3, 2023 Share Posted June 3, 2023 (edited) The three-ply rosette is correct for a guitar built in the period being talked about. Too bad somebody back in the day went with new tuners instead of just swapping out the buttons. Replacing them is not terribly difficult although it does take a bit of time to be able to gauge how much to heat the posts so that when you put the new ones on you hear that "pop". If the guitar originally sported open gear tuners (which should have had the riveted cogs like those Dave F posted about) combined with the fact you see no evidence of an ink stamped FON, I would say you are looking at a 1947 build date. Just for grins you might want to measure the nut to see if it is 1 3/4" or 1 11/16" or, as we are talking about possibly a mid-1940s Gibson, at least thereabouts. Edited June 3, 2023 by zombywoof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted June 3, 2023 Share Posted June 3, 2023 20 hours ago, oompahlumpa said: ??? Absent a plastic bridge - introduced in 1963, the guitar would likely have been built before that year. But - the experts have narrowed it down to a gnat's .... whisker, for you ! Curious - do you think that being stored in an attic for decades may have caused any damage? The case looks like it's in great shape - the binding strips always fell off those cardboard faux alligator cases, I guess because the thread was sub-standard. Skinny plastic handles often gave too. But, those cases are less functional than a modern gig bag, so I'd not worry about it ! Still, I'd have someone look at the innards of the guitar to make sure it's not got any loose bracing. Nice 'closet queen' !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oompahlumpa Posted June 3, 2023 Author Share Posted June 3, 2023 1 hour ago, duluthdan said: Rings in the rosette - didn't the old LG-3 have like 5 or 7 rings? The guitar pictured has 3 ? What is the rosette? And how can you tell how many rings it has? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oompahlumpa Posted June 3, 2023 Author Share Posted June 3, 2023 8 minutes ago, fortyearspickn said: Absent a plastic bridge - introduced in 1963, the guitar would likely have been built before that year. But - the experts have narrowed it down to a gnat's .... whisker, for you ! Curious - do you think that being stored in an attic for decades may have caused any damage? The case looks like it's in great shape - the binding strips always fell off those cardboard faux alligator cases, I guess because the thread was sub-standard. Skinny plastic handles often gave too. But, those cases are less functional than a modern gig bag, so I'd not worry about it ! Still, I'd have someone look at the innards of the guitar to make sure it's not got any loose bracing. Nice 'closet queen' !! The case is absolutely falling apart. All the stitching is coming out but the case itself is still in tact minus coming apart at the seams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oompahlumpa Posted June 3, 2023 Author Share Posted June 3, 2023 9 minutes ago, fortyearspickn said: Absent a plastic bridge - introduced in 1963, the guitar would likely have been built before that year. But - the experts have narrowed it down to a gnat's .... whisker, for you ! Curious - do you think that being stored in an attic for decades may have caused any damage? The case looks like it's in great shape - the binding strips always fell off those cardboard faux alligator cases, I guess because the thread was sub-standard. Skinny plastic handles often gave too. But, those cases are less functional than a modern gig bag, so I'd not worry about it ! Still, I'd have someone look at the innards of the guitar to make sure it's not got any loose bracing. Nice 'closet queen' !! There is unfortunately some stress cracking on the back of the guitar as you can see in the photos below: https://photos.app.goo.gl/DU5U4bHLUKAh6GG89https://photos.app.goo.gl/i7iU9Jipeqv7zEXZA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted June 3, 2023 Share Posted June 3, 2023 1 hour ago, duluthdan said: Rings in the rosette - didn't the old LG-3 have like 5 or 7 rings? The guitar pictured has 3 ? I think that applied to the initial production in '42. The production for the LG1 and LG3 ceased during the war. When they resumed, the LG1 was ladder braced. The fancier trim may have disappeared too. Here's a picture of my '42 LG1's binding and rosette. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 3, 2023 Share Posted June 3, 2023 2 hours ago, Dave F said: I think that applied to the initial production in '42. The production for the LG1 and LG3 ceased during the war. When they resumed, the LG1 was ladder braced. The fancier trim may have disappeared too. Here's a picture of my '42 LG1's binding and rosette. My '42 J50 also has a seven-ply rosette. I want so say though the seven-ply rosette appears to have been a standard feature on 1942 Banners with the SJ and some J45s initially adding an outer narrow I think three-ply ring In 1943 though you started seeing J45s with three ply rosettes sometimes with even ply widths and other times with uneven width inlays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted June 4, 2023 Share Posted June 4, 2023 Too many rings will make you go cross-eyed... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted June 4, 2023 Share Posted June 4, 2023 2 hours ago, Murph said: Too many rings will make you go cross-eyed... And sometimes ONE ring will make you go broke! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 21 hours ago, DanvillRob said: And sometimes ONE ring will make you go broke! Good one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oompahlumpa Posted June 5, 2023 Author Share Posted June 5, 2023 How much do you think it's going to cost me to get the guitar into playable condition? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 14 minutes ago, oompahlumpa said: How much do you think it's going to cost me to get the guitar into playable condition? Depends on a few things. Find a good luthier and get it checked out. We cannot tell if the braces need glued, if the neck needs reset, if frets need dressed/replaced. Where are you located, maybe someone can recommend someone close to you. If it’s just the cracks on the back, cost will be minimal. A nice set of replacement tuners will be $50-$80. A vintage set of open geared tuners in good shape, about $200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 55 minutes ago, oompahlumpa said: How much do you think it's going to cost me to get the guitar into playable condition? Where are you located? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oompahlumpa Posted June 5, 2023 Author Share Posted June 5, 2023 11 minutes ago, DanvillRob said: Where are you located? South Texas, 45mins north of Houston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 7 minutes ago, oompahlumpa said: South Texas, 45mins north of Houston. Neil Sargent Guitar Repair Music Instrument Service, Musical Instruments 32 on Yelp 909 Thompson St, Houston, TX · (713) 869-2588 Marchione Guitars Guitar Store 1312 Willard St, Houston, TX · (713) 522-7221 Pace Guitar Repair Music Instrument Service, Musical Instruments · 1621.98mi Closed · 24 on Yelp 7702 Highmeadow Dr, Houston, TX · (713) 339-9000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 Maybe Tom Barnwell or Buc will chime in. They’re familiar with places around Texas. There’s a few more members that live down there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted June 9, 2023 Share Posted June 9, 2023 (edited) I checked my stash, and these are the open gear Klusons I have if you're interested in a set. Edited June 10, 2023 by Dave F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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