1951 LG-1 Headstock Question

[Dave R]

Greetings. Gibson LG-1. FON/Serial # 6262  12.

I recently acquired this guitar and although it has some wear from 70? Odd years of use, it plays and sounds awesome.

I am assuming, from the serial # that it is a 1951. It appears to be all original and the even colors and wear seems to bear this out.

In looking at pictures of other guitars of this vintage I see one obvious difference. This one has Made in the USA stamped into the back of the headstock. I am wondering if this means anything to anybody with more experience in vintage than me?

Any information or expertise on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

[62burst]

Welcome to the forum. The stamp just signifies that the guitar was built for export outside of the U.S. 

[Dave R]

Thank you for the prompt response. I DID purchase it in Canada so that makes sense.

One more question. It appears that this guitar was once owned and played by Edward Scissorhands. (Or Some dude with brass knuckles) Is there any way to clean that mess up a bit without losing the integrity of the instrument? I plan to replace the tuner buttons but the tuners themselves are doing great. Other than that, I don’t want to mess with it too much.

Again, any advice or comments would be appreciated. It is my first vintage guitar and I want to do it justice.

[egoidealmusic]

Personally, I'd polish and leave exactly as it is.  That's what they're supposed to end up looking like after being well played. 🙂 

[zombywoof]

My first Gibson 50-some-odd years ago was a 1950s LG1.  Never knew what year it was built as  such things were impossible to figure out back then so the best you could do was to narrow it down to a build period by features.

As to the scuffs and such there are a ton of sites out there with all kinds of advice as how to camouflage them.  Most say go with Meguires or something made to use on auto bodies.  Seems to make sense as Gibson was shooting PPG/Forbes lacquer which is the same stuff the auto builders were using.  But as I have never sweated the aesthetics, I have no wisdom to impart.

As a sidenote, 1950 is the year the "modern" Gibson Guitar Co. emerged following the expansion of the factory, a re-tooling (doing away with the existing mish-mash of tools, dies and fixtures) and re-organization of the workforce.  Their goal was not only to increase production but to lower scrap costs while too many guitars were not passing inspection.

[62burst]

A lot of people paying top dollar to have that sort of mojo imparted upon perfectly new guitars, and theirs is intentional. And rather fake. You've got yourself a guitar that you can just relax and enjoy playing. Most vintage guitars that have had scratches touched up still show the damage, but it's less graphic. Here's a video that might give you some ideas if you'd like to try (or have a pro try) to minimize the scratches on your LG:

https://www.stewmac.com/video-and-ideas/trade-secrets/mamie-minch-melting-scratches-off-a-vintage-guitar-finish/

Edited May 6 by 62burst

[Dave R]

Thanks guys. I am inclined to leave it as is. The scuffs don’t affect tone or playability so I’ll polish it up as nice as I can. Play it. And try to treat it a little nicer than the past. ( According to the daughter of the previous owner, there were many alcohol-infused campfire singalongs in its past)

[Dave F]

I had a '51 LG1. Nice guitar but a had a couple things I did not care for. I like the Gibson's 12" radius fret board and it had a 9.75" radius which I am guessing was for smaller hands since it was advertised as a student model. It had that Gibson thump that I like but it had a quick decay which is why some people prefer this ladder bracing.

[cayine]

On 5/6/2024 at 11:38 PM, Dave R said:

Greetings. Gibson LG-1. FON/Serial # 6262  12.

I recently acquired this guitar and although it has some wear from 70? Odd years of use, it plays and sounds awesome.

I am assuming, from the serial # that it is a 1951. It appears to be all original and the even colors and wear seems to bear this out.

In looking at pictures of other guitars of this vintage I see one obvious difference. This one has Made in the USA stamped into the back of the headstock. I am wondering if this means anything to anybody with more experience in vintage than me?

Any information or expertise on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

Tow Truck Service

1951 Gibson LG-1 sunburst finish, Hog back and sides. Adi top? in very good condition for a 50+ year old guitar! Issues have been dealt with by my Pro Luthier are Back is 2 peice hog seperated a bit he cleated it and filled. a small crack at sound hole cleated and fixed. It sounds great kinda deep and bluesy! Comes w/ Chip case. Asking $695 OBO + shp.

[slimt]

On 5/6/2024 at 12:38 PM, Dave R said:

Greetings. Gibson LG-1. FON/Serial # 6262  12.

I recently acquired this guitar and although it has some wear from 70? Odd years of use, it plays and sounds awesome.

I am assuming, from the serial # that it is a 1951. It appears to be all original and the even colors and wear seems to bear this out.

In looking at pictures of other guitars of this vintage I see one obvious difference. This one has Made in the USA stamped into the back of the headstock. I am wondering if this means anything to anybody with more experience in vintage than me?

Any information or expertise on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

This guitar looks familiar.