Jollyjim Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 Hi all, I have what I think is a an old Gibson acoustic guitar and I am trying to determine the age of it, I inherited this from a great uncle, who as the story goes got this from a sailor for payment for work he did for him, The guitar looks like J-35 but I am no expert so still unsure, on the back of the headstock the numbers 1374 are etched in to it... from reading online this appears it could be the FON number, but again I am unsure, there is also a label on the inside of the guitar stating made in USA by Gibson Inc. Kalamazoo Mich The Guitar is in what appears to be the original case and has various spare strings Can anyone offer any info on how old the guitar could be or how I could find out Thanks Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 Can you provide a picture or two? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieDog Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 You’ll need to use a photo site like imgur to upload your pics, than copy the “direct” link and past it in a post here. Can’t wait to take a look! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 Cool. If anything. The case should be a redline case , black with red stitching. Pictures would sure help you, for us identify the guitar . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 (edited) Without photos this thread will be going nowhere fast. But as a starting point, the FON was typically ink stamped on the neck block and not impressed into the back of the headstock until 1961. It also does not help that a four-digit FON works for a number of years including 1937 when the J35 was in production. If the guitar is a 1936-1939 J35, however, it will be easily distinguished by the fact it would sport three non-scalloped tone bars. I believe those built in 1940 and 1941 though only featured the more typical two- tone bar setup. So, a flashlight and an inspection mirror may reveal much. Other things which would help are does the guitar have a script or a block letter logo and what kind of tuners (assuming they are original) are on the guitar. Even just measuring the width of the lower bout would establish whether it is an L, LG or J series guitar. If lucky, though Tom, who can guide you along if it is a pre-WWII guitar better than I, will chime in. Edited June 5 by zombywoof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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