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yet another "wtheck is this?" post :)


Locomule

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Ok, shoot this thing down quick as I'm tired of wondering if this thing might be "something." Other than the stamped serial number 845835 this thing has no (remaining) label or identifying mark on it that I can discern. Twas the headstock and truss cover shapes that made me go, "ehhh?" My father, now deceased, gave it to me years ago to "fix up and make playable." Once my suspicions were aroused, I refused to alter it, instead offering him my acoustic till I found out.

 

The research I did years ago revealed the following with respect to possible Gibson origin..

pros:

1. vintage Kluson tuners, so old the plastic is deteriorating. At one time I had a Gibson Serial Numbers file that mentioned pre?1925? Klusons as having a single mold line on the peg aperture of the button, which these do

2. no ID on headstock. heard that really old G. acoustics had the star/sickle thingee or nothing

3. the bridge. old, funky, and um, backwards?? maybe a con instead of a pro?? lol

 

cons:

1. serial number. I know things were a little scattered back then but this has 6 digits, unlike anything I see in the serial numbers lists

2. truss rod. the cover may look Gibson but if the tuners date back to pre-30s, did they have truss rods like this back then?

3. body style. looks wayyy too contemporary to me?

 

So anyway, I figure it is just some weird copy or Frankenstein that has blown my way. I know I missed an authentic G. acoustic (honesty, what a stupid attribute) that was so old, the original pickguard was made from wood. Here are some pics.. on a modem so doing the best I can O:) TIA for any help!

 

acoustic001.th.jpgacoustic010.th.jpgacoustic009.th.jpgacoustic007.th.jpg

acoustic005.th.jpgacoustic004.th.jpgacoustic003.th.jpgacoustic012.th.jpg

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15 and 7/8ths inch at the widest part. Thanks for the tips, I'm off to Google! I wanted to know what I had before touching a thing on this. The bridge is beyond use, as are the tuners.Likewise the neck has a downright angle in it. So it will come down to value (low I'm guessing) versus potential for bringing this beauty back to life. Nevertheless, I'm soooo glad I didn't basterdize this thing right off the bat. Now for "the story" (since I guess its worth telling now??)...

 

My mom and dad, a professional drummer with lps, got divorced when I was a little kid. I never knew him. A few years ago, he moved to my town and we "met." He was tending one of our local bars and tells me "Hey, check out this old guitar a buddy gave me. I want you to fix it up so it is playable." I could tell it was in crap condition, had no name, etc and would cost more to fix up than something new and decent for him to noodle on. So we just sat it in the corner of the bar. As the night wore on, I kept noticing it out of the corner of my eye. After a few times, I realized that it was the headstock shape that looked familiar. I tripped out on it and he was like, "oh no" cause he just wanted a guitar. I took it home with plans to research it but my research on my SG took precedence. I had offered to give him my favorite acoustic till I found out about this one but he declined. My father died while this nameless guitar was still in my possession.

 

Thanks a lot for all your help. Off to Google!

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After wearing my modem out, I'm still not certain. I found a 1969 J-50 that has very similar features. Mine doesn't have the black faced peghead I see everywhere but neither does his. I'd say my Gibson logo was refinished off as his appears to be painted on. Mine has terrible runs in the finish on the front, so surely it was refinished poorly. I now know that mine has X bracing which is good but an adjustable bridge which is considered bad. The prices I saw for similar instruments were way under this guy's $1749 asking price. So mine is looking more and more like a candidate for repair all the time.

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