Year made v. model year - same?

[Lair22]

I have a gorgeous Desert Burst LP Plus Std (darkback) that has an October 2001 production serial number. But in 2001, only the Studios came in DB, then the LPs in 2002. (from Gibson's news releases, etc). My serial number is not in Gibson's database, not unheard of, and the guitar is not a counterfeit.

 

I'm wondering if a late 2001-serial numbered guitar might be built and sold as a "2002 model" or whether some insider got this stained DB out of normal production. Gibson c/s has told me in the past that this is not unheard of and the serial number would not be in their database in this case.

 

Any insights on the 01 as 02 model idea?

 

(and yes, I'm positive that it's not a counterfeit and there's no sign of refinishing anywhere. Upper pup cavity has "DB" written in it w/ part of the writing under the sealer/finish)

 

Thanks, enjoy your weekend!

[Tim Plains]

FAKE!!

 

No, I'm just kidding.

 

You're reading the first and fifth numbers of the serial #, right? Try this.

 

Care to post some photos? (If you don't know how, create an account on photobucket.com, upload pics there, then copy and past the IMG code here)

[Lair22]

Let's see if I can get the image thing to work . . . (oh, and I'm not "positive" about much, so I'll keep an open mind as to what might be found out about this guitar.) The serial no. is 02921505 (or 565) (Checking w/ Gibson - one comes back to an ebony LP Std and the other is unlisted) .

 

 

 

 

[NeoConMan]

Built on the 292nd day of 2001, so October.

 

The last three digits are the serial for that day.

 

Gibson doesn't wait for the clock to strike midnite on December 31 to make production changes, so there's usually a couple months advance production.

 

Any "rule" of production at Gibson is gonna be broken.

I have a couple production oddities myself, LONG stories involved there.

 

Gibson did several purges of their production records over the years.

Accidental or not, I don't know.

In the nineties, after they were using computers, there are HUGE gaps in production information.

 

Learned this from Walter Carter at Gruhn when I was researching my 12 string SG.

Carter worked at Gibson then, says nobody really cared about the computers, wouldn't spend money on them.

When they did everything on paper, better records were kept.

 

Seems ironic since they are so worried about counterfeit guitars.....