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1974 Flying V - Any help from the experts?


NKUSigEp

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I've played and collected bass guitars for over a decade now but this is my first trip into the "real" guitar experience (I've owned cheap Indonesian guitars before). I spent a great deal of time and effort looking up information on this guitar before I bought it and am certain that it is a 1974. After carefully taking it apart and cleaning it up though, I noticed that the bridge pickup has a white sticker on the back that reads "M / F" or "M 7 F" and also a blue sticker that reads "Seymourized" on it, and no patent number (the neck pickup is stamped with a patent number). I would venture a guess that the bridge pickup was replaced with a Duncan, but after a phone call, I was told by the previous owner that it was rewound by Seymour Duncan a long time ago. The front of the pickups look like slightly different colors too, also leading me to believe it's not 100% original to the guitar. Can anyone help me?

 

1974v11.jpg

1974v20.jpg

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Here's some background on it: I bought it off a guy I ran into at the post office while shipping a bass I just sold. When we met up, he told me his brother-in-law had bought the guitar new in 1974 and after many years of use, had given this guitar to his daughter to sell so she could help pay for her college. The guy I bought it from was the girl's uncle and had loaned her some money and received the guitar as collateral. A year or two passed and she told him to just sell the guitar.

 

The tuners are non-original Grovers but are very smooth and hold their tuning great. Everything else is stock except I question the bridge pickup's validity, as mentioned. For being 36 years old, I think it's in amazing shape! A couple small chips in the finish near the upper rear horn and regular play wear, the frets and fretboard aren't 100%, and there's a hairline crack in the headstock near the "A" string tuner that only seems to go through to the tuning machine, but overall I couldn't be happier with it!

1974v13.jpg

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1974v11.jpg

 

Well if you look the lead wire going from the pickup is two wires. 1 wire surrounded by a second braided wire. This is how Gibson did it. Duncan or any replacement pickup really has four wires coming from the lead to make more wiring possibilities for the new owners. Although it is possible that its a Duncan because some of their PAF clones had that same wire to make it more authentic.

 

It would be great if you could get a detailed pic of the back of both pups and of the back of the pot the bridge pup is soldered to. This could help tell if its been desoldered or if the pots are non original. Changing pots is common on a pickup change.

 

Either way it looks like a great guitar.

 

The only thing I don't like is the duck tape. I'd take it off and see what its covering up, obviously Gibson shouldn't of used that.

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Here's what I've gathered from other forums that I've posted in and talking to Seymour Duncan: the neck pickup is an original T-tops or T-bucker Gibson pickup and is stamped with the patent number on back, as well as a "T" on the bobbins. It is probably original to the guitar as it is period-correct. The duct tape is actually on the wires and is covering up a splice that is possibly from someone swapping out the pickup for another, and then putting it back in later. The bridge pickup is an early Seymour Duncan model handwound by the man himself. I'm waiting to hear back from him as to what exactly it is though.

 

As a collector's piece, I'd give it a 6 or a 7 maybe but as a player, it's a very solid 9 - borderline 10! It sounds absolutely amazing and sings like nothing I've ever heard! The bridge pickup is crunchy and leads on the neck pickup are a dream! After some new strings and a complete setup, it plays better than anything I or the two guitarists in my band have ever touched. I really couldn't be happier with it.

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So what's the serial number on the back of the headstock? As I recall' date=' the old V's had the Gibson logo in gold on the headstock, not on the TRC. I also have never see a white T-Top

 

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Serial # 506XXX, right above "Made in USA" stamped into the wood.

 

Every 60's to mid 70's V I've seen has the logo on the truss rod cover (www.flying-v.ch/ - check out the gallery or search other sites). The reissues have it on the headstock as do later 70's and on. I'll agree that the white T-buckers may be rarer than black, but I've seen 3 other mid-70's V's with them as well so they do exist.

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