sad57 Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Hi, I am new to this forum. Just checking in with all you Gibson owners! My question for anybody out there: has anybody had any luck with the Mark series guitars from the '70's? I purchased one brand new in '79, the rosewood one, I think it was the Mark 77, and to make a long story short, had to trade it in for a Guild acoustic a few years later. Seems the bridge was in the "wrong position" from the factory, the store owner told me he would fix it for me and ship it to me back here in NY. What did I know, so I said go ahead. Well they did such a botch job, I sent it back to them TWICE and it never was right, so I ended up like I said above, tradiing it in for a Guild D-50. Anybody else have a similar story? Again, glad to be on board on this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 There was the MK35 (mahogany), MK53 (maple), MK72 (rosewood) and MK81 and MK99, both rosewood and fancier and scarce. A Gibson MK is on my "one of these days" buy list. I know they are about as NON Gibson as anything can get and still carry the name, but I have this personality quirk where I often root for the underdog. I'm drawn to their looks much like one might be drawn to a low profile avocado green couch from 1968; they're repulsive but cool in a retro nostalgia kind of way. Personally I would like an MK53 in blonde, both from an aesthetic standpoint and the fact I like the legendary Gibson Sycamore with many frequent flyer miles (K'zoo to Nashville to Bozeman until depleted!). In shopping for one, the biggest things I look for are #1 a twisted neck, as I have seen "too many" twisted 3 piece maple necks from the Norlin Era..... no idea why, and don't know if there's a fix at ANY cost. #2 slipping head block. The layperson would see a hairline crack in the top about a half inch away from the fingerboard running from the binding to the soundhole. Looks minor but it ain't, brudda. This isn't limited to any particular era but I've seen more in the 70s. I can't prove it but my sense is that any MK with a stamped serial number is from Kalamazoo; if it's a decal under the finish, it's Nashville. Can't prove it, it's just a feeling. Maybe doesn't mean anything either, I just know Nashville has had humidity problems so that may lead to problems 3 years later or 30 years later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 KS daddy.....what would you say a good price for an MK53 would be ......very good condition, with none of the problems you mentions.??????? Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Oh, gosh, I don't know. The MK35s are much more common and I've seen ones with cracks, factory seconds, various maladies, go anywhere from $300 to as much as $600 on ebay for a cleaner one. I personally find the 53 more attractive but that's just the whole blonde sycamore thing going on. I saw one 53 go for about $600 "buy it now" on ebay and I think I've even seen them bring more. I can only speak for myself but I would pay more for one that wasn't a factory second (stigma, not based on anything that really matters!) and I would tend to pay more for a Kalamazoo one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Thanks KSdaddy......I'll check it out......wily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phinegan Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 I briefly owned an MK-35, and never could understand what drove me to trade for it. I best I could tell, it had none of the "issues" ksdaddy mentions, but the poor thing was one of the deadest acoustics I've ever owned. Thankfully a local dealer is very much into all things Gibson and gave me a good trade for it. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearbasher Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Here's an "81" if anyone's interested: http://cgi.ebay.com/1976-Gibson-MK-81-w-OHSC-1-of-430-Made_W0QQitemZ170339443053QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item27a905a16d&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A10%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Just curious KSDADDY, what's the skinny on these MKs? What made them different, asside from aesthetics, headstock, bridge you could build an ark with, what did they have to offer Norlin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 They used an entirely different bracing system, designed by......um..... I could google it but I'm trying to remember on my own.... Kasha? I think? He and a couple other guys designed it. Supposedly it was science first, aesthetics second. Sadly I've never played one but I lust anyway (never stopped me before). The Edsel had many innovations too, and was probably a really good car, but nobody bought them. The Mark Series was priced quite high as I recall. That probably didn't help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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