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First Gibson!


brian l

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Hello my name is Brian I got my first Gibson yesterday!

 

It is a ES 335 TD

 

Questions:

 

1.Serial # 73228XX4 - I cant read numbers 6 & 7 Does this mean it is a 1978?

 

2.Under that it has "second" stamped also - What does this mean?

 

3.Says Kalamazoo inside the F hole - Is this good?

 

4.I would like to know more about it in general

 

Thanks In advance for your help, Brian

 

I will post some pictures as soon as I can!

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Hello my name is Brian I got my first Gibson yesterday!

 

It is a ES 335 TD

 

Questions:

 

1.Serial # 73228XX4 - I cant read numbers 6 & 7 Does this mean it is a 1978?

 

2.Under that it has "second" stamped also - What does this mean?

 

3.Says Kalamazoo inside the F hole - Is this good?

 

4.I would like to know more about it in general

 

Thanks In advance for your help, Brian

 

I will post some pictures as soon as I can!

 

 

Ok, I have very little knowledge about vintage Gibson, but I'm pretty sure Kalamazoo is a very good thing! I think you'll have some more knowledgable people jumping on this thread pretty soon and asking for pictures and telling you all about it. Oh, and congrats on the first Gibson man! I can't wait to get mine!!!

 

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first of all Id just like to say congrats on the gibson! HNGD! [biggrin]

 

1) your guitar was made on August 16, 1973 at the kalamazoo plant (original gibson plant)

2)your guitar may have had cosmetic blemishes that quite often couldn't be found by most of us. If you like the guitar, I wouldn't worry. the guitar is fine.

3)this means your guitar came from the original gibson plant. thats awesome. [thumbup]

4)I ♥ your guitar, I love ES-335s one of my favorites

 

best of luck with your new guitar!

 

beastie

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oh and one more thing, if you acquire any other gibson models that you cant figure out the serial numbers of,

it goes like this

YDDDYRRR

YY is the production year

DDD is the day of the year

RRR is the factory ranking/plant designation number.

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Unless you paid stupid money for it, or it's beat all to hell, you hit a home run. [thumbup]

 

(Even if you paid too much, it's still a great guitar...)

 

And yes, don't let the "SECOND" stamp bother you in the least.

Gibson sold tons of 'em in the seventies and eighties and I've never been able to spot the problem on one.

 

Had a Les Paul from '86 the same way.

 

 

I had to laugh talking to a long-time Gibson dealer I know.

He said Gibson quit stamping SECONDs years ago.

Not that they changed a damned thing in their manufacturing - they simply quit stamping them as such.

Since then, it's been up to the consumer to find the flaws...

 

[crying]

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Yes, 1978.

 

If you get the chance, you may wanna call Gibson Customer Service.

You can sometimes get an amazing amount of info from them on older guitars.

Other times, it's a bust.

 

 

What would you consider "stupid money" I have no idea what they sell for

Oh, I dunno.

Depends mostly on two factors - where you live, and the exact condition it's in.

 

A grand for a rough one would be cool if it functions properly.

Two grand if it's nice and clean.

Three grand if it's a pristine collector piece, but that's a lot of money so it would have to be NICE...

 

That's sort of generically pulling numbers out of my butt, and seeing what's here in Arizona.

Check Ebay, see if there's anything comparable and watch their prices for a rough idea.

 

Some of those rare-ish Gibsons can still command some serious dough in a depressed market.

You don't have to post what you paid for it here.

Keep this in mind - paying a little too much is the BEST thing you can do.

So another one sells on Ebay for $200 less, is that the end of the world?

Not if it's a good one and you love it.

 

More to it than just price - which is why I posted what I did about paying stupid money.

Sometimes it ain't as stupid as some people want you to think - did THEY buy one this week?

Screw 'em.

 

[flapper]

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