dmlabs Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Attached is a picture of a 1920s Gibson guitar that I took possession of 30 years ago. Our goal is to get the guitar identified, appraised and put into the hands of a worthy player or collector. It deserves to be seen and played after all these years of storage. We used the web to find out as much as we could about the guitar, but there are some markings that are missing or we could not read. We know that it is Pre WWII and were told it could be one of these three models: 1.its a low end Spanish Parlor Guitar, 2. Its a student guitar, 3. Its an early L 1 flat top. I stumbled onto the Gibson Repro department and found that my guitar looks very similar to the 1920s reproduction that is being made now. The dimensions are very close to the repro. Can anyone confirm that our research and observations point to what could be a 1919 L 1 flat top? Here are the dimensions: Head to bottom 39 3/4" Neck @nut 1 3/4" Scale nut to bridge 25" Body length 19 1/4" Waist 8 1/2" Lower Bout 14 3/4", Upper Bout 10 1/8", .070" Fret, 4 Sound hole Description: Flat top, V Neck (wear marks indicate it was played in both Spanish and conventional styles) Gibson in white silk screen script with no letters lower than the rest (1928-48), two gold rings and one black ring around sound hole, sunburst on top, cherry red color on back. Markings: Red pen hand written 19 on neck block. Stamped numbers on block 309? very hard to read, we can't be sure of this number. Serial number could not be found on underside of top. We used a dental mirror and light, but no numbers were found. Is there a particular place on the top to look for the serial numbers. History: My dad (born 1919) bought it from his cousin (born 1915) who purchased it second hand as a teenager(1930-1935?). It is all original except for the strings and bridge pins. Has three very small cracks in the back that do not connect. Neck is slightly bowed. Button is missing from body bottom. Given the facts and the pictures, is this guitar rare and collectible? If you think it is, should the small cracks and bow in neck be corrected and how much would you spend to repair it. Id like to hear from several of you who have the same opinion as to model and approx year. I could also use someone local to look at the guitar and let me know something about it. Are there any fair and honest guitar appraisers in or near Indianapolis? Having lots of trouble getting a picture uploaded. If you want pictures, leave your email address in your comment, and I'll email it to you. DM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilpanda Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Im not giving my email in "public" so just give me a message in my profile ans Ill give you my mail then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmlabs Posted November 23, 2010 Author Share Posted November 23, 2010 Im not giving my email in "public" so just give me a message in my profile ans Ill give you my mail then I think I have the picture problem solved. Still not solved. Have Photo Bucket account with pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Very nice! It's a late 1930s L-00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmlabs Posted November 26, 2010 Author Share Posted November 26, 2010 Very nice! It's a late 1930s L-00. Thank you for the ID. I now have two 1930's L-00 confirmations. The guys at Gibson customer service sent me a note and they offered to find the date and model for me. Now the BIG question is: Is this considered a collectible model? DM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted November 27, 2010 Share Posted November 27, 2010 Now the BIG question is: Is this considered a collectible model? Yes. Certainly not the most valuable of vintage Gibsons, but among its best, imho. 1930s L-00s are classic ragtime and blues machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmlabs Posted November 28, 2010 Author Share Posted November 28, 2010 Very nice! It's a late 1930s L-00. How has the economy affected prices on vintage Guitars? My step-son is a percussionist and will spend his money at anytime to buy something new or old to whack with a stick. Do guitar collectors and players have the same mind set. I plan to put the family Gibson 1930s L-00 up for sale but I do not have any feel for the current market. To sum it up, should I keep it and wait for better times or will it sell for a fair price now? DM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfox14 Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 FON 309 would date your L-00 to 1932, but the 14-fret neck dates to 1933-34, so I would guess the FON is probably 809-19 which meant it was batch #809 and the 19th guitar in that batch.ay The V-neck profile was more common on c1934-1942 Ls. No pre-war Gibson flat-tops had serial #s. Given all of this, I would it's a 1934 L-00. They are pretty desirable guitars and routinely go for $3500-4500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 FON 309 would date your L-00 to 1932, but the 14-fret neck dates to 1933-34, so I would guess the FON is probably 809-19 which meant it was batch #809 and the 19th guitar in that batch.ay The V-neck profile was more common on c1934-1942 Ls. No pre-war Gibson flat-tops had serial #s. Given all of this, I would it's a 1934 L-00. They are pretty desirable guitars and routinely go for $3500-4500. Paul, Not a 1934 sunburst, imho. At least 2 years later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 To sum it up, should I keep it and wait for better times... Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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