philter25 Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Hey guys, My father who is retired is trimming down the closets in his house and gave me his Gibson J-50 Deluxe acoustic. Im trying to find out how you identify the year of the guitar. He was born in 1950 and said he bought it in college, so its probably a '68-72 guitar. Is there a way to find out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ne14t? Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 On the back of the Headstock it will have a Serial Number stamped into it, the date can be figured out using that. Post it along with some pics to verify its era and it will be pretty easy to tell you when that guitar was made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-1854Me Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Hey guys, My father who is retired is trimming down the closets in his house and gave me his Gibson J-50 Deluxe acoustic. Im trying to find out how you identify the year of the guitar. He was born in 1950 and said he bought it in college, so its probably a '68-72 guitar. Is there a way to find out? Serial number, and good clear photos of the guitar would be very helpful. We need to see the headstock, tuners, shape of the body, volute/no volute on top of back of neck, pickguard style and material, bridge -- things like those help a lot in trying to date a guitar. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philter25 Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 I thought of the serial number on the back of the headstock, but there isnt one. I asked my dad and he said the only thing he ever did with the guitar was change the strings, so Im assuming that the serial number either rubbed off or there isnt one. I was hoping there would be a few experts on here who could pin down the year. I'll snap a few photos later and post them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philter25 Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 So I finally picked the guitar up from my father, dropped it off at my local Luthier's for a "tune up", and was finally able to take some pictures. There was a serial number on the headstock: A248031. I did some research and it seems its a '73-75. I looked inside for a FON number but it was rubbed off. The first 2 numbers appear to be 20xxxx and the rest arent legible. Here are some pictures: Any way I can pinpoint an exact year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 70's J50... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 . You may not be able to get the exact year. But that's a nice shot of the label and it could be useful for someone with good knowledge of label history. Maybe someone will chime in. Beautiful J50 in very nice shape. Congrats. B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philter25 Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 I play bass guitar in a cover band and have my electric guitar setup (Gibson Les Paul so Im in the Gibson family!)..... Im not really an acoustic player and after doing some research on these, I dont think I am the type of player who would appreciate these older acoustic guitars. I play more current rock and have more of a rock-based setup. (Ibanez SR700 into GenzBenz Shuttle 6.0-2-12 stack for bass and Gibson Les Paul into Mesa Nomad 112 combo for guitar.) Therefore, I've been thinking about it for a few months, and I'm debating on selling it. When selling or advertising these, is it ok if you dont specify an exact year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 I play bass guitar in a cover band and have my electric guitar setup (Gibson Les Paul so Im in the Gibson family!)..... Im not really an acoustic player and after doing some research on these, I dont think I am the type of player who would appreciate these older acoustic guitars. I play more current rock and have more of a rock-based setup. (Ibanez SR700 into GenzBenz Shuttle 6.0-2-12 stack for bass and Gibson Les Paul into Mesa Nomad 112 combo for guitar.) Therefore, I've been thinking about it for a few months, and I'm debating on selling it. When selling or advertising these, is it ok if you dont specify an exact year? I was a bass player, and was heavy into rock music as a kid.... but as I got older, I prefer the acoustics....so my advice would be to put it away and one day you'll be glad you did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spot Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 . You may not be able to get the exact year. But that's a nice shot of the label and it could be useful for someone with good knowledge of label history. Maybe someone will chime in. ...the orange label and square shoulders confirms a 70's j-50. Ths a sentimental family guitar with a history. Don't be stupid and sell it..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spot Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 When selling or advertising these, is it ok if you dont specify an exact year? ...again, don't be e a moron and sell the guitar. You WILL regret it!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 ...again, don't be e a moron and sell the guitar. You WILL regret it!!!! I'd give my eye teeth to have my dad's old Gibson...... (wasn't sold, but my nephew got it). My vote is to keep the guitar, you won't be sorry.... whatever money you get will get lost in your memory...but your dad's guitar will be there forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 70's models tend to be less desired than 60's models, just as the 40's and 50's tend to be viewed as the most coveted. The value of the guitar won't be huge, possibly outstripped by the sentimental value, especially in years to come, I think I would keep it of I were you to be honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philter25 Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 If I kept the guitar, wouldnt I need to store it in some sort of climate controlled room? I believe wood expands and contracts and I would imagine that with these older guitars keeping it out of thermal cycles would be important? Thats part of my concern for keeping it. I live in a small townhouse and dont have storage space, so it would be in the basement and would see cold and no humidity in the winter, and then very hot and high humidity in the summer. That doesnt seem to be a problem for my solid body electric gear, but I would imagine would be a problem for the acoustic. My father hasnt played it in years, and he was never a gigging musician or anything, he just bought it out of college and played casually. However, my parents tend to save everything and store it, rather than get rid of unused items. When I took it to the Luthier for a tune up, he did some work re-gluing a small crack by the pick guard and did some work on the bindings, which had a few cracks in them. He put some lacquer on top to remedy the minor cracking. My biggest concern is it would sit unused in my townhouse and I would pick it up a few years later only to find out that there were more imperfections due to age and thermal cycling. Thoughts? Or am I being silly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philter25 Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 And to add, any money I got from selling it I would give to my father to add to his retirement fund. Ive been helping him out with eBay and craigslist selling a lot of their old items as I live outside of DC and get much more craigslist traffic than they do in rural Pennsylvania. I actually spoke to him and he was the person who suggested selling it to someone who would be able to use it and store it properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 I wouldn't be concerned in the least about the finish checking. Wouldn't bother me at all. The storage is a problem for us all. We tend to fill up whatever space we have. If the guitar can't stay in your home, you might want to consider leaving it with someone who DOES have the room 'til you get ready for it, and I think there's a good chance you will in the futire. Does it live at your dad's house now? If so, why not just leave it there. You planning on getting another house in the next few years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philter25 Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 ^My parents are retired and planning on downsizing and have been getting rid of a lot of their extra stuff over the past year. Ive been selling a lot of their stuff on craigslist and eBay, like coin collections, old photography stuff, old plates and china, etc. This is just one of those items thats been sitting unused for years. He gave it to me to get it OUT of his house. :) I could always store it in the attic or basement, but Im concerned it would get damaged from the extreme cold to the extreme heat and changes in humidity. My wife and I will probably be upsizing to a house in 5-7 years when we start to have kids, but at this point in my musical career, I'm more of a live electric player. If this was a Les Paul electric guitar, Id keep it because I would use it..... But Im debating keeping something that I probably wouldnt play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 ^My parents are retired and planning on downsizing and have been getting rid of a lot of their extra stuff over the past year. Ive been selling a lot of their stuff on craigslist and eBay, like coin collections, old photography stuff, old plates and china, etc. This is just one of those items thats been sitting unused for years. He gave it to me to get it OUT of his house. :) I could always store it in the attic or basement, but Im concerned it would get damaged from the extreme cold to the extreme heat and changes in humidity. My wife and I will probably be upsizing to a house in 5-7 years when we start to have kids, but at this point in my musical career, I'm more of a live electric player. If this was a Les Paul electric guitar, Id keep it because I would use it..... But Im debating keeping something that I probably wouldnt play. Where do you live? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philter25 Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 Maryland, 20 miles outside of DC. You wanna store it for me? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philter25 Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 Here's some more pictures of the binding. My luthier said overall its in pretty good condition and that the binding wear is on the good side and nothing beyond normal wear and tear for something its age. He touched up all the binding areas where it was showing minor cracking with lacquer. The main areas with cracking were on the back right by the headstock. The sides were all in very good shape. I checked out some pictures of other ones on eBay to gauge how this one compared and this seems to be normal. Is that accurate? I was concerned with this drying out and cracking more due to it being stored in extreme cold in a basement or in extreme heat in the attic. I dont think this stuff likes changes in humidity, correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philter25 Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 And here is a picture of the small crack he repaired right by the pick guard: Its about 1/2" long and relatively small. Would that re-open if not stored correctly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 You seem like a good guy, and your heart seems to be in the right place, especially concerning giving your father the funds, and thinking of the guitar being of use to someone. Just want to add this thought: You might not currently consider yourself an "acoustic" player, but it may be a good time to start. You don't have to give up on what you are playing to play this one. It not be the MOST desirable Gibby acoustic, but it actually is a pretty darned good one, and much better than what you will be able to get from your "average" music store. You might want to at least play it for a while, get to know it, get to know what a great sounding acoustic sounds like before you sell it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philter25 Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 ^ I think i'll take that advice and sleep on it for awhile and play it over the weekend. And I think I need to have another conversation with my father and see if he has a personal opinion or a need for the money from selling it. But in the meantime if anyone else wants to chime in on the storability, Id value everyones opinion as I openly admit that although I play, I am not knowledgeable on proper storage of these older guitars. I dont want to be ignorant and put it in the attic only to find out in a year or two that I caused damage to it by not properly caring for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanvillRob Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 ^ I think i'll take that advice and sleep on it for awhile and play it over the weekend. And I think I need to have another conversation with my father and see if he has a personal opinion or a need for the money from selling it. But in the meantime if anyone else wants to chime in on the storability, Id value everyones opinion as I openly admit that although I play, I am not knowledgeable on proper storage of these older guitars. I dont want to be ignorant and put it in the attic only to find out in a year or two that I caused damage to it by not properly caring for it. Seems like you're being very prudent. I'm a LONG way from you, and my wife ain't all that happy with the 10 guitars I have scattered throughout the house now, so I'm not a good candidate for storeing it. Knowing you're in Maryland, I fully understand your resistence to keeping it in the attic or basement, (we can do that in California, but not there). Any trusted friend or family memeber who has room could work, and they'd have use of a great guitar 'til your ready to take it back. I STILL have a banjo a good friend gave me to keep for him. I've had it for over 30 years, (he died about 17 years ago). It's been in my home, so it never got cold or hot for all those years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
struma6 Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 As an aside: It's not a good idea to keep your electric guitars in the basement, either. Neck=wood, body=wood....lots o' glue. It will suffer as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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