poweredbypluto Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Hi, I'm trying to identify this es125 for a friend so we can put it on ebay but I have a couple of problems. First, I'm guessing it's an es125 by the looks of it and by what others have told me. That model # appears to match the guitars appearance. However, I can't find a serial number anywhere on the guitar. The only thing that I can find is a couple of letters and a number etched on the bottom of the guitar, on the metal part that connects to the button that holds the strap. The letters and number are Pa-08827921. From what I am told, this is apparently the insurance policy number etched on there by the original buyer (my friends Dad who has since passed away). He apparently insured the guitar and this was the policy number. I'm wondering if this may be the original serial number that was turned into the policy number because it matches approximately around when the guitar was purchased (60's or '70's). Any help would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamBooka Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 yep.. looks like a 50s 125 to me. I have an early 60s and the sunburst is a little more subtle on mine. The knobs are 50s style knobs (although maybe someone can narrow it down more) Adjustable pole pieces on the pickup also rule out a late 40s model. Not the original tuners. Not an expert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poweredbypluto Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 Anyone else have any guesses as to how I might be able to identify this guitar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Anyone else have any guesses as to how I might be able to identify this guitar? Have you checked the potentiometer codes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Beach Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Have you checked the potentiometer codes? Yeah, if the serial number was still intact it would be inside one of the f holes, probably the bottom. But if you can't see it I'd check the codes on the back of the pots. Put a little mirror inside that sucker and see what the numbers are, then post them here someone will be able to help you date the guitar with those numbers. Like stated above, the guitar looks to be a 50's model ES 125 with all original parts with the exception of the tuners, those are no where close to the originals. The top should be laminated maple, the back and sides should be mahogany. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamBooka Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 Take this with as much salt as your doctor will allow. No serial on the back means pre 1961 Adjustable poles on the pickup mean after 1951 Speed knobs were used from 53 to 55, Tall speed knobs were 50 to 53. I cant tell from your pick which you have If you had a FON number stamped inside the guitar that would narrow it down.. You can also take the pots out and get date codes from them but removing pots is a ROYAL PITA!! I dont recommend it. I dont think you will get any more precise than 51-53 or 53-55 unless you are lucky with the pot codes BTW in your pic your bridg is on backwards. I tried to ascii art it but the white spaces were removed :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poweredbypluto Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 Take this with as much salt as your doctor will allow. No serial on the back means pre 1961 Adjustable poles on the pickup mean after 1951 Speed knobs were used from 53 to 55, Tall speed knobs were 50 to 53. I cant tell from your pick which you have If you had a FON number stamped inside the guitar that would narrow it down.. You can also take the pots out and get date codes from them but removing pots is a ROYAL PITA!! I dont recommend it. I dont think you will get any more precise than 51-53 or 53-55 unless you are lucky with the pot codes BTW in your pic your bridg is on backwards. I tried to ascii art it but the white spaces were removed :( I found a number! It was inside the left f hole and it took me several minutes to find it (with a flashlight). It was stamped which, now that I know the number, makes sense. The number is Y7116 15. When I checked the number with the serial codes, it turns out that it's a 1953 (and I assume) an es125. It doesn't seem like an es140 or any other model. The FON numbers that year were only stamped on the inside of the guitars which is why I couldn't find anything on the outside. The lower models were apparently stamped for several years. I think that's it! Most of you guys seemed to be pretty close but I'm glad to have been able to i.d. it exactly. It's going on ebay if anyone's interested. I also have a les paul jr. on ebay and a couple of other guitars as well. Any suggestions as to the value? I'm going to research that right now. Thanks for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Any suggestions as to the value? I'm going to research that right now. If you go to gbase, you'll see prices generally in the $1400-$2000 range in dealer's stores. Private party I'd say $1200-$1400 seems more appropriate, and condition always matters. Don't forget when researching that there are a bunch of different versions of the ES-125, so you'll see much higher prices for some models. Cutaway two pickup versions have the highest value, while single pickup non-cutaways like yours bring far less. Still, these are very good quality instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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