joeh1974 Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Please bear with me as I know nothing about guitars. I found this located in an old dusty case, and was curious as to what type of Gibson this is, as well as its age. I know that it's a bit beat up, but as I said, I just found it and know nothing about it. Any help would definitely be appreciated! Edit...I guess I should have said I just came across it after forgetting about it for a long period of time, and that I don't know anything about Gibson guitars. :) Photos: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/lcdude2000/IMG_0125.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/lcdude2000/IMG_0126.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/lcdude2000/IMG_0127.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/lcdude2000/IMG_0128.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/lcdude2000/IMG_0129.jpg It appears to have a serial number on the back of 25046 if that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Please bear with me as I know nothing about guitars. I found this located in an old dusty case, and was curious as to what type of Gibson this is, as well as its age. I know that it's a bit beat up, but as I said, I just found it and know nothing about it. Any help would definitely be appreciated! Photos: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/lcdude2000/IMG_0125.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/lcdude2000/IMG_0126.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/lcdude2000/IMG_0127.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/lcdude2000/IMG_0128.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/lcdude2000/IMG_0129.jpg It appears to have a serial number on the back of 25046 if that helps. Looks like lady luck has shined upon you, providing you get to keep it. Can't tell by the pics but off the cuff you have a 60's era J45, LG2 or LG1. First two models are worth much more $$. If that saddle is adjustable (can't tell) it might be a B25. 16inch wide lower bout means J45. Smaller than that means the other choices. Haven't looked up the #s yet but all the other geeks will be chiming in soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 The serial # indicates a 1961 of one of the above mentioned models... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 It's a 1961, and judging from the small shot of the body shape, it's either an LG-1 or an LG-2. This may be stamped on the centerline cleat, visible inside the soundhole. Shine a light on the inside of the top, and use a small inspection mirror to examine the underside of the top. If there are a series of parallel braces running transversely across the top of the guitar, it's an LG-1. If there is an x-shaped brace under the top, with the apex of the X just behind the soundhole (between the soundhole and the bridge, it's an LG-2. We really need more pictures, including the entire guitar (front and back), the top, and the bridge. A shot from the side would be nice as well. Looks to be in nice shape. Don't even ask what it's worth until we have identified the model, because it makes a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeh1974 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 Wow...thank you very much for the responses. I just looked inside the soundhole and indeed found "LG1" stamped on the inside. I can try to post more pictures tomorrow or Monday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfox14 Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Your LG-1 appears to be in pretty decent shape. I would estimate value at approx. $1800-2000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Your LG-1 appears to be in pretty decent shape. I would estimate value at approx. $1800-2000 Hmmm...hate to be disagreeable, but I don't see an LG1 going for more than $1100. Maybe less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Hmmm...hate to be disagreeable, but I don't see an LG1 going for more than $1100. Maybe less. I agree with you, based on completed auctions on ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Thats what I,m talking about... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeh1974 Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 Well, I figured some video would help more than trying to snap a million pictures. Please feel free to take a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Thats a great idea of posting a video. Except for a couple areas of fixable damage, the guitar looks to be in really great condition cosmetically! I noticed the hole(s)on the soundboard and the crack off of the soundhole. The other possible issues that I cannot tell from the video are neck angle and straightness. Loose bracing and/or bridge as well. The DeArmond pickup is a collectable all on its own. Would be nice to see the 'dusty case' from whence this guitar emerged...? Is this guitar up for sale? What is its history? You make it sound like it 'just appeared' from a dusty case... Hopefully, we are taking it easy on you! You came to the right place for "all things,Gibson" Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeh1974 Posted February 6, 2012 Author Share Posted February 6, 2012 Thats a great idea of posting a video. Except for a couple areas of fixable damage, the guitar looks to be in really great condition cosmetically! I noticed the hole(s)on the soundboard and the crack off of the soundhole. The other possible issues that I cannot tell from the video are neck angle and straightness. Loose bracing and/or bridge as well. The DeArmond pickup is a collectable all on its own. Would be nice to see the 'dusty case' from whence this guitar emerged...? Is this guitar up for sale? What is its history? You make it sound like it 'just appeared' from a dusty case... Hopefully, we are taking it easy on you! You came to the right place for "all things,Gibson" Rod Yes, so far you guys have been a great help! Lol...I didn't mean to make this "discovery" sound so incredible. The backstory isn't too exciting but here goes... Basically I was given the guitar around 14 or 15 years ago. I was in my early 20s, and saw a couple of my friends practicing on their guitars so I got a wild hair and decided I wanted to learn too. At the time I was working with a guy who stated that he had a couple of guitars, and that he didn't really play anymore and that I could have one since it was a bit beat up. He brought in a beat-up (and I mean beat-up) black case with the guitar in it. I guess he just gave it to me as it had the crack in it, as well as the hole in the front panel. I really don't know if he knew he had anything valuable or not. He never asked for it back, and I haven't seen him in over 13 years or so. Anyway, the extent of my learning involved all of an "A" chord, and after a week and a half the guitar went back into the case. My roommate at the time was leaving, so I needed to move out and wound up moving into a smaller place by myself. As I had less space, many things went into a free room at my mother's business which served as storage. That's pretty much where the guitar stayed until the past couple of weeks. My mom was moving her business and asked me to reclaim old belongings still stored there. I had completely forgotten about the guitar until I came upon the dusty case in the far back corner. I remembered a buddy once told me that Gibsons were fairly valuable, and the name clicked for me when I opened it up. Thats when I did a Google search for vintage Gibsons and wound up here. :) I'm sorry, I don't know any history of this guitar prior to me obtaining it. Sure, I'd be interested in selling it to the right buyer. I don't know how to play, and with two very small children running around, I'd probably have to store it for another 14 years before I found the time to try playing it again. That's pretty much why I posted it here...to try and assess a fair value for it. I figured it would serve somebody who really loves guitars. Also, I don't know if guitars appreciate in value the longer you hold onto them or not. I was probably just going to try and find a suitable buyer locally, but if anyone on this board is interested, by all means let me know. Once again, thank you all for the help. Any other comments on the video are most welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Thats actually a pretty good story, joeh! I,m sure that stuff like that has happened to a lot of people.....No One on THIS forum though..... . The value of the guitar would best be determined with a hands on inspection, to assess the afore-mentioned issues! You may get some interest from some on the forum, depending on where you live. Good luck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 The video is helpful, but it also shows some major issues. The holes in the top are obvious and unfortunate, and have a major impact on value. The cracks in the top can be repaired: the holes can be repaired, but that may not be cost-effective. Likewise, I note that the back center seam is open. You can see daylight through it. The action looks very high at the 12th fret, but there appears to be some saddle left to adjust it. The question is whether there is enough. The required repairs to stabilize this guitar could well cost about what the guitar is worth. The cosmetic condition--other than the holes in the top--is very good, but there are some significant repairs required. Unfortunately, repairs of this type cost the same on a $500 guitar as they do on a $5000 guitar. The LG-1 is a nice guitar, but as the entry-level Gibson flat top in 1961, it does not have the collector value of Gibson's higher-end instruments. The only way to really know what the guitar is worth is to auction it. My guess after looking at the video is that it would sell in the $500-$900 range. With proper repairs made it would go for more, but that may or may not offset the cost of repairs. If you are really attached to it, you should consider getting it repaired properly. If not, you may just want to sell it for what you can realize out of it in this condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeh1974 Posted February 6, 2012 Author Share Posted February 6, 2012 The video is helpful, but it also shows some major issues. The holes in the top are obvious and unfortunate, and have a major impact on value. The cracks in the top can be repaired: the holes can be repaired, but that may not be cost-effective. Likewise, I note that the back center seam is open. You can see daylight through it. The action looks very high at the 12th fret, but there appears to be some saddle left to adjust it. The question is whether there is enough. The required repairs to stabilize this guitar could well cost about what the guitar is worth. The cosmetic condition--other than the holes in the top--is very good, but there are some significant repairs required. Unfortunately, repairs of this type cost the same on a $500 guitar as they do on a $5000 guitar. The LG-1 is a nice guitar, but as the entry-level Gibson flat top in 1961, it does not have the collector value of Gibson's higher-end instruments. The only way to really know what the guitar is worth is to auction it. My guess after looking at the video is that it would sell in the $500-$900 range. With proper repairs made it would go for more, but that may or may not offset the cost of repairs. If you are really attached to it, you should consider getting it repaired properly. If not, you may just want to sell it for what you can realize out of it in this condition. Thanks for your input. I appreciate it. I've been speaking with my office-mate here at work, and he saw the video today. He actually owns a couple of Gibsons himself, and he thinks (with reasonable certainty) that the holes on the front were drilled on purpose for the volume control to the pickup, and the lead wire to run to the amp. He believes the cracks on the sound hole were from trying to screw down the pickup too tight. He's recommending that I take the guitar to one of the larger shops in a nearby city to get an assessment of worth and repair costs. He suggests another interesting idea of trying to find an original volume knob, and reattach it back to the pickup thereby negating the need to repair the holes...and putting the guitar back to more of an original state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Those type of pickups did not come with control knobs. They were simply wired thru the soundhole or to an endpin or side-jack. Nick gives you good advice on this. You could have work done to this guitar and after that cost....still not realize the profit that you might get by selling as-is and letting the new owner do as he sees fit.... I would seek and listen to the advice of a good repairman instead of your friend. Food for thought...Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Thanks for your input. I appreciate it. I've been speaking with my office-mate here at work, and he saw the video today. He actually owns a couple of Gibsons himself, and he thinks (with reasonable certainty) that the holes on the front were drilled on purpose for the volume control to the pickup, and the lead wire to run to the amp. He believes the cracks on the sound hole were from trying to screw down the pickup too tight. He's recommending that I take the guitar to one of the larger shops in a nearby city to get an assessment of worth and repair costs. He suggests another interesting idea of trying to find an original volume knob, and reattach it back to the pickup thereby negating the need to repair the holes...and putting the guitar back to more of an original state. The pickup and the controls are not "original" in any sense, so that's not going to disguise the fact that the top of the guitar has holes in it, for whatever reason they were put in. The pickup does not add to the value of the guitar in any way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeh1974 Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 I see...good to know. As I said, I really don't know anything about guitars, so bear with me as I'm learning about all of this as I go. That's why I'm soliciting the experts. :) I guess my next step is to just see how much a shop would charge for the repairs. I'm leaning towards just selling "as-is", as I believe I've read that most people like to oversee repairs themselves. However, if the repairs aren't too pricey, I may have it fixed up and try selling then. Thanks to both of you for the clarifications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 The pickup and the controls are not "original" in any sense, so that's not going to disguise the fact that the top of the guitar has holes in it, for whatever reason they were put in. The pickup does not add to the value of the guitar in any way. That is a good point concerning the pickup! I suggest that you remove it and sell separately. I would be interested in buying the pickup. PM me if you decide to sell it. I would install on my LG3 in a New York minute.. (it had something installed long ago) Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfox14 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Well, at first it appeared to be in decent shape but after seeing the video I totally retract my previous statement. Damage to the top is fixable but hurts the value of the guitar. The action looks way high and it may need a neck re-set. Value is way lower than I thought initially. Maybe $600-700 tops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Well, at first it appeared to be in decent shape but after seeing the video I totally retract my previous statement. Damage to the top is fixable but hurts the value of the guitar. The action looks way high and it may need a neck re-set. Value is way lower than I thought initially. Maybe $600-700 tops Paul, this is a classic example of why it can be so difficult to buy things without first-hand inspection. The OP here has been very up-front, which gives us the chance to revise our original evaluation of both the condition and potential value of this guitar. Unfortunately, a lot of sellers aren't so honest, which can make ebay such a lottery. There is what seems to be a lovely early-50's LG-3 on ebay right now that appears to be in shockingly good condition. It has a few finish dings--very few--but the finish has almost the same gloss as a new guitar. Nowhere does it mention that the guitar may have been re-finished or oversprayed, but in one photo, you can clearly see a high-gloss finish peeling off a corner of the bridge. Of course, Gibson didn't spray the bridge, so something is going on here, but the seller makes no mention of it. This kind of stuff drives me up the wall, and it happens all the time. Photos can and do lie, if you want them to. The video here of the LG-1 was fair and honest, and caused all of us to revise the value downward to reflect the true condition after seeing it. Although he may be disappointed, I hope we have all helped the original poster in his search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Paul, this is a classic example of why it can be so difficult to buy things without first-hand inspection. The OP here has been very up-front, which gives us the chance to revise our original evaluation of both the condition and potential value of this guitar. Unfortunately, a lot of sellers aren't so honest, which can make ebay such a lottery. There is what seems to be a lovely early-50's LG-3 on ebay right now that appears to be in shockingly good condition. It has a few finish dings--very few--but the finish has almost the same gloss as a new guitar. Nowhere does it mention that the guitar may have been re-finished or oversprayed, but in one photo, you can clearly see a high-gloss finish peeling off a corner of the bridge. Of course, Gibson didn't spray the bridge, so something is going on here, but the seller makes no mention of it. This kind of stuff drives me up the wall, and it happens all the time. Photos can and do lie, if you want them to. The video here of the LG-1 was fair and honest, and caused all of us to revise the value downward to reflect the true condition after seeing it. Although he may be disappointed, I hope we have all helped the original poster in his search. Nick...I've wondered about that Ebay LG3, especially why it hasn't sold. Think I even stepped out of line a while back and contacted the seller to deal off Ebay (of course only after an auction's end). Never got a response, but this guitar's been relisted multiple times with no price adjustment. ??? Maybe one to avoid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfox14 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Paul, this is a classic example of why it can be so difficult to buy things without first-hand inspection. The OP here has been very up-front, which gives us the chance to revise our original evaluation of both the condition and potential value of this guitar. Unfortunately, a lot of sellers aren't so honest, which can make ebay such a lottery. There is what seems to be a lovely early-50's LG-3 on ebay right now that appears to be in shockingly good condition. It has a few finish dings--very few--but the finish has almost the same gloss as a new guitar. Nowhere does it mention that the guitar may have been re-finished or oversprayed, but in one photo, you can clearly see a high-gloss finish peeling off a corner of the bridge. Of course, Gibson didn't spray the bridge, so something is going on here, but the seller makes no mention of it. This kind of stuff drives me up the wall, and it happens all the time. Photos can and do lie, if you want them to. The video here of the LG-1 was fair and honest, and caused all of us to revise the value downward to reflect the true condition after seeing it. Although he may be disappointed, I hope we have all helped the original poster in his search. Nick, I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt. Maybe to a fault, but it wouldn't surprise me if the eBay seller simply isn't aware that the guitar was refinished. I could be wrong, but that's the gamble you take buying on eBay. More people (including eBay sellers) should do in-depth videos of the guitars they are selling and post them on YouTube. Makes a huge difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Nick...I've wondered about that Ebay LG3, especially why it hasn't sold. Think I even stepped out of line a while back and contacted the seller to deal off Ebay (of course only after an auction's end). Never got a response, but this guitar's been relisted multiple times with no price adjustment. ??? Maybe one to avoid. Yeah, I suspect it's one to avoid, if only for that reason. I've been looking to buy a small-bodied Gibson for a few months. Looked at and played a bunch of 40's and early 50's models, and was generally unimpressed by the value, playability, and/or tonal qualities. May end up with something like a Blues King, although I really want 'hog, not bubinga. The Legend L00 doesn't do it for me bacause of price and neck profile. I'm not a fan of the V-neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 My hand happens to fit the 'V'. It keeps my thump positioned correctly. Dumb luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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