I need help w/accurate date Early 1970's Explorer

[teknikAL]

I'm looking for help in dating my early 1970's Gibson USA Alpine White Explorer w/non layered white pick guard. Stamped serial# 627479 & "Made in USA". The "dater" says Kalamazoo or Nashville Plant approximately 1970, 1971 or 1972. I have been told that the control configuration and color may help date it more accurately. The controls are three in a line.

The electronics were gutted, so no pots to date, the tuners are a 1 piece gold kluson style pressed metal and the gold covered pickup's backs are filled with epoxy....

The guitar was a complete basket case when I bought it in mid-late 1980's with the frets filed down, grooves worn to the wood, and not able to be intonated, no nut, no controls, no pots, no output jack plate, but the original pick guard, pick ups, tail piece, and tuners. Bridge was collapsed and missing pieces.

Currently one of my main player guitars, done up to my specs with Dunlop 6000 fret wire, Seymour Duncan Seymourizer neck, Distortion bridge, late 80's gold German Schaller hardware and a custom triple laminate b/w/black pick guard. Black controls wired master volume, neck volume, neck tone.

Will post a picture soon.

[pippy]

Wow! That sounds really interesting!

 

I'm no expert but all the books I've read mention 1976 as the first time an Explorer was introduced since the original series. If yours is from '70 - '72 then would it have been a one-off a custom order?

One of these books lists the serial number run 500,000 to 635,000 dating from 1970 but, as I'm sure you know, Gibson's records from this time are notoriously unreliable.

 

If you PM Customer Services here they might be able to help.

 

P.

[L5Larry]

all the books I've read mention 1976 as the first time an Explorer was introduced

 

This is the same info I have, although I do show a couple of Explorers shipping out in 1975. The 6XX,XXX numbers were also used in '74 and '75, and sometime in 1975 Gibson went to the 8-digit date code prefix number system.

 

Considering all the above, I would guess this instrument to have been made in 1975.

[teknikAL]

When I looked at the 11th ed. Electric Guitar Blue Book links from Gibson it extended that "dater" info serial to 1974 &1975.

 

From the 11ed. Electric Guitar BB: "600000S 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975". It goes on to say "During the period from 1975-1977 Gibson used a transfer that had eight digit numbers," and " When the Nashville Gibson plant was opened in 1974, it was decided that the bulk of the production of products would be run in the South; the Kalamazoo plant would produce the higher end (fancier) models in the North. Of course, many of the older guitar builders and craftsmen were still in Kalamazoo, and if they weren’t ready to change how they built guitars, then they may not have been ready to change how they numbered them! Certain guitar models built in the late 1970s can be used to demonstrate the old-style, six-digit serial numbers. It is estimated that Gibson’s Kalamazoo plant continued to use the six-digit serial numbers through 1978 and 1979., from the 11ed. Electric Guitar BB: "During the period from 1975-1977 Gibson used a transfer that had eight digit numbers,".

 

The 6th ed. Electric Guitar Blue Book says: "1974 and 1975 100000s, 200000s, 300000s, 400000s,500000s, 600000s, 800000s"

 

So it would appear that 1975, Kalamazoo or Nashville to be the best "guess"; leanin toward Kalamazoo.

 

Thanks guys.

 

I'll try to get confirmation from Gibson. I thought a mod may be poking around. I'll post a pic this afternoon.

[sharkydude]

Be sure to include a picture of the serial number "stamp" from the back of the HS. That will help others to tell if it's legit or not.

[Bruce Pettengil]

[Wmachine]

6 hours ago, Bruce Pettengil said:

Huh?  Wrong (8 year old) thread?