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Need help on guitar worth


Motherofpearl

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So quite possibly it's newer than 1948?

 

 

That was the first thing I noticed when I looked at the ad and what made me initially question the 1948 date. Gibson did not start using the large pointy one like on the guitar you are looking at until 1955. So if it is original that is the earliest year the guitar could have been made.

 

Again, the FON will tell ya what you want to know.

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There are defintely some BIG red flags to watch out for here. Refinished guitar with NO logo seriously drops its value a lot! Price in listing says $1000 - not $700. That's no bargain for the guitar in its current condition. I would stay away from this one.

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That pickguard still looks like it is really askew. Granted these were bottom of the food chain Gibsons but that thing looks like whoever put it on had a three martini lunch.

 

But the final nail in the 1948 theory coffin is the guitar in the pic has 20 frets. A 1948 would have 19 frets. You did not see 20 frets on an LG until, you guessed it, 1955.

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Actually just read the ad - red flags all over the place.

 

First, the pickguard is the style Gibson started using in 1955.

 

Also while I may be wrong, I thought that while Gibson did use an "H" designation in the 1940s it followed the FON not preceded it. Hopefully somebody with a bit more knowedge than I will chime in to help you out.

 

I would tread very carefully around this one.

 

Spot on, ZW.

 

That FON Doesn't really make sense. Note that is also a 20-fret neck, which didn't come in until 1955. And, as you said, that pickguard is also the later (post 1954) version. Although it isn't placed properly, I would not be surprised to find that is the original, which came off at some point.

 

I also note that in the picture of the top taken at an oblique angle, you can't see the side of the X-brace next to the soundhole, which should be visible at that angle. There is also no back centerline cleat, so I suspect this is a one-piece back.

 

The guitar is misidentified by year, and perhaps by model. It has a refinished (and with the shape partly changed ) headstock. Maybe the logo is intact beneath the paint, and maybe not.

 

Is it a good player? Maybe.

 

For anyone who thinks this guitar is worth $2K, think what you can buy with that. At the very least, a recent AJ or J-45 standard. With luck, a decent, fairly recent J-45 TV if you are in the right place at the right time.

 

I'll pass, thank you very much.

 

And, by the way, anyone who considers prices in ANY guitar price guide to be accurate in today's market is going to end up paying too much money nine times out of 10. This is still a buyer's market.

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Whoa there! That "depending on condition" is a huge caveat! I might pay that for a pristine LG 2. Much higher than that and you're starting to look at J-45's. As far as $2500 goes for an LG-1? What market are you looking at?

 

Don't look at starting prices or buy it now on Ebay. Look at completed sales.

Ooops...I was referring to the $700 original price and an LG1. I may be crazy but I'm not insane. Well maybe I'm both.

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Can't tell ya what to do Hoss. But you know the old saying about if something sounds too good to be true then . . .

 

Walking away is probably the smart move as the whole thing seems a bit inky, but if it is a good sounding and playing guitar, based on the fact it ain't an

LG-2 and it ain't a 1948 anything, you could offer the guy a stupid low price.

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Gibson did not start using the large pointy one like on the guitar you are looking at until 1955. So if it is original that is the earliest year the guitar could have been made.

 

 

.,.As I said above Zomby,... the guard is not period correct for what the seller is claiming...

 

I'd be bet you you would have found a few structural issues hidden under that guard to....

 

[woot]

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