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Is this -94 Centennial 1934 Jumbo a fake?


Hallingamp

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Hi all.

 

My first post here, so be gentle.

 

I am just about to buy a 1994 Centennial 1934 Jumbo. I haven't got pictures of it at the moment but it looks exactly like this:

 

http://www.elderly.com/vintage/items/20U-9004.htm

 

Engraved brass plate on the headstock, raised pickguard, Waverly open tuners - the works. The label inside says it is nr 24 of 100. But the serial nr on this guitar puzzles me. Both the label and the headstock says 93364022. From what I have read this model was only made in March of 1994, but according to Gibson's serial number coding this guitar was made December 2. (336 is the day number, right?) This just doesn't seem right...

 

Can someone enlighten me before I close the deal on this? I would think this is a very unlikely guitar to make a fake of. But if it is a fake it is a stunningly good one. I can take some pictures of it if needed. Please tell me if there's any special details I should focus on.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Regards

Jan

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That appears to be a legitimate 1994 serial number, and it is a December date. Where did you read that these guitars were only made in March of '94?

 

I'm totally unfamiliar with this model, but with the raised finger rest and other unusual characteristics, I wonder if you are looking at this as a player, or just a collectible?

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Can you please post pictures to be more sure ?

 

* Photos of the instrument in JPG format as an attachment (please limit to 2MB total size for all pictures together, as a bigger total size will not reach us) – full front, full back, as well as close ups of the front and back of the headstock, with the serial number clearly visible. Also of any inside label that the instrument may have.

 

We can only give you information on how the serial number is registered here together with pictures of the guitar, for security reasons.

We can then also send you more information about the specifications of the guitar.

 

You can also send us an email, at service@gibson.com or at service.europe@gibson.com

 

Thanks,

 

Stijn

 

 

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Thank you for the quick replies.

 

I will take some photos when I get home from work and post them here.

 

j45nick: I have found this list several places on the net:

 

Flat tops that were part of the centennial 1994 monthly program :

 

- January > 1929 L-2

- Febuary > 1933 century

- March > 1934 jumbo

- April > 1934 smeck radio grande

- May > 1938 sj-200

- June > 1939 sj-100

- July > 1948 jumbo 55

- August > 1948 sj-200n

- September > 1950 cf-100e

- October > 1951 j-185

- November > 1963 hummingbird

- December > j-200

 

 

From what I have read these guitars are not of the greatest value to collectors, so I plan on putting a K&K in it and use it live.

 

Regards

Jan

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Pictures! :)

 

VERY difficult to get a clear shot of the S/N on the headstock.

 

I'm not able to upload more. I'm in Norway and it looks like I only have a 500k "global upload quota".

 

 

Regards

Jan

post-43708-059822500 1336582252_thumb.jpg

post-43708-053003500 1336582983_thumb.jpg

post-43708-015252500 1336583057_thumb.jpg

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Brilliant!

 

Here we go:

 

http://s1059.photobucket.com/albums/t424/Hallingamp/

 

The pictures are pretty low resolution. Hope they're good enough. And just to clearify; the pictures where the body looks yellow is taken with "blitz" (flash?). The orange body color is more correct.

 

Also; any suggestions on how to straighten out the wobbely pick-guard?

 

Thanks

Jan

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Its a 34 Centennial Jumbo.. and its Real... why would you think it could be otherwize?

 

Decembers was a Rose J200... also.. anything from Elderly is as stated.. Stan and his staff are Good to deal with..

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But the serial nr on this guitar puzzles me. Both the label and the headstock says 93364022. From what I have read this model was only made in March of 1994, but according to Gibson's serial number coding this guitar was made December 2. (336 is the day number, right?) This just doesn't seem right...

Why would #24 in a series of 100 have a serial number that dates it so much later than #40? There is only one answer to questions like this: Because it's Gibson. They do these screwy things all the time -- always have and, I hope, always will. Absolutely no reason to doubt the guitar's authenticity.

 

-- Bob R

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Its a 34 Centennial Jumbo.. and its Real... why would you think it could be otherwize?

 

Decembers was a Rose J200... also.. anything from Elderly is as stated.. Stan and his staff are Good to deal with..

 

The one at Elderly wasn't the one the OP questioned, he just used the pics at Elderly to show what he was talking about.

 

The OP was wondering if the one he was contemplating purchasing (not the one at Elderly) was a fake due to the discrepancy in the month those models were built and late date in the serial number. Rar's comment explains it as a good 'ol Gibson screwiness - I agree.

 

 

Hey Wily - - Haven't seen that one in a while. What a beauty! . [thumbup]

 

 

 

.

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The one at Elderly wasn't the one the OP questioned, he just used the pics at Elderly to show what he was talking about.

 

The OP was wondering if the one he was contemplating purchasing (not the one at Elderly) was a fake due to the discrepancy in the month those models were built and late date in the serial number. Rar's comment explains it as a good 'ol Gibson screwiness - I agree.

 

 

Hey Wily - - Haven't seen that one in a while. What a beauty! . [thumbup]

 

 

 

.

 

Got it.. Thanks... I guess I should of read it a little better.. Thanks..

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Hi

I am not familiar with that guitar but I am familiar with that dealer.

That shoppe is one of the handfull of very best .

If you have concerns, simply ask them to "please double check if there is any possibility that this is a fake".

They will tell you the truth

 

 

I just noticed..you are not buying this from the Elderly..

If you could get pictures and post them that would help.

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Hi.

 

I should have made it clearer that I'm not buying the guitar from Elderly. They just had such good pictures of this guitar. The photobucket pictures I have linked to IS the guitar in question. I am quite sure it is the real deal, I was just curious about the S/N. I find it strange they would mess with the numbers on a series of guitars like these. But I guess it's like Bob R says; they do these screwy things all the time.

 

So I guess I'm now the proud owner of a 1994 Centennial Special 1934 Jumbo! [thumbup]

 

Onewilyfool: That is a beautiful guitar. Only 32 made? Really?

 

Thanks for helping me out.

 

Regards

Jan

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Why would #24 in a series of 100 have a serial number that dates it so much later than #40? There is only one answer to questions like this: Because it's Gibson. They do these screwy things all the time -- always have and, I hope, always will. Absolutely no reason to doubt the guitar's authenticity.

 

-- Bob R

 

Exactly!

 

That's a very cool guitar. Thanks for sharing it with us. It's a copy of the one-of-a-kind jumbo that was in the Chinery collection.

 

BTW, RAR, we used your J-45 in the Great Banner Sessions yesterday. The engineer, a very experienced and accomplished guy, said that it's the best sounding guitar he's ever encountered.

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.... BTW, RAR, we used your J-45 in the Great Banner Sessions yesterday. The engineer, a very experienced and accomplished guy, said that it's the best sounding guitar he's ever encountered.

 

Quite the compliment.

 

Rar must have nerves of steel shipping his Banner. Just curious - If JT or Bob has time, I like to know how they were packed and shipped. . B)

 

 

 

Hallingamp - Congrats on your Centennial Special 1934 Jumbo!

 

.

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BTW, RAR, we used your J-45 in the Great Banner Sessions yesterday. The engineer, a very experienced and accomplished guy, said that it's the best sounding guitar he's ever encountered.

Thanks much for passing his comment along! I wonder whether he'll still think that at the end of the week, given the competition? :)

 

-- Bob R

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Thanks much for passing his comment along! I wonder whether he'll still think that at the end of the week, given the competition? :)

 

-- Bob R

 

Bob, here's your answer. We recorded Tuesday thorugh yesterday (marathon session until 2 this morning). Afterwards, Eric, our engineer, said he hoped to find time to explore your guitar more. We reconvene for our last session Saturday. I hope this is all right with you: I urged him to take the guitar home so the the coud play it. He was grinning from ear to ear as he left the studio.

 

Keep in mind that this is a talented guy who has heard and played a lot of guitars. His engineering experience is crazy for a young guy. He just engineered the soundtrack to the next Bruce Willis film, "Looper."

 

And to think, I've got that guitar and you don't know where I live. Lucky me.

 

Seriously, the guitar is just killer, especially in recording. You're gonna love it when you hear the Cd. You'll love the guitar even more ... If you ever get it back.

 

I offer you a humble thanks.

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Rar must have nerves of steel shipping his Banner. Just curious - If JT or Bob has time, I like to know how they were packed and shipped.

The short answer is: Carefully! :)

 

I shipped the guitar in a Hiscox Artist flight case. When I got the case, it had a bunch of excess lining scraps inside, foam-backed velvet. I rolled some of that up and used it, rather than wadded newspaper (or socks, my standard choice when traveling) to immobilize the headstock. The case got stuffed in a standard guitar shipping box, and most of the excess space was filled with foam I got with a guitar shipped by Gruhn. I think the foam was custom padding they made by squirting expanding foam stuff into plastic bags stuck in place in the box. I didn't even try to get the pieces back in place, but I liked the consistency of the foam -- it deforms under impact rather than transmitting the shock -- so I just stuffed in as much as I could around the case.

 

Shipping was by second-day air. According to what I've been told by Heritage, who insures enough guitars that they have meaningful statistics, the choice of carrier is not statistically significant to the probability of damage. What matters is how long the package is in the hands of the shipper. The longer the shipper has it, the greater the risk. Everything else that seems relevant, including whether it goes air or ground, turns out to be conditionally irrelevant to risk given shipping time. Their advice is to go for the fastest shipping you can afford, which, for me, generally means second day air shipped Monday through Wednesday. (Even though JT paid for the shipping, I wasn't going to let him pay more than I would.)

 

-- Bob R

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