WearesKate Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I bought a Gibson guitar in 1970 at the Sam Ash Music Store in Hempstead, NY. I still have the sales slip. It very clearly says on it that it is a J60 model. The guitar itself is in excellent condition. I am trying to determine its value. Is there any way to run the serial number against a database to be sure what model it is. Is it possible that it is a J60 from 1970? Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ol fred Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I bought a Gibson guitar in 1970 at the Sam Ash Music Store in Hempstead, NY. I still have the sales slip. It very clearly says on it that it is a J60 model. The guitar itself is in excellent condition. I am trying to determine its value. Is there any way to run the serial number against a database to be sure what model it is. Is it possible that it is a J60 from 1970? Thanks for the help. Look for a serial number on the label or printed in ink inside the guitar. post pictures of said guitar. and pray that it isn't a 1970 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ol fred Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Look for a serial number on the label or printed in ink inside the guitar. post pictures of said guitar. and pray that it isn't a 1970. Welcome to the forum! A great place to be all told. HUH, no idea how I did that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 If it's a 1970 guitar, it may have a five- or six-digit number stamped/embossed on the back of the headstock, near the top, with "made in USA" stamped below it. A photograph of the instrument would be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WearesKate Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 the serial # is 970759. the D# is 91129. why should I pray it's not a 1970? it looks like a j-50 but the receipt very clearly says j-60. that's why i'm confused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WearesKate Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 here's a picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubee Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Call Elderly, describe the guitar & they can give you a ballpark number. 1970 not Gibson's best year but there were plenty of good sounding ones made then so if you like it, enjoy it. I had a couple of nice ones & I've owned many 'more desirable' vintage axes. It is worth a few $$ BTW, not a pittance by any means if in good shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 1968? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WearesKate Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Just looked at sales slip again. It was 1971, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestionMark Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Just looked at sales slip again. It was 1971, Does it have a volute on its neck where the headstock joins the back of the neck? If so, its a post 1970 Gibson. I can't tell from your description if the receipt is just dated 1971 or if it says the guitar itself is from 1971 production. Likely it is an early Norlin era Gibson. Some are really good guitars (I have a 1972 Gibson SJ Deluxe that is a great guitar.) Norlin era Gibson's generally do not have as high a value as pre-Norlin era Gibsons or post Norlin era Gibsons (Montana). Norlin era Gibsons had inconsistencies in their quality. They were better in the early 70s and got consistently more inconsistent in quality as the decade and Norlin era progressed...although, some were good (just not all). Many of the Norlin era models were actually very similar despite having different model names. Many used the same square shouldered body despite having different model names...a cost cutting move by Norlin management. Hope this helps. QM aka Jazzman Jeff ps. What I can't make out from your photo is if your guitar has an adjustable bridge/saddle. There seems to be two dots next to the saddle. Are those adjustable bridge pole screws? I'm not aware of Norlin Gibsons every having an adjustable bridge like pre-Norlin era Gibson from the 60s did. If it has an adjustable bridge, it may pre-date the Norlin era. Can't tell from the photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WearesKate Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Does it have a volute on its neck where the headstock joins the back of the neck? If so, its a post 1970 Gibson. I can't tell from your description if the receipt is just dated 1971 or if it says the guitar itself is from 1971 production. Likely it is an early Norlin era Gibson. Some are really good guitars (I have a 1972 Gibson SJ Deluxe that is a great guitar.) Norlin era Gibson's generally do not have as high a value as pre-Norlin era Gibsons or post Norlin era Gibsons (Montana). Norlin era Gibsons had inconsistencies in their quality. They were better in the early 70s and got consistently more inconsistent in quality as the decade and Norlin era progressed...although, some were good (just not all). Many of the Norlin era models were actually very similar despite having different model names. Many used the same square shouldered body despite having different model names...a cost cutting move by Norlin management. Hope this helps. QM aka Jazzman Jeff ps. What I can't make out from your photo is if your guitar has an adjustable bridge/saddle. There seems to be two dots next to the saddle. Are those adjustable bridge pole screws? I'm not aware of Norlin Gibsons every having an adjustable bridge like pre-Norlin era Gibson from the 60s did. If it has an adjustable bridge, it may pre-date the Norlin era. Can't tell from the photo. I will check on your questions later this week. guitar is stored elsewhere right now so I only have pictures also. Pictures and memory. The receipt is dated '71, no mention of production date. I just did search on serial number and it makes no difference whether I put in J50 or J60. It says it was made in Kalamazoo or Nashville in 70, 71, or 72. My main question still is about the receipt saying it's a J60. Is that possible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pschaafs Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 That looks a lot like my 1969 J-50, though I'd need a better pic of the headstock to be sure. You can clearly see the rosewood adjustable saddle if you click on the pic. The pick guard is different in 1969 than most other years, I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 My guess is 1969 - Btw. take a longer trip out of town within an hour - among other things to check 2 guitar shops. (glad you kind of fixed the left hand Nick) see you all. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Are the back and sides of this guitar rosewood, or mahogany? The modern era J-60 (1990's) was a square-shoulder dread like yours, but with rosewood back and sides, essentially designed a Gibson version of a D-28. I had not realized that they might have made these in the 70's as well. Your guitar looks like a J-50, and if the back and sides are mahogany rather than rosewood, I would say that's what it is, despite what it says on the bill of sale. If they are rosewood, then I've learned something new about Gibson guitars from the 1970's. We will need a picture of the back if you aren't familiar with the visual difference between rosewood and mahogany. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 the serial # is 970759. the D# is 91129. why should I pray it's not a 1970? it looks like a j-50 but the receipt very clearly says j-60. that's why i'm confused. That serial number, coupled with the date on the sales slip, makes it almost certainly a 1970 or 1971. There was a lot of re-use of serial numbers or factory order numbers in this period. I'm not sure what that other D-prefix number is in light of the date on the sales slip. It's the number stamped on the back of the headstock here that is most important, assuming there is no label inside the guitar.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 We keep getting back to the fact that there was no such thing as a J-60 in the 1970s so it has to be a J-50. As far as I know, the J-60 was a purely Bozeman creation. The problem with the late 1960s through mid-1970s J-50s is features are all over the place. You will see them with teardrop or the large pointy pickguards and both black and natural headstocks. There does not appear to be a whole lot of rhyme or reason to it. I can't tell from the picture and I am not 100% positive about this but I want to say a 1970-1972 J-50 would have black binding. One made later would have the tortise shell binding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Gibson did make a very inexpensive model in the very early 70s called the JGO. Think of it as a square shouldered version of the LGO. I'm sure they went through changes and inconsistencies and were built largely based on what was available. The few that I've seen have had pinless bridges and no back binding but that was only 2 or 3. Is it possible that "JGO" was accidentally written down as "J60" on the bill of sale? Here's a few googled JG0 pics: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestionMark Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 From my perspective, that very first photo closely resembles the original photo posted...plus, it has the two dots at the end of the saddle that make it look like an adjustable bridge (whether or not it is.) Plus, the JGO name could be misread as a J60 name. I personally think you've solved the mystery...subject to the original poster validating such. Good work... QM aka Jazzman Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 One easy way to tell is that based on ksdaddy's pics the early 1970s JG0 has an unbound back. The early 1970s J50 have a bound back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Adjustable Bridge... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WearesKate Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 Thank you, everyone, for your contribution to my inquiry. It is more curiosity than anything else that got me looking into this. It is very apparent that the sales slip was written wrong and it is either a JG-0 or a J-50. There are variations of the J-50 that look so like the JG-0 that I cannot be 100% certain which it is. I am not selling it so it is not critical that I know. I will be checking some of the features you have suggested and perhaps will be more certain when I do that. However I do now know that it is not one of five or ten J-60's made in 1970 that would need its own insurance policy. It is quite comfortably covered on my regular home owner's policy!! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Adjustable Bridge... The adjustabale bridge, which was originally introduced as an option, became a standard feature in 1961 so does not help a whole lot in narrowing the model or date of manufacture down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 However I do now know that it is not one of five or ten J-60's made in 1970 that would need its own insurance policy. It is quite comfortably covered on my regular home owner's policy!! I would not worry about it. I have yet to see any Gibson acoustic made in the 1970s that will bring any kind of serious cash. With Gibson it is as much about age as the model. So just play and enjoy the guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-squared Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 I know this is 8 years too late. But the model is not a J-60. It's a JGO. It was only made for a year or two. It was my first dreadnought, which I traded in for a banjo in New Haven in 1977. I met it again in a store in NYC five or six years later, and wish I'd bought it back! Jeff yojoslin@gmail.com 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 (edited) 17 hours ago, J-squared said: I know this is 8 years too late. But the model is not a J-60. It's a JGO. It was only made for a year or two. It was my first dreadnought, which I traded in for a banjo in New Haven in 1977. I met it again in a store in NYC five or six years later, and wish I'd bought it back! Jeff yojoslin@gmail.com Okay, J-squared, and thanx for reviving a thread from the 1970s. Dust clouds flow around as I write. Hep for the info too ^ and welcome Edited March 12, 2021 by E-minor7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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