Can anyone help me identify an old Gibson acoustic?

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DrewPeterson7

DrewPeterson7

Sage of the Order
Since there's another Gibson thread here, and a bunch of you guys evidently know your old Gibsons... I'd posted this at another (smaller) forum, but the results were inconclusive.

My dad has this old Gibson acoustic that I absolutely love - it's beat to hell, looks ancient, and sounds awful in that begs-you-to-play-delta-blues way that just kicks ass. (It's tough to explain, but it's really an amazing, unique sounding guitar). It's this vibe-y old thing, probably the first guitar I ever touched, and the one that I began on when I first started to try to play in earnest.

I just have NO idea what the model is. The serial number dates it back to the 50's, IIRC (I looked it up once), and that fits - my dad got it after his older sister bought it used in maybe the late 60's/early 70's and then didn't stick with it. It seems to have a rosewood back and sides, and some sort of spruce top. I'm not sure what the fretboard is, it seems too light and figured to be rosewood, but I don't know what else would be used...

I guess it doesn't really matter, but it's my dad's guitar, it's the guitar I learned on, and every time I go home I pick it up and do my best hacked-up Jimi-plays-fingerstyle-blues impression. After all these years I'd be just curious to know what it is - not just "some old Gibson," "an old Gibson so-and-so."

Anyway, on with the pics!

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...and then me playing some blues licks on the thing.

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The bridge isn't original, BTW - a local acoustic luthier replaced it a while back, I forgot why exactly... I don't particularly care what it's worth (it's obviously not in collectable condition, my dad has no intention of ever selling it, and when he, god forbid, dies, it's going to me and I also have no intention of ever selling it) or anything like that, I'm just curious what it is since it's been such a special guitar for basically my entire life.
 
Nothin' but red x's here. Probably my firewall blocking the pics.
 
I think that you should teach your dad how to string a guitar properly. :eek:
 
ocnor said:
I think that you should teach your dad how to string a guitar properly. :eek:
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That was pretty much my reaction when I saw it, too. :p He hasn't had to in at least a decade, probably - he only played occasionally when I was younger (he's primarily a pianist), and then once I started playing I would always restring it for him. These days, he's playing a lot more but I'm generally home every couple months and whenever the strings start sounding a bit shot I'll throw a new set on for him - what happened here was he simply broke one when I wasn't around, and sort of made a mess of the restringing process. :D

Zaphod - that's strange, it's hosted on my site, not a photobucket or flickr account, so you should be fine... ocnor, can you see the pics?
 
DrewPeterson7 said:
Zaphod - that's strange, it's hosted on my site, not a photobucket or flickr account, so you should be fine... ocnor, can you see the pics?
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Nah, not so strange. Our corporate firewall has been set up recently to block tons of URLs - I haven't figured out the logic, though.

If I try to access your URL directly through the browser address bar I get blocked by the firewall, so that's why your pics aren't showing here on my work computer. I'm sure I'll be able to see them fine from home.
 
If it indeed dates from the '50s the guitar is most likely an LG-3. If so it is X braced and the back and sides are mahogany. That fretboard is Brazillian rosewood. Even in it's current condition it has collectors value. Properly set up with a fresh set of strings it is probably a terrific guitar.

If it has lateral braces it is most likely a B-25 and is not as old as you think. Most of these are sunburst but they made some with a natural top. These often sound as you describe. It IS a neat tone for some things.
 
My apologies. The B-25s were X-braced also They are essentially the same as the LG-2(sunburst) and LG-3(natural). The LG-3 was replaced by the B-25 in late '62. B-25s with a natural top were designated B-25N

The last of the LG-3s and B-25Ns made between '63 and '66 had plastic bridges. That is a likely reason for the bridge on yours to be replaced. I'm betting you have one of these instruments.

Gibson serial numbers had a habit of being reused sometimes so you have to have some background to use them for dating instruments.
 
I'm at home now and I can see the pics.

God, I love that thing. It has been played and played and played. :)

I laughed when I saw how the strings were all strung from the right side of the posts. :D
 
Zaphod B said:
I'm at home now and I can see the pics.

God, I love that thing. It has been played and played and played. :)

I laughed when I saw how the strings were all strung from the right side of the posts. :D
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Thats nothing, remember the warning pic I posted a while back. Sometimes you just need to cut em off and start from scratch.:D

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Oh, yeah, I remember that pic well. :)

I still can't figure out how he did that.:confused:
 
My guess would be a B25N, since it has white binding, the LGs have black or tortoiseshell when they have binding. Lightnin' Hopkins played the hell out of these.
 
dervish riff said:
My guess would be a B25N, since it has white binding, the LGs have black or tortoiseshell when they have binding. Lightnin' Hopkins played the hell out of these.
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The LG-0 (all mahogany) often had tortoise binding. LG-1, LG-2 and LG-3 all had white binding.
 
Milnoque said:
If it indeed dates from the '50s the guitar is most likely an LG-3. If so it is X braced and the back and sides are mahogany. That fretboard is Brazillian rosewood. Even in it's current condition it has collectors value. Properly set up with a fresh set of strings it is probably a terrific guitar.

If it has lateral braces it is most likely a B-25 and is not as old as you think. Most of these are sunburst but they made some with a natural top. These often sound as you describe. It IS a neat tone for some things.
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Milnoque said:
My apologies. The B-25s were X-braced also They are essentially the same as the LG-2(sunburst) and LG-3(natural). The LG-3 was replaced by the B-25 in late '62. B-25s with a natural top were designated B-25N

The last of the LG-3s and B-25Ns made between '63 and '66 had plastic bridges. That is a likely reason for the bridge on yours to be replaced. I'm betting you have one of these instruments.

Gibson serial numbers had a habit of being reused sometimes so you have to have some background to use them for dating instruments.
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Milnoque - thanks tremendously for your response!

I'm afraid I just don't remember what the original bridge looked like - it was replaced about 10 years ago. I'll see if I can find some old pictures, but if I recall right it was wood, and there was something physically wrong with it - it was cracked, if I recall right.

The bracing, I'll have to get some better pictures of the next time I'm home.

I'd agree with mahogany for the back and sides - it's obviously much older and under a completely different finish, but visually it looks rather like the magohany back and sides on my Martin.

And yeah, a "Lightning Hopkins" sort of sound is a pretty good description, dervish. :D
 
One more thing:

In '63 Gibson started using this really thick pickguard material. The earlier pickguards took some effort to remove but these had a habit of coming loose on their own. I noted in the pictures you posted that there was no shadow from the pickguard showing on the top of yours. If the guitar had worn its guard for very long there would be a shadow. This is another indicator that it may be a B-25N.

One more thing II (the sequel):

19 frets was standard prior to 1955. LG-3s made after that (and B-25Ns) have 20 frets.

It turns out that there's one for sale on e-bay

http://cgi.ebay.com/65-GIBSON-b25-b...itar?hash=item23031051e0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

The the wood adjustable bridge dates this guitar as 1966 or later.
 
Milnoque said:
One more thing:

In '63 Gibson started using this really thick pickguard material. The earlier pickguards took some effort to remove but these had a habit of coming loose on their own. I noted in the pictures you posted that there was no shadow from the pickguard showing on the top of yours. If the guitar had worn its guard for very long there would be a shadow. This is another indicator that it may be a B-25N.

One more thing II (the sequel):

19 frets was standard prior to 1955. LG-3s made after that (and B-25Ns) have 20 frets.

It turns out that there's one for sale on e-bay

http://cgi.ebay.com/65-GIBSON-b25-b...itar?hash=item23031051e0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

The the wood adjustable bridge dates this guitar as 1966 or later.
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That makes sense to me, man - I agree, the pickguard definitely came off very early in its life, as I've never seen any change in wear or anything that would suggest it spent much time there.

Would the location of the serial # help firm up that hypothesis? It's stamped/engraved into the back of the headstock...
 
I don't really know the answer to this one. Gibson often used different procedures for different guitar types. On archtops of the fifties I have had , when they put a serial number on the headstock it was usually inked but not engraved. I think this may have been true of solidbodies most of the time. I'm not sure about the acoustics. Post the serial number if you can. Also, look for a number in ink inside the body. It would usually be on the neck block and would start with a letter. That would be the factory order number (FON). It isn't always there, but if it is, it would be a big help nailing the date down.
 
Milnoque said:
I don't really know the answer to this one. Gibson often used different procedures for different guitar types. On archtops of the fifties I have had , when they put a serial number on the headstock it was usually inked but not engraved. I think this may have been true of solidbodies most of the time. I'm not sure about the acoustics. Post the serial number if you can. Also, look for a number in ink inside the body. It would usually be on the neck block and would start with a letter. That would be the factory order number (FON). It isn't always there, but if it is, it would be a big help nailing the date down.
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I don't, but next time I'm at my parents' place, I'll jot it down for you. :)
 
I agree that it seems likely to be a an LG3 or a B25N. For some reason Gibson put black plastic bridges on some of these and over time they curled and warped. Probably the reason for the bridge replacement on yours unless it truly was originally a wood bridge. If it had an adjustable saddle (common on certain 60s models including the B25, J45 and J50 and some Epiphone models), it was likely replaced with a fixed saddle at that time. I have a 66 B25 (in burst) and that is what was done to mine before I bought it -- new wood bridge and fixed saddle. I later replaced the saddle with a bone saddle. Mine still has a pick guard though. It is tough to find these in good shape as they were lower priced guitars and were used as "student" guitars and typicaly used and abused. One of my favorite guitars and the one I use when I play out (have a Sunrise pickup in it as well). Loud for its size.
 
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