[NewGuitarGuru]

Okay, so I was at a family reunion kind of barbecue thing last night, and I took my guitar (upon my aunt's suggestion). Anyway, once I got there, an older relative of mine (whom I am not entirely sure of our relation) made the statement that her father used to play, and that she has a Gibson. So, after we had dinner and stuff, I went over to her house nearby to check it out. It has those "f" holes in it and is entirely acoustic. I was afraid to touch it.

So anyway, I was wondering what exactly it was:

 

[NewGuitarGuru]

Continued

So yeah, if anyone has any ideas, that would be cool. (Price range too.)

 

[Rhythmeister]

I'm 99% sure this is a wartime ('41-'45) Gibson L-50.

The giveaway date indicators are the script Gibson logo, and more precisely the "wartime" wood trapeze tailpiece, which was utilized during the war to preserve metal.

The dot inlays indicate the lower-end, but hugely popular L-50.

Here's a link to a '43 L-50 previously sold by archtop.com:

http://www.archtop.com/ac_43L50.html

Cheers,

Blair

 

[NewGuitarGuru]

Thanks alot for the reply, I will definitely use what information you gave me to my advantage.

 

[greco]

What a find!!

Would you consider letting us know the estimated value, once it has been appraised? Thanks.

Dave

 

[RIFF WRATH]

very...very...interesting.

that Gibson looks identical to my ARCIIKRAFT which I can't seem to find any info.

me thinks i will try that link mentioned above.

cheers
RIFF

 

[NewGuitarGuru]

What a find!!

Would you consider letting us know the estimated value, once it has been appraised? Thanks.

Dave

Well, my relative said that a guitar guy had a look at it but that he couldn't give a estimate without the serial number. He also said that the number was located inside of the body of the guitar, which seems off to me. Since I do not own this beauty, (yet) I am not very apt to want to open it up to find a number. But yeah, in other news, it's a beautiful guitar, there are still old Gibson brand strings in the hard case.

 

[greco]

Well, my relative said that a guitar guy had a look at it but that he couldn't give a estimate without the serial number. He also said that the number was located inside of the body of the guitar, which seems off to me. Since I do not own this beauty, (yet) I am not very apt to want to open it up to find a number. But yeah, in other news, it's a beautiful guitar, there are still old Gibson brand strings in the hard case.

Would your relative be comfortable with you looking inside the guitar with a "dental" style inspection mirror ?
You can get them at places like Canadian Tire for a few bucks. Some have extendable/telescoping handles.

Once you found the serial number, you could do the research on the internet, or directly with Gibson, to determine the date of production, etc.

The old Gibson strings, in their original packaging, would be a treasure to some collector. An additional cool find.

Dave

 

[Rhythmeister]

Well, my relative said that a guitar guy had a look at it but that he couldn't give a estimate without the serial number. He also said that the number was located inside of the body of the guitar, which seems off to me. Since I do not own this beauty, (yet) I am not very apt to want to open it up to find a number. But yeah, in other news, it's a beautiful guitar, there are still old Gibson brand strings in the hard case.

Personally, I don't think the serial number is necessary. I'm unaware of any price/value differences between a '41 and a '45 L-50. Even if the wartime tailpiece was not original to this guitar, that scipt logo was only used for a defined period of time and certainly would never be faked in these circumstances. Once you know the era, which seems pretty apparent, then it falls to assessing the condition of the instrument and whether there are any other premium items - ie. original papers, original case, etc. - to augment the value.

Cheers,
Blair

 

[Rhythmeister]

A further unsolicited opinion...

Though I have not seen the guitar in person, from the wear displayed in the photos, I'd estimate the guitar is worth $800-$1100 USD real selling price. A retail shop might offer it for something up to about $1499 USD - I suspect they wouldn't be able to get that much. Also, if the guitar needed some real work - like a refret, or cleating of cracks - it would be worth less money.

Cheers,
Blair

 

[greco]

"that scipt logo was only used for a defined period of time and certainly would never be faked in these circumstances."

Rhythmeister Your posts will be very helpful. Didn't know that about the script logo (as I have never spent any time reading about vintage instruments).

Enjoyed reading your posts. Very informative.

Dave

 

[NewGuitarGuru]

Thank you once again, I am somewhat sure that it still has its original case from what I have researched on these L-50s. The guitar is not easily accessible by me right now, so I cannot give a good look at the case pocket.

 

[rollingdam]

I had one of these though from the late 30's-put new strings on and play every note on every fret-mine had wolf notes galore.

 

[lespaul2]

L50/L48.. nice... sold one last year for $800... looked the same with the pick marks..... but had a crack from the f-hole to the edge....

 

[NewGuitarGuru]

Okay, thanks for the information guys. I really appreciate the effort some (if not all) of you put into helping me.

 

[bluezombie]

I looked in a book and it looks VERY alike a 'Gibson L-5' from the very early 1900's, according to the book, anywhere bewteen 1922-1929

 

[NewGuitarGuru]

Cool, thank you very much.