Gibson Vintage Guitar - Vintage Gibson Guitars

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Ever play a Les Paul? What a great history Gibson has. They are tops for vintage guitars.

Gibson Guitars began when Orville Gibson (born 1856, Chateaugay, New York) started making mandolins in Kalamazoo, Michigan USA. The mandolins featured a carved, arched solid wood top. Gibson's innovation made a better-sounding mandolin that was immensely easier to manufacture. Orville Gibson's mandolin design, with its single-pieced carved sides and a single-pieced neck,was patented in 1898.

In 1902, the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co, Ltd. was officially started.

In the 1920s the Gibson company developed many innovations in guitar design, and became the top maker of arch-top guitars, the Gibson L5 model was the most popular. In 1936 they made the "Electric Spanish" model, the ES-150, seen as the first commercially successful electric guitar.

Because of the strong sales of the Fender Telecaster in 1950 Gibson decided to make a solid-body guitar. Although guitarist Les Paul was one of the originators of the solid-body electric guitar, the guitar that was named after him was developed with very little input him. When Les Paul was asked to sign a contract to endorse the guitar he asked that the tail piece would be changed, and that was his only contribution. The Les Paul was released in 1952.

The late 1950s was a time of innovative new designs including the eccentrically-shaped Gibson Explorer and Flying V and the semi-acoustic ES-335, and the introduction of the now famous
"humbucker" pickup. These were offered on the Les Paul in several models, including the Custom, the Standard, the Studio, the Supreme, the Special and the Junior. Starting In 1961, the body design of the Les Paul was changed, to the double-cutaway body design. Les Paul did not like the new body style and dropped his endorsement, so the new body design then was called the Gibson SG. The Les Paul came back to the Gibson catalogue in 1968 due to the influence of players such as Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Peter Green.

The Les Paul and the SG became very popular with hard rock and heavy metal guitarists; Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, the twin-lead line-up of Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson of Thin Lizzy, Duane Allman, Slash of Velvet Revolver and Ace Frehley of Kiss are known for their preference for a Les Paul. Pete Townshend of The Who, Angus Young of AC/DC, Frank Zappa of Mothers Of Invention and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath are some of the more well-known SG players.

Between 1974 and 1984 production of Gibson guitars was shifted from Kalamazoo to Nashville, Tennessee. TheGibson Guitar Corp. was bought by Henry E. Juszkiewicz, David H. Berryman and Gary A. Zebrowski in 1083. Currently, Juszkiewicz stands as CEO and Berryman as president of the company. More recently new production plants have been opened in Southern and rural areas, such as Memphis, Tennessee as well as Bozeman, Montana. The Memphis facility is used for semi-hollow and custom shop instruments, while the Bozeman facility is dedicated to acoustic instruments.

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* Gibson 335-S
* Gibson Alpha Q-2000/Q-3000
* B. B. King Lucille
* Blueshawk
* Byrdland
* Chet Atkins SST
* Citation
* Corvus
* Digital
* ES Series
o ES-120
o ES-125
o ES-135
o ES-137
o ES-150
o ES-165
o ES-175
o ES-225
o ES-295
o ES-325
o ES-330
o ES-333
o ES-335
o ES-340
o ES-345
o ES-347
o ES-355
o ES-339
* EDS-1275
* Explorer (also known as "X-plorer")
* Firebird
* Flying V
o V-Factor X
o V-Factor Faded
o Gothic Flying V
o Flying V Limited Edition
o Reverse Flying V
* Futura
* GK-55
* Howard Roberts Fusion
* Invader
* L4-CES
* L5
* L5S
* L6-S
* Les Paul
o 23
o 432
o Gibson Les Paul Baritone
o Classic
o Custom (also known as "Black Beauty")
+ Anniversary 25/50
o Junior
o Recording
o Studio
+ Gothic
+ Swamp Ash
+ Voodoo
o "The Paul" (also known as "The Paul" Standard)
o "The Paul" Deluxe
o "The Paul" Deluxe Firebrand
* Marauder
* Melody Maker
* Moderne
* Nighthawk
* RD
* S-1
* Gibson Artist Signature Models
o Gibson Tom Delonge ES-335
o Gibson DG-335
o Gibson Custom Shop Slash Model
* SG
o Special
o Supreme
o Junior
* Sonex
* Spirit
* Super 400
* MIII (Radical suprerstrat design, produced 91'to 95')
* Vegas
* Gibson Victory
o Victory MV 2
o Victory MV X

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* Gibson L-4 series, 1913 to 1957
* Gibson L-3 series
* Gibson L-5 series
* Advanced Jumbo
* B series
* Blues King
* B12-45 12 string
* C-165
o Maple
o Rosewood
* Hummingbird
o Custom
* Dove
o Artist Model
o In Flight Custom
* J Series
o J-160E
o J-160 E VS Std
o J-180
o J-185
o J-185EC
+ Rosewood
+ Cutaway
o J-45
+ Deluxe
+ Rosewood
+ Custom Vine
o J-50
o J-100
o J-150 Maple
o J 200
o J200 EC
o J-200 Custom Vine
o J-250 Monarch
o J-2000
* L-00
* L-130
* L-140
* L-150 Custom
* LC-1 Cascade
* LC-2 Sonoma
* Nick Lucas Series
o Elite
o Reissue
* Sheryl Crow Signature Model
* SJ-299 Western Classic
* SJ-300 Rosewood
* Songwriter Series
o Deluxe (The Songwriter series was originally released in 1999 as the Songbird, but Gibson found out there was another guitar manufacturer using that name so they changed it to Songwriter)
o Deluxe Cutaway
o Deluxe 12 String
o Traveling Songwriter
* Southern Jumbo
* Super 200 Cutaway Custom

In the 1970s, Gibson standardized the serial number system that is still in use today. The typically eight-digit serial numbers on Gibson guitars are stamped on the backside of the headstock. The first and the fifth number combined show the year that the instrument was made. The second, third, and fourth numbers show on which day of that year the instrument was made. The sixth number represents the location where the instrument was made, and the last two digits show the "production run" number.

For example, the serial number 90992487, shows that this guitar was made on the 99th day of 1992 in Nashville, TN, and that it was the 87th guitar they finished at that facility on that day. A '7' in the location spot means Memphis, while a '4' means Nashville. All electric and semi-electric guitars are built in Memphis and Nashville. Gibson also has an acoustic guitar facility in Bozeman, Montana.
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Please Contact me if Selling an Instrument! CLICK HERE TO CONTACT HIM
Interested in selling a vintage guitar, lapsteel, ukulele or amplifier? I pay anywhere from $100 to $30,000 for older instruments by Gibson, Fender, Martin, Gretsch, Epiphone, National, Dobro, Rickenbacker, D'Angelico, Stromberg, DanElectro Sitars/Long Horns, Kay Barney Kessels, made before 1970. If you have one of these for sale, please email me and let me know what you have. If you don't have one of these brands of guitar, I am sorry, I just can not help.

When Email'ing, Please Keep In Mind...
o This is my hobby, not a business. I try and answer the emails in which there is something for sale (or potentially for sale). I can not answer emails on general questions. There just isn't enough time in the day! The net has become too big, and I get too many emails (over 100 per day!) I simply can not handle this volume and can not give out opinions, advice, and what stuff is worth.
o Please check my web pages for information on your guitar before emailing me! Many times the info you're looking for is already there. Research your guitar a bit, especially if you plan on selling it, so you know what you have and a basic idea of its value.
o Please do not ask me to value or appraise your guitar. Sorry there just isn't enough time in the day for these questions, and it's a bit more involved than just, "I have guitar X, what is it worth?"
o I do not have info or collect guitars 1970 or newer. I do not have information on brands I don't collect! I have no information on Harmony, Guild, Vega, Mosrite, Washburn, Bruno, Peavey, Supro, Alamo, Oahu, Framus, Stella, Macaferri, EKO, Ovation, Teisco, Suzuki, Recording King, Slingerland, Norma, Hagstrom, Tokai, Cortez, Bacon & Day, Kay (except for Barney Kessel models), Dan Electro (except for a few models), Hofner, Silvertone, any "no name" brand, and any "import" brand (no Japanese, Korean, Mexican, guitars).
o I do not sell guitars!
o Pictures are cool! But please don't go nuts. A front and back picture in JPG (Jpeg) format is good (I can't view any other picture format).

Best Contact Method.
o Email cfh@provide.net
(click on that email address). This is the best method of contact.

Emailing Pictures.
Pictures are great! I love digital pictures via email. Well as long as they are really huge, and as long as they are in JPG format. A front and back picture of the instrument in its case would be great.

He has a super detailed Gibson Vintage Guitar Collectors Information Page (He does not sell guitars so if you want to buy one come back here and follow my links below) If this Lens is helpful to you please comment it and link to it. ))

Click Here To Check Out A Bizzilion Vintage Gibson Guitars For Sale at Killer Prices