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Strange Gibson Les Paul

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10/27/1999 8:04 AM

Strange Gibson Les Paul

I hope someone can finally tell me about my L.P. I got it new back around 1980. Its a STANDARD-candy red-GOLD hardware-EBONY fingerboard (only standard I have seen with ebony). The headstock has two sets of numbers stamped into it. Top stamping is 82562503.Just over the middle tuners its stamped 0232. I have heard everything from "its a factory 2nd" to its a "pre-custom shop, custom shop." I got it from a local, family owned shop. Anyone KNOW what I have, and what its value is?
thanks
Jim O

10/27/1999 8:23 AM

Jim:

    FWIW my 25/50 has the serial number stamped in black across the top of the headstock rear:

73508041

...with the following 4 digits stamped immediately below it;

1527

    Midway between the top 4 tuners and running parallel with the neck "Made in USA" is stamped in black. Directly below those letters and also running parallel to the neck is the uninked stamp that says "SECOND".

    But it sounds and plays great!

Steve Ahola

10/27/1999 3:45 PM

I don't know if this helps but after the company was sold to either the employees or an individual in the early 80's (can't remember which but it ended the Norlin ownership), the new owners put all the existing stock for sale at bargan prices and marked them as seconds. At least that is what I remember memory being what it is today

( I had a MarkIII for a number of years that was so marked. It was a pitifull excuse for a guitar, but I was able to happily trade it for a ES335 dot recently

10/27/1999 5:10 PM
Jim O	FWIW- this guitar looks, plays,& sounds great. From what I remember, the shop also had (all new with tags) A Tabaco Sunburst L.P., A Gold Top L.P. w/mini 'buckers, and a Modern in stock when I got my L.P.. This shop was SMALL, but always had GREAT stock.

10/28/1999 3:39 PM

Did'nt mean to imply that Gibson made really bad instruments in the early 80's. It's just that the Mark series was poorly designed and not very well made. The high end stuff like your LP was pretty good. The only reason I bought the Mark III I had was because the price was too good to pass and I thought that maybe it might go up in value some day. The plastic rosetta thing is real bad and you could do nothing with the bridge. Played well enough just sounded thin and looked..........well cheap. I have seen the wine red LP with gold hardware and that is a pretty guitar. Your lucky (or smart) to have it.
I was lucky to find a chump who put bronze strings on a ES335 and really wanted a gibson accoustic of any kind to play bluegrass with. Traded me even!!!!

10/28/1999 8:03 PM
Jim O	Talk about luck, what a trade!!! I don't think my L.P. is a second though, I always heard that seconds were stamped "SECOND". Also, all the stock in that shop was a "reissue" type guitar (except mine I guess). My buddy got the tabacoo burst L.P. and its great also. What I really want to know is "what is it"? and what year it was made?

10/29/1999 1:09 PM
Liam	It's 1982 (from first and fifth digits), which seems weird if you got it in 1980. I'm pretty sure it's not a production guitar, so pre-custom shop custom shop or a prototype I suppose. What fret markers, binding and tuners does it have. I can possibly identify it from that. Liam

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