Dating gibson mandolins

Images, Gibson F2 Mandolin, Some finish checking on top. Serial number photos by Christie & Walter Carter, other photos from Stan Jay/Mandolin Bros.
Table of contents

If you are looking to purchase a vintage Gibson to use as a playing instrument, the first good thing to check before even the price!

Gibson A Model Guide

Strum it, hit chords, open notes, etc. Tune it up, or get the owner to tune it for you. If it doesn't sing, forget it- there are enough of them out there that you will eventually find one that you like. Get a general impression from the instrument how "played in" it is If it has the "unplayed" sound, it is harder to judge what it will eventually sound like. Instruments can take anywhere from years to really break in, depending on how often you play. Sometimes instruments that haven't been played in a while are "sleeping", it can take a month or so to "re-break" them.

Mine sat in the shop for 2 years after the first owner died, and it took about 2 weeks of solid playing to get it to have a "wide open" sound again..

The best thing you can possibly do is try several different instruments. You will build a strong knowledge of the variations through experience. Remember, you are looking for an instrument that will have a very strong influence on your enjoyment of playing music!


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  • How to Select a Vintage Gibson Mandolin!
  • Gibson Serial Numbers!

If you've discovered a well broken-in instrument that you like the sound of, you can move onto the next step-- model verification. If the sound is "muffled" or unplayed, check out the following section. A vintage mandolin that hasn't really been played much or broken in should be approached like a brand new instrument. The sound will probably mellow over the years if it isn't abused or mistreated into a sound that is similar to a broken-in model of the same vintage. The important breakdowns are:.

Compare a "Broken in" Gibson from the same period ; for a fairly accurate estimate of how the instrument will eventually sound. For the period of onward, try to get a near exact analogue because there are so many differences. All of the above are signs of use and wear.

Gibson Mandolin Serial Number Search on The Session

They are not really bad in and of themselves, but they do indicate how much an instrument has been played. If your eyes tell you a story that is not compatible with the "mint condition" or "as new" description, be wary. The first thing to look at is the label. It should tell you the model number and serial number of the instrument.

Pawn Stars: Guitar Autographed by The Beatles - History

Some were written in pen, some in pencil. Mine is nearly illegible, but with a bright light and a lot of patience, I was able to read all of the information from the inside. The serial number when compared to the ones in Gibson records will tell you within a few months of when your instrument was made. Also, with a dental mirror and flashlight, you should be able to see a different factory number up on the block where the neck meets the body inside the instrument. The label will probably have yellowed somewhat with age, but a nice new-looking piece of whitish-grey speckled paper with crisp, clear writing does not indicate a forgery - that's what they were like when brand new!

The early instruments with Serials below have a lyre mandolin and Orville Gibson's face on the label. You will want to make sure that the instrument you are looking at is the model that it is advertised as, because those little model numbers do a lot to the price of the instrument. The higher numbers have more fancy decorative features in general, but do not necessarily sound any better than "lower end" models.

Serial numbers for Early Gibson Mandolins

I personally would be hard pressed to trade my A0 for an A4. Anyway, don't pay A4 prices for an A0!! This one is easy. If it has a curlycue on the bass side of the neck next to the fingerboard, it is an F model "Florentine" mandolin. An A model mandolin is symmetrical, and teardrop-shaped. Gibson A3, Gibson F4. Bridge Prior to , the only bridges made for Gibson mandolins A or F were made from a single piece of wood, with no adjusting screws. Models around have little inserts on the saddle for compensation. If the instrument has an adjustible bridge and a date prior to , it is most likely a replacement bridge.

Many instruments had upgraded parts as gibson released new models. Binding The term "binding" refers to the white band that surrounds the face, back, neck, or headstock of the mandolin. The only completely unbound Gibson was the Ajr model, a stripped-down in decoration version of the classic A model. Prices should range relative to each other in this fashion:. Plain model, with no binding or inlay decoration at all, brown finish. Shaped hardshell or canvas case. Can have the "snakehead" peghead see below.

Very Brief Historical Notes

A or A0 Brown or black finish, binding only on face and in soundhole. One ring of purfling around the soundhole.


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Pickguard that is pinned into the fingerboard and bridge, clamped to the side of the instrument. Pearl dots on fingerboard. Dark stained birch not the best "wavy" or "curly" cut back and sides. More detail on this model. A1 Similar to A0, has some features double purfling on soundhole of an A2.

Index to this Document

Brown, black, or blonde finish all possible. Binding on front, back, soundhole, fingerboard; "The Gibson" inlaid into the headstock, closer grained most of the time! Double ring of purfling around the soundhole. Would have been correct period for original truss-rodded neck, has a later 50's style peghead "Gibson" inlay, a This is one of the best oval hole mandolins ever made by Gibson - a Loar era truss rod F2.

The F2 was the next to the top of the line mandol Pickguard may have at one point accomodated a pickup, as there is a little notch cut out of it. Last Loar signed instrument recorded. EXC, sent back to Gibson circa at which time Gibson installed new tuners which involved dow Purchased used in by the father of the current owner. Very clean mandolin in excellent original condition. The A2Z variation is the most sought after of the Gibson A style round hole instruments Fantastic original condition virzi snakehead A4 from the tail end of the Loar period "" scratched on underside of pickguard A straight original mandolin showing some very minor playing wear.