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A customer brought in this old Gibson and ask if I could help with repairs and ID. He is trying to determine if it is worth fixing or not. Both of the top braces are loose nearly their full length in addition to the loose joint at the heel. the only way I can see to re-glue them is to remove the back. He is looking at a pretty sizable repair bill so he is wondering about the value of the instrument after it is fixed.

It has the narrow(.070) fret wire so I think that makes it pre 1954. Other than that I can find no serial numbers or labels anywhere except the peg head logo. The label is supposed to be visible through the upper F hole but there isn't even any residual glue to indicate that it once had one.

Thanks in advance
Cecil

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Sure, it's worth fixing.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Looks like the back is already coming off so shouldn't be too hard to get it off the rest of the way. I'd fix it but I have no idea what the value might be. Interesting strap button on the heel or is that where the player hung his tea cup?

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Anything with Old and Gibson in it is well worth fixing.

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Another day, another dollar.

that condition ... repaired...not restored...maybe $7 to $900. max.
On ebay that vintage and in good condition they start at $1,200 and go to 3k

If that walked in to me shop...me would offer him $150 cash and not a penny more, thats if me was in a good mood that day.

Guitars are like people...some are more repairable than others.

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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if he doesn't deem it "worth fixing", let him know there's someone in chicago who'll take it off his hands for a couple hundred....

Cecil, if you DO repair it, please post some pictures in-process. I'm real curious to see how you coax the sides back into their original shape near the neck block. It might not have lots of cash value, but it's a cool old archtop. I'd love to find something like it.
Patrick

Just FYI

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stunning-1954-G ... 1067561026

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EddieLee

It's definitely worthy of being repaired. If the owner doesn't want to invest the money he'll be able to sell it in it's current condition for a few hundred.
The grounding wire exiting near the trapeze is NOT original but probably quieted a lot of P90 hum.
Cool blues/country/jazz/rockabilly guitar.

Thanks for the help folks.

This is an old family piece that someone has played the bejeebers out of. The finger board has divots up to the 12th fret and the frets are completely worn out. He will probably repair it. I reset the neck on a 70s model hummingbird for him last month.

As for closing the gap at the heel, I tied a piece of bailing twine from the peg head to the end pin and tensioned it by wedging some boxes under it. It closed right up.

Thanks again

Cecil

I've owned an ES125 with 2 P90s' for many years and they are not a top of the range guitar that's for sure, definitely a student model with lots of factory built discrepancies inherent. Like the Pad says they don't fetch to many spondoolies when you try and sell em so you repair for love not profit. Fwiw mine is solid as a rock and the truss rod has never needed an adjustment in over 30years ( gotta be thankful for that piece of luck)

Steve