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Where are they now...

Strings Jr.

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Joined
Jan 17, 2016
Messages
670
Awesome thread!! Any chance that one of my ES-335's passed through your hands? SN: 81722513
Yes sir! In fact, a 100% chance.

I built your guitar on July 16th, 1982. I'd love to see some pics. Hope you like it :salude


 

EdmundGTP

Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2016
Messages
41
Yes sir! In fact, a 100% chance.

I built your guitar on July 16th, 1982. I'd love to see some pics. Hope you like it :salude



No way! That is too damn cool! Here she is just hanging out around the house.

zQRkV9a.jpg
 

EdmundGTP

Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2016
Messages
41
That's a ****in' incredible looking dot.

Thanks! While not a "classic" finish per-se, she's a pretty sharp looking axe.

Just for the hell of it I popped out the pickups to see if any RFL initials were present. No luck, but found this instead. Looks like "JHaron Schott" , or maybe "Aaron Schott" and a "6#".

OgeNUx0.jpg
 

Strings Jr.

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 17, 2016
Messages
670
Thanks! While not a "classic" finish per-se, she's a pretty sharp looking axe.

Just for the hell of it I popped out the pickups to see if any RFL initials were present. No luck, but found this instead. Looks like "JHaron Schott" , or maybe "Aaron Schott" and a "6#".
LOL

That would be "Sharon Schott".

She married my good friend Bobby who worked in Whitewood. Reminds me of several couples who met at Gibson and lived happily ever after.

Thanks for sharing :salude
 

EdmundGTP

Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2016
Messages
41
LOL

That would be "Sharon Schott".

She married my good friend Bobby who worked in Whitewood. Reminds me of several couples who met at Gibson and lived happily ever after.

Thanks for sharing :salude

Hah! Super cool! Now that I look back through some old links here, she was one of the ones mentioned in the Korina Explorer Sex Goddesses thread! Wonder if she knows that she's quasi-famous now?
 

jimwoodard

New member
Joined
Jul 16, 2020
Messages
3
Hi, Strings Jr. New to the forum and the thread. I have 2 questions. (1) Were you possibly involved in the build of my Gibson Flying V2, serial # 80721023?

107893011_10221140448688088_3153521078912900722_o.jpg


(2) I know you haven't worked there in a while, but do you know how a guitar that was marked "Heritage Cherry Burst" would come from factory and get through with this color? It would seem to me someone would have noticed it was never "cherried" or "bursted". I'm not slamming, I love the guitar! I just wonder if maybe there was some way it would have been missed.

I've included it's "Baby picture" to show I didn't have it altered in any way. *edited to add* I spoke with our Gibson rep and he had not seen that color. At first he thought it might be an 'unburst', but they have a slight amount of burst to them. This is a single color. </edit>

79751093_10219089187167832_6643104394365632512_o.jpg


78411941_10219060870099923_5426189315862429696_o.jpg





110101977_10221140448448082_1248493264595539616_o.jpg
 

wmachine

Active member
Joined
Mar 17, 2016
Messages
303

(2) I know you haven't worked there in a while, but do you know how a guitar that was marked "Heritage Cherry Burst" would come from factory and get through with this color? It would seem to me someone would have noticed it was never "cherried" or "bursted". I'm not slamming, I love the guitar! I just wonder if maybe there was some way it would have been missed.

I've included it's "Baby picture" to show I didn't have it altered in any way. *edited to add* I spoke with our Gibson rep and he had not seen that color. At first he thought it might be an 'unburst', but they have a slight amount of burst to them. This is a single color.

79751093_10219089187167832_6643104394365632512_o.jpg


78411941_10219060870099923_5426189315862429696_o.jpg





110101977_10221140448448082_1248493264595539616_o.jpg
Looks like a standard lemon burst to me. BTW, love the V.
 

jimwoodard

New member
Joined
Jul 16, 2020
Messages
3
Looks like a standard lemon burst to me. BTW, love the V.

Thanks, wmachine. I had a V like that when I was 19. Sold it to fund another guitar a year later and regretted it ever since. It's an '81 and I bought one new when I was in the Navy. I've spent the better part of the last 20 years wanting to get a replacement, but they are nigh impossible to find without replacement pickups, etc. All the things that others rant about about are the things that endear it to me.

As far as my question regarding the LP Standard, that really wasn't the gist of what I was trying to find out. My guitar is a (relatively) new 50's Standard, which is only available in Gold Top, Heritage Cherry Burst, and Tobacco Burst. It's obviously neither of these. This is likely the result of it never getting completed in the finish shop or it could have been finished in a color not yet expected to be released. I did a little video, which I'll link here.


Not long after I brought it home, Gibson announced the Slash models and in them, the Appetite Burst, and mine looks almost identical to this one @ Sweetwater and this one @ Parkway Music (my old mom and pop when I lived in NY). I was only wondering from someone who did work in the shop if it's possible that either it appeared it never went to complete its journey through finishing or if it would be possible that I got one where they tested the new Appetite look and someone took that guitar and just complete the build as a 50's Standard.

Either way, it's an anomaly, a unicorn, a one-off, whatever, and it's mine. :D
 

Grog

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Joined
Apr 7, 2012
Messages
562
Randy, Do you recall any info on the Gibson 20/20 Bass? Ned Steinberger designed it shortly after Gibson acquired his company. They were produced in low numbers in 1987. We think somewhere between 50 to 100 basses were sold. Being somewhat Fugly, they didn’t really sell well, but it was an interesting piece of Gibson’s history of making basses.

7lRv72S.jpg
 

Groover

Active member
Joined
Dec 2, 2005
Messages
614
Such a cool thread.

I have an 82 335 Serial 83092544

What are the chances ?:hank
 

garywright

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Joined
Aug 17, 2002
Messages
15,582
Randy, Do you recall any info on the Gibson 20/20 Bass? Ned Steinberger designed it shortly after Gibson acquired his company. They were produced in low numbers in 1987. We think somewhere between 50 to 100 basses were sold. Being somewhat Fugly, they didn’t really sell well, but it was an interesting piece of Gibson’s history of making basses.

7lRv72S.jpg

those are a new one to me..I like that unique shape
 

Strings Jr.

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 17, 2016
Messages
670
Hi, Strings Jr. New to the forum and the thread. I have 2 questions. (1) Were you possibly involved in the build of my Gibson Flying V2, serial # 80721023?



(2) I know you haven't worked there in a while, but do you know how a guitar that was marked "Heritage Cherry Burst" would come from factory and get through with this color? It would seem to me someone would have noticed it was never "cherried" or "bursted". I'm not slamming, I love the guitar! I just wonder if maybe there was some way it would have been missed.

I've included it's "Baby picture" to show I didn't have it altered in any way. *edited to add* I spoke with our Gibson rep and he had not seen that color. At first he thought it might be an 'unburst', but they have a slight amount of burst to them. This is a single color.








Hello Jim and welcome to the forum!

Your V-2 was made in Kalamazoo, so I would not have been involved with it.
That being said, I do have one record for a V-2 with an 82 Kalamazoo serial number. Why it was sent to Nashville to be completed I can't say.

That's a very nice LP you have. There has to be a logical explanation as to what happened with the color. Whatever the reason, I do not believe that it was simply a skipped process in finishing. When I was there, the color designation marked in the pickup cavity was subject to change right up until the minute it was sprayed. Schedules could change daily, and often did. These days, things are a lot more automated, using bar codes, etc. So it's anybody's guess as to what happened. Was the guitar originally put in the "system" as a sunburst, then the color got changed for whatever reason, and the label printed out with info stored in the system for that serial number? Who knows? Either way, it's a great guitar with a unique story. Enjoy :salude
 

Strings Jr.

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 17, 2016
Messages
670
Randy, Do you recall any info on the Gibson 20/20 Bass? Ned Steinberger designed it shortly after Gibson acquired his company. They were produced in low numbers in 1987. We think somewhere between 50 to 100 basses were sold. Being somewhat Fugly, they didn’t really sell well, but it was an interesting piece of Gibson’s history of making basses.
Yes I do remember the 20/20. Barely. They were so un-impressive I believe 100 being sold may be too high.
IMO, they weren't much more than a "flavor of the month" before they disappeared.
 

Strings Jr.

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 17, 2016
Messages
670
Such a cool thread.

I have an 82 335 Serial 83092544

What are the chances ?:hank
Thanks!

The chances would be great. I built hundreds of those.

I would have bet money that I built it, but I didn't see your number.

I found 83092540, 542, and 547. But not 544.

Thanks for checking!!
 

El Gringo

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
Thanks, wmachine. I had a V like that when I was 19. Sold it to fund another guitar a year later and regretted it ever since. It's an '81 and I bought one new when I was in the Navy. I've spent the better part of the last 20 years wanting to get a replacement, but they are nigh impossible to find without replacement pickups, etc. All the things that others rant about about are the things that endear it to me.

As far as my question regarding the LP Standard, that really wasn't the gist of what I was trying to find out. My guitar is a (relatively) new 50's Standard, which is only available in Gold Top, Heritage Cherry Burst, and Tobacco Burst. It's obviously neither of these. This is likely the result of it never getting completed in the finish shop or it could have been finished in a color not yet expected to be released. I did a little video, which I'll link here.


Not long after I brought it home, Gibson announced the Slash models and in them, the Appetite Burst, and mine looks almost identical to this one @ Sweetwater and this one @ Parkway Music (my old mom and pop when I lived in NY). I was only wondering from someone who did work in the shop if it's possible that either it appeared it never went to complete its journey through finishing or if it would be possible that I got one where they tested the new Appetite look and someone took that guitar and just complete the build as a 50's Standard.

Either way, it's an anomaly, a unicorn, a one-off, whatever, and it's mine. :D

Very beautiful Les Paul . My 2 cents is that the packing carton was simply mislabeled . No conspiracy theory or need to worry . Stranger and far worse things have happened to peoples guitars than that . Sometimes we look for logical explanations and there are none .
 

jimwoodard

New member
Joined
Jul 16, 2020
Messages
3
Hello Jim and welcome to the forum!

Your V-2 was made in Kalamazoo, so I would not have been involved with it.
That being said, I do have one record for a V-2 with an 82 Kalamazoo serial number. Why it was sent to Nashville to be completed I can't say.

That's a very nice LP you have. There has to be a logical explanation as to what happened with the color. Whatever the reason, I do not believe that it was simply a skipped process in finishing. When I was there, the color designation marked in the pickup cavity was subject to change right up until the minute it was sprayed. Schedules could change daily, and often did. These days, things are a lot more automated, using bar codes, etc. So it's anybody's guess as to what happened. Was the guitar originally put in the "system" as a sunburst, then the color got changed for whatever reason, and the label printed out with info stored in the system for that serial number? Who knows? Either way, it's a great guitar with a unique story. Enjoy :salude

Thanks for the info, Strings Jr. I know that Gibson 'recalled' some of the V2's for a face lift (consisting of new colors for finish) in an effort to make them more sale-able, and that might be why you got a Kalamazoo in Nashville. I don't know how Gibson might have handled that process. The '82's had ditched the boomerang pickups for regular humbuckers and didn't have the cutout (because there was no need) in the fretboard. They also had a lot of new colors.


It's funny, because my V2 was purchased a few years ago by the last owner in Gruhn Guitars in Nashville. Funny how small the world is.

Yeah, the story of the Les Paul remains an enigma, but at least I can say that it is truly one of a kind. The only colors for this model were gold, heritage cherry, and tobacco; so mine is not only beautiful, but an albino unicorn.
 
Last edited:

wmachine

Active member
Joined
Mar 17, 2016
Messages
303
Hello Jim and welcome to the forum!

Your V-2 was made in Kalamazoo, so I would not have been involved with it.
That being said, I do have one record for a V-2 with an 82 Kalamazoo serial number. Why it was sent to Nashville to be completed I can't say.

That's a very nice LP you have. There has to be a logical explanation as to what happened with the color. Whatever the reason, I do not believe that it was simply a skipped process in finishing. When I was there, the color designation marked in the pickup cavity was subject to change right up until the minute it was sprayed. Schedules could change daily, and often did. These days, things are a lot more automated, using bar codes, etc. So it's anybody's guess as to what happened. Was the guitar originally put in the "system" as a sunburst, then the color got changed for whatever reason, and the label printed out with info stored in the system for that serial number? Who knows? Either way, it's a great guitar with a unique story. Enjoy :salude

Very beautiful Les Paul . My 2 cents is that the packing carton was simply mislabeled . No conspiracy theory or need to worry . Stranger and far worse things have happened to peoples guitars than that . Sometimes we look for logical explanations and there are none .

I have a "worse" mistake that that. I have a 2015 Gibson Memphis ES that I bought from CME in early 2018 at the very end of their of their Gibson Memphis warehouse blowout sale. It had languished in the Memphis warehouse, then stuck in a corner of the CME warehouse. There was supposedly some problem with it. The "problem" turned out to be that it wasn't what it was supposed to be. The box labels, the COA, and ultimately Gibson's records identify it as a 2016 "1959 ES-175D Vintage Burst VOS" reissue. But it is actually a 2015 "1954 ES-175D Dark Burst VOS" reissue. Only the s/n matches "everything". It took multiple emails, pics, etc. to get Gibson to confirm that I was correct about it being the 2015 model. But they refused to send me a corrected COA. And I doubt they corrected their records. But I have the emails for documentation purposes. FWIW, it is a fantastic guitar, supposedly one of 50 (51?) made for "worldwide" distribution and you won't believe how cheap it was!
 
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Feb 27, 2020
Messages
30
@Strings Jr.

Do you know anything about an SG that seems to be a one-off '60s reissue built for Angus Young around 1981?

You can see here, it has the '70s-'80s style long, rounded pickguard tip and other pictures show the thick font, closed b Norlin logo inlay, but obviously it has a tenon cover and the neck is not set in deep, touching the neck pickup like a typical '81, and the switch is not in the '80s location. Bevels also seem deeper and heel looks smaller. Inlays should have been small blocks in '81, but this has trapezoids.

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