Vintage Guitar Outlet Blog

jargent100 asked:


I’ve had my Gibson Les Paul Deluxe for about 10 years. I received it as a gift from a close family friend, and the implication was that she received it in leiu of payment from someone else.

The thing is most definitely “hot”; the serial number has been scratched off deeply from behind the headstock. (It’s also been hot for at least 15 years, so I’m less concerned about that.)

What I’m trying to figure out is how to properly determine the age of the guitar. I’m reasonably sure it’s late 1970s, but I don’t think I can get any more detail without a serial number.

Is there any other way to get more info on the guitar’s origin? Do LPs have a serial number anyplace other than the back of the headstock? Can I determine the age based on the setup / style of the pick-ups?

I’ve been playing guitar for a while, but am not part of the “vintage” scene, and know fairly little about nice guitars. (I’m cheap.) Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Here’s a picture of something a lot LIKE the guitar:

http://gitar.hatarozo.hu/mods/block_art/images/4501915951_les-paul-classic_410_01.jpg

Though this is a LP Classic.

(Now that I don’t have the guitar in front of me, I’m questioning whether it’s a Deluxe or Classic, but pretty sure it’s a Deluxe… I’ll verify later.)
I checked. It is an American Made Les Paul Deluxe. I photographed and blew up the scratched out serial, but can’t make out any real detail…
BUT, no mini humbuckers. I think it had some customizations done.

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jargent100 asked:


I’ve had my Gibson Les Paul Deluxe for about 10 years. I received it as a gift from a close family friend, and the implication was that she received it in leiu of payment from someone else.

The thing is most definitely “hot”; the serial number has been scratched off deeply from behind the headstock. (It’s also been hot for at least 15 years, so I’m less concerned about that.)

What I’m trying to figure out is how to properly determine the age of the guitar. I’m reasonably sure it’s late 1970s, but I don’t think I can get any more detail without a serial number.

Is there any other way to get more info on the guitar’s origin? Do LPs have a serial number anyplace other than the back of the headstock? Can I determine the age based on the setup / style of the pick-ups?

I’ve been playing guitar for a while, but am not part of the “vintage” scene, and know fairly little about nice guitars. (I’m cheap.) Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Here’s a picture of something a lot LIKE the guitar:

http://gitar.hatarozo.hu/mods/block_art/images/4501915951_les-paul-classic_410_01.jpg

Though this is a LP Classic.

(Now that I don’t have the guitar in front of me, I’m questioning whether it’s a Deluxe or Classic, but pretty sure it’s a Deluxe… I’ll verify later.)
I checked. It is an American Made Les Paul Deluxe. I photographed and blew up the scratched out serial, but can’t make out any real detail…
BUT, no mini humbuckers. I think it had some customizations done.

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Cornporto asked:

I generally prefer the vintage stuff and have a collection of vintage gibson and Fenders, but I need a decent hollowbody. With a Gretsch, I’d need to get a pre 1970s model (before the company went in the crapper for a decade or two) or a late 90s and beyond Japanese made model. Obviously I dig the vintage models, but worry about the playability of the older Gretsch. The new stuff – the Setzer, Horton Heat, and Nashville models are wicked cool, but made in Japan and may not have the resale value or mojo of a vintage model but will likely be more refined and easier to play. Any insight, thoughts or comments?

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