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Hi, All I have is pics and a little data. Found it on a local auction site.
But I took a flyer anyway. Kind of as a bet to myself.
Color right. Tuners right. Rest basically right.
Back kind of plain.
S/N: Seller said it was "1 104816" but he may have gotten it wrong. "MADE IN USA" - seems 70-75?
Label: Black and white triangles on white square indicating early 70s at earliest? Case too?
Missing/etc: pickguard, wires cut off pup, pup looks original, bridge looks non-original, tailpiece hmmmm...., tailpiece missing ebony+plastic name piece. Almost looks as if body separating at bottom but seller said no.
I see that to make it playable, it will need a cleanup and a setup, and probably some more.
And the pics...
Any other thoughts/comments/help from what you can see would be welcome!
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07-09-2015 08:44 AM
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Id be all over it for the right price. All the bones are there. Bob
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Anyone have any idea where to get the right bridge? Or the tailpiece insert?
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Cooool
Part all can be found or made so if the price reflects the condition .... Go for it ....
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Well of course the insert was not metal, like the L5, so it is much easier to duplicate. I think it was resin, not wood, not sure, but you could fabricate one out of any dark dense wood. And the cover was just the usual b/w layered TR cover material. If you can do without Johnny's name, just forget the cover.
Originally Posted by travisty
Last edited by Woody Sound; 07-09-2015 at 11:09 AM.
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every once in a blue moon the t.p. insert pops up for sale on ebay
the bridge comes up more frequently, it'd be like below....they sell for big $ though
that guitar spent a loooong time in the case, the offgassing pickguard has corroded the pickup and oxidized the plating on the tuners
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fws6,
Went for it before posting the pics.
Expect I did OK. Not planning on selling it near-term. I have always loved Johnny Smith (some people like 175 tone, I like Johnny Smith tone). And I love the ITSB color.
Woody Sound,
Thanks for the pic. I see the TP plating there is off too.
wintermoon,
I figured that was what happened. Surprised the wood under the PG isn't worse.
Anyone have an idea how to deal with the oxidization on the pup and tuners?
Interesting is that pic4 shows a kind of a 'shadow' as if there had been a bridge pup there too. Look like that to anyone else? I guess I'll find out when it arrives.
Am guessing the bridge on there is a Gotoh TOM bridge...
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the pickup cover is shot, you could try to clean it but you'd likely end up w/ a pitted cover w/no plating.
the tuners probably still work fine, the gold plating on the buttons is about gone, maybe there's more left on the housings.
it's possible it had two pickups, check the label, it may say Johnny Smith D [double pickup]
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First off, please let me spare you the pain which comes from karmic involvement with this guitar. I will shoulder that burden for you. It is my destiny.
Oh, mais non. Those "speckles" near the waist? Those are medullary rays. Those mean that the back was cut close to dead on the quarter. It's not easy to find maple which is flamed on the quarter but your piece here looks lovely. In contrast, almost all of those pornographically-flamey Les Paul tops we see are cut on the slab, where flame is much more prevalent. Originally Posted by travisty
Punch line is that a high degree of care was used in the selection and handling of this wood, and it should be very stable. As witness by the way this guitar has been treated rudely for forty years and the back isn't cracked.
I'll wager that it says 2 104xxx. During the 70s Gibson used to routinely mark guitars without significant defect as seconds so they could discount them to their dealers. Originally Posted by travisty
Clean it up and make it sing. Lucky dog!
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Since I make repro guards, I have seen many guitars with tarnished hardware like that. You could unsolder the pickup cover and then the green corrosion will come off by soaking overnight in hydrochloric acid (careful) . Did you get the pickguard brackets with it, too ?
like WM sais most of the plating is ruined, so if you want it to be shiney you will need it replated.
You could also go the easy route and just buy a brand new Lollar JS pickup and save the original in the guitar case
tuners dont seem to be so bad maybe just gently polish with some white petroleum jelly and if they turn well then dont change them out
any luthier should be able to replicate the ebony / plastic insert sub $50
here s the same situation I had with my first Daquisto; guard fell to pieces and everything was totally green (but complete and working!) before:
And after:
Last edited by fws6; 07-09-2015 at 03:41 PM.
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Wow. Nice find.
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Originally Posted by wintermoon
every once in a blue moon the t.p. insert pops up for sale on ebay
the bridge comes up more frequently, it'd be like below....they sell for big $ though
that guitar spent a loooong time in the case, the offgassing pickguard has corroded the pickup and oxidized the plating on the tuners
Not always. Sometimes they're even given away!
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in the shot of the tailpiece the binding edges look pretty chewed up.
is it just nicks or deterioration?
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Oh boy. If the truss rod is still working and the neck is not warped, that would be a GREAT pickup at the right price.
The wood seems very clean. I would buy it but I'd be nervous as hell until I had it my hands.
Joe D
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What a guy.. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
Not always. Sometimes they're even given away!
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Originally Posted by Woody Sound
Well of course the insert was not metal, like the L5, so it is much easier to duplicate. I think it was resin, not wood, not sure, but you could fabricate one out of any dark dense wood. And the cover was just the usual b/w layered TR cover material. If you can do without Johnny's name, just forget the cover.
The name plate there is probably just two ply pickguard material with the ends beveled to reveal the white and the name engraved through the black layer into the white layer. That should be readily replaceable as the material is easy to find and any engraver could duplicate the name engraving.
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wintermoon, on the bindings I don't know yet. I assumed deterioration because of the pick guard gassing out and age. Will update when I know more.
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I love the colors in that guard. Originally Posted by fws6
And after:
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I don't know if an L5-sized guard would fit, but I just saw this one on ebay:
Gibson L 5c Cutaway Archtop Guitar Pickguard Tortoise Shell 5 Ply Binding | eBay
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2bop gave me the ebony bridge base with bowtie inlays from the 1970s Super 400CES for sale in Portland Oregon that I had clued him onto. 2bop sold that Super 400CES subsequently, and sent me the ebony bridge base as it was a spare. He paid for the postage and didn't ask for anything in return nor hint at it. I sent 2bop a pack of TI strings as a token of my appreciation for his kind gesture. (Swing or Bebop, I don't recall. Not GB for sure.) Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
Not always. Sometimes they're even given away!
Last edited by Jabberwocky; 07-10-2015 at 09:33 AM.
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Thanks WS. I need to figure out if I want to go traditional Johnny Smith shape or not. If I don't go the traditional route, I'd need to figure out how to go, and I personally like smaller and more 'vertical' PG shapes - like Stromberg PGs, the old Harmonys, or even the longer-skinny ones on Eastman 805s.
Guess I need to figure out if it is a double too...
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Fox Guitars -Where Vintage Is New Again (The same guy on ebay that WS linked to.)
G R Guitars
I prefer the L-5C pickguard to the Johnny Smith lobed pickguard.
As for the corroded cover, Autosol works a treat but it takes off whatever gold-plating is left on it. Leaves a very thin protective non-tarnishing coat on the metal. I use it to clean up frets rather than using 0000 steel wool. Don't let Autosol touch the tailpiece as all the gold-plating will be taken off.
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Well the lobed pickguard is only on the two-pickup Smith. The single pickup Smith has the L5 shape. Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
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What a guy.. Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
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What a find! - I keep checking local skips but nothing............sigh! Enjoy, - or sell it to me!
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