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I have the chance to buy one of these. It's an ES-125 thinline with florentine cutaway. They were made in the 1960s. I have not played it yet because the bridge is not on. It has the old guitar feel and smell, with some dings and checking, similar to my ES-125. The headstock, pickup, bridge and tailpiece look similar and original. The tuners are not original. No pictures yet. The catch: There is no serial number on the headstock and no label inside. Did Gibson make any or many of these? Could it be a prototype? How else could I determine if it's the real thing?
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Well you need to look inside for the faint blue stamping. Try a black light. My 58 ES125 is very hard to see.
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As stated above :
through the bass f-hole for guitar type :
and through treble f-hole for FON number :
The letter states the year of manufacturing : S is for 1959, R for 1960 …
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I've an ES-125T (non-cut) and i can't find even an 'FON.'
It is my favorite with it's full-figured sister '52 ES-125 right behind.
I can just barely detect an FON in this guitar (the 'big' one.)
Be careful with the neck & neck-joint, which you likely already know about.
I mention it 'cause I also once had a bad ES-125T.
I hope you are lucky and this proves to be a great guitar for you.
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Thanks! No numbers visible. But the local expert agrees it's the real thing and says Gibsons without numbers were not uncommon at all. The neck is not ideal but OK. A few other issues, relatively minor.
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I had a ‘66 ES 125TC; it was all original. I miss that one.
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