1955(?!?)Gibson SG Standard on charleston SC craigslist

[EvLectric]

Yeah, a 55! I'm sure they'll get that straightened out on Monday, as someone (not me) as already pointed the obvious out to them. It's at a pawn shop down by my old house on James Island. I actually recognized the pegboard!
Coming from a pawn shop at least we can be reasonably sure it isn't a scam. I might go check it out on Monday. I'm broke, but if anyone does happen to be interested I might could check it out for you. Get better pics at least.

1955 Gibson SG Standard
Re: 1955??? SG Standard???

BTW, I have no connection to this guitar whatsoever. No wrong ideas, please

[1959burst]

late 60's early 70's, in rough shape.

[captain tightpants]

Pretty rough indeed. Wouldn't mind giving it a shot though.

[lovnik]

Too funny. And I think Ebay's awful.

[EvLectric]

I have a feeling the 1st 2 digits of the serial are 55, hence their brilliant deduction.
That would actually make it a 68-9, I think.

[EvLectric]

Well, I called & asked about the SG. Remember, it's at a pawn shop - ask for Kristin. She said "the 55?" I said "Sweetie, you know that can't be a 55, right? The earliest SG made was in 1960, & they were a lot different than this one, I think it's a late 60's, which...". At this point she cuts me off with this brilliant revelation:
According to her, and I quote "The guitar dater project says this guitar was built in 1955".
I said "umm, you do know that guitar dater is notoriously unreliable for older guitars, right?
She goes, and I quote "If you have a problem with that, you'll have to take it up with guitar dater".

I asked if she had gone to the blue book at Gibson. com. Her reply was, and I quote "That's what's notoriously unreliable".


I got the serial, it's 53329*. According to the Blue Book,
which remember, according to her is "notoriously unreliable",
it's a 69, just like I thought, even assuming the above (wrong) "serial starting with 55" theory. I could tell, even from the bad pics that the bevels weren't deep enough to be 66 or 67.

Funny thing is, according to guitar dater, I either get this, which is due to not clicking the "Impressed into back of headstock" button:

Serial number unrecognized
Your guitar may have been made prior to 1977, in that case you may need to use the Vintage Panel, simply select all the options that best describe your guitar. If you are still having difficulties please contact the webmaster.

Or this, when done right:
Guitar Info
Your guitar was made at the
Kalamazoo Plant, USA
approximately in: 1969

I can't make guitar dater say anything in the ballpark of 1955 about this guitar. Go Figure!

So $900 for a 69 SG Standard, in rough shape, & at least one crack by the output jack. I can't haggle much, if at all, because I'd have to put it on Layaway. Of course final judgment wouldn't be until an in-hand look, which I haven't done yet, but should I even consider it? It's probably the last 60's SG under a grand that I can make payments on that I'll ever find... What do you think?

[EvLectric]

I got no problem with the earvana nut, I've got an almost brand new one here that I'd replace it with. I might see a headstock repair, just really hard to tell by the pics. I'm just trying to decide if it's worth spending 15 in gas to go look at. I'm looking about $965 w/ tax.

[SoloDallas]

Agree on the early '70s (heck, even '69 would be fine). I seem to remember that the dotted "i" was re-introduced in '70-'71, that's why I am saying '70s.
I have a few '69s, none with the dotted "i". I have two '70s, 1970 and 1971, both with a dotted "i".
It's a cool guitar. I'd hit it.

[EvLectric]

I talked to her again(not an easy thing - not looking forward to dealing with her) & she stressed "Players", not "collectors", that the vibrato was removed (duh), but she saw no obvious signs of a headstock or neck break.

[EvLectric]

Thanks Solo!

[EvLectric]

It looks like the bridge pickup is reversed, or maybe replaced with an Iommi. I'm not sure I can see any pole pieces. Not on the bottom of the pickup for sure.
They're a pawn shop, fer crying out loud! They can't get a better camera? WTF!
It doesn't help that my monitor's going bad.

[BCRGreg]

Offer $600

[EvLectric]

Thanks Greg!

[diceman]

Worth looking at for sure! Let us know how it goes.

[cryptozoo]

Agreed, go check it out. Cash talks, and it looks like it could be a rocker.

[EvLectric]

edited due to whining
The long & short, I had van issues I had to deal with
And thanks to everyone that helped out.

[circusboy28]

Buy it if you can, simple as that.

[EvLectric]

Thanks Circus! I gotta see about the transpo issue now, but maybe...

[SoloDallas]

Ev,
by the way - to maybe raise your interested a tad - I wanted to tell you that I always look for "issue" guitars like that one, at great prices. They DO - some of them at least - end up great rock n rollers.
I had bought a '69 in desperate conditions one month ago. Came to me with a cracked neck (at the heel). Was repaired in a day and now it's one of the greatest pieces of wood I own. Don't let the issues bother you: on the contrary, go for them.

Cheers bro',

Fil

[EvLectric]

Apparently it sold Tues for asking price. This is a CL reply by the store to someone pointing out the date issue

RE:Re: 1955??? SG Standard???
feel free to call c***e 843-7**-7*** about the GIBSON 1955 that we most definitely sold for the EXACT price we asked for

They REFUSE to believe it's not a 55.

Anyway, I had to deal with my vehicle Tuesday, which hopefully is turning out to be not so expensive of a fix as I first thought (knock on wood).
But yeah, I didn't get it. Hopefully it's a good thing.
Did someone here get it?
Thanks again everyone!
Ev

[captain tightpants]

Yeah, I tried to tell them what they had as well, but they are either dumber than a bag of hammers, or they are unbelievably crooked. Maybe both. Whatever, no skin off my nose. Hope whoever bought knew what they were getting.

[EvLectric]

Was it you that I emailed through CL with the link to here? I'd say both, but leaning more to the bag of hammers.

[captain tightpants]

No, unless you are the one bragging that you sold it for $900

I told them my sense of honor was worth more to me than $900

[EvLectric]

Did you post it on CL, or email them?

[EvLectric]

I emailed this guy
1955 SG Standard ?

[EvLectric]

Pawn Stars has made them worse than they were.
I'm sitting next to a guitar I bought from there years ago, & another from the same company, different store.
There used to be a guy that lived over there that was a real seedy guitar character. I walked in one day & there were two very pointy Lotus guitars. Except one had been wood filled over the bolts & stuff on the neck, painted a solid color metallic purple, & a Gibson label applied. Very obvious this seedy critter's "work". The original one had $125 on it, the other, $550, IIRC.
I actually felt bad for them getting duped, so I explained to them what was up, & how to spot this guys "work". They verified this was who had brought it in.

So I walk in a week later & 1 of the salesmen goes "Look! I found one!" He shows me an obvious Epi 12 string Lester (Warren Haynes' wasn't even built yet). There just wasn't any real (maybe some custom thing, but I doubt it) 12 string Lesters then, but you could still buy Epi's new. Anyway, The head was reshaped, a big crack around the pots, & the whole back & neck finished in...solid color metallic purple!
The salesman goes" I thought it might be one of those fakes, so I sanded the Gibson label off (looked sanded off quick) & sure as sh1t, it said Epiphone under there!" I asked him what tipped him off - "It just didn't feel right!"

I told him the neck had been broken, & he didn't believe me (why else the total back repaint?). I said, "you hit a guitar hard enough to push the pots through a piece of maple, the neck's gonna break. You sand the finish off right about there, you'll see it". He freaks, screaming it would "ruin" it
(ruin what?). I pointed out the already sanded off spot on the headstock & offered to buy it if I was wrong.
Of course I wasn't...
So go figure, some people just don't get it.
Oh yeah, It turned out that Mr seedy critter had even brought it in himself, & that didn't tip them off!

[captain tightpants]

Originally Posted by EvLectric

Did you post it on CL, or email them?

I emailed them directly. It wasn't me you emailed.

I tried to explain the history of the SG, they gave me some insulting rap about the Guitar dater project database. As in, it's a '55 in the database, it MUST be true. Idiots. I just told them to call Gibson or Gruhn's, obviously they did not. Total douche nozzles.