Very old Gibson from 1916! (pics)

[hufschmid]

So i brought a repair work today to a music shop and the owner just became the owner of a very rare old Gibson of 1916....

One of the very first acoustic Guitars

This guitar will soon be 100 years old!

Tuners look weird, I dont think its original and also upside down....

The neck is massively thick! about 35mm!

I thought you guys would appreciate some nice pictures, so i took some nice pics and edited them to make them show maxi details

Enjoy

[TimSE]

that thing must be worth a few bucks

[Brendan G]

Wow that guitar is simply beautiful!

[budda]

is it just me or does the inside stamp on that guitar say "patented in feb 1, 98, march 06"...?

looks cool!

[CrashRG]

wow.......I'd be scared to touch it. Does the owner play it, or did he obtain it for a display piece?

[hufschmid]

Originally Posted by budda

is it just me or does the inside stamp on that guitar say "patented in feb 1, 98, march 06"...?

looks cool!

screwed up..... or maybe not......

But I think there may have been some amateur repair work done on the poor thing...

Or 1898 - 1906?

Orville Gibson was boarn in 1856 at Châteauguay, died in 1918 at New York

Originally Posted by CrashRG

wow.......I'd be scared to touch it. Does the owner play it, or did he obtain it for a display piece?

No he is actually selling it and displaying it in the shop....

[vontetzianos]

I noticed its got "The Gibson" on the headtsock. It looks cool nonetheless.

[synrgy]

Wow, that's pretty crazy. I like stuff like that, imagining some guy 100 years ago bragging to his friends on his NGD, and imagining the countless number of folks who's hands it must have passed through between then and now. Thanks for sharing!

The all important question -- How does it sound?

[hufschmid]

Originally Posted by synrgy

How does it sound?

Not very good I'm afraid, poor thing does not vibrate that much and the volume is very poor....

Sounded very Selmer style..... Like a gibsy guitar thype....

I did play it for a while, you can really feel that its old but the instrument gave up a long time ago.....

But hey its 100 years old

Originally Posted by vontetzianos

I noticed its got "The Gibson" on the headtsock. It looks cool nonetheless.

The first logo I would believe....

[budda]

How did it sound? nvm, you answered.

That's odd - the 1920's Martins are sought after for how amazing they sound..

[hufschmid]

This can explain couple things maybe...

Gibson began in 1894 in his home workshop in Kalamazoo, Michigan. With no formal training, Orville created an entirely new style of mandolin and guitar, with tops carved and arched like the top of a violin. His creations were so different that he was granted a patent on his design.[1] More importantly, they were louder and more durable than contemporary fretted instruments,[citation needed]and musicians soon demanded more than he was able to build in his one-man shop.

On the strength of Orville Gibson's ideas, five Kalamazoo businessmen formed the Gibson Mandolin Guitar Mfg. Co., Ltd., in 1902. Within a short period after the company was started, the board passed a motion that "Orville H. Gibson be paid only for the actual time he works for the Company." After that time, there is no clear indication whether he worked there full-time, or as a consultant. Orville Gibson was considered a bit eccentric and there has been some question over the years as to whether or not he suffered from some sort of mental illness.

Starting in 1908, Orville Gibson was paid a salary of $500 by Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Manufacturing Co., Limited (equivalent to $20,000 a year in modern terms). He had a number of stays in hospitals between 1907 and 1911. In 1916, he was again hospitalized, and died on August 21, 1918 in St. Lawrence State Hospital, a psychiatric center in Ogdensburg, New York.[2] Gibson is buried at Morningside Cemetery in Malone, New York.[3]

This may be a creation from the man himself!!!!!!

[74n4LL0]

well I've got a 101 years old banjo (if I remember correctly) and it still sound alive
It's a pity that this guitar don't really play well

[Mattmc74]

Awesome looking guitar! Nice find. It's hard to beat the kalamazoo michigan made Gibsons! amazing playing and sounding guitars.

A friend of mine had an old 1960's Gibson acoustic given to him. I'm making sure he takes really good care of it!

[hufschmid]

Originally Posted by 74n4LL0

well I've got a 101 years old banjo (if I remember correctly) and it still sound alive
It's a pity that this guitar don't really play well

I'm sure that once set up and repaired it would sound very good

I may also not be the proper person to judge the sound because i personally only like the sound of ''new instruments''....

So i can only talk about the way the instrument vibrated as a maker but it would have to be played by a ''vintage lover'' to fully appreciate its sound....

[budda]

did it sound full and woody?

i'unno, the '98 sticker has me very leery

[hairychris]

Not my thing, really.

The sticker wouldn't worry me, unless there are any ways of working out that it was made post 1916. We use '98 for 1998, no reason why someone in 1916 wouldn't do the same for 1898.

[JakeRI]

that thing is gorgeous. how much?

[hufschmid]

Originally Posted by budda

did it sound full and woody?

i'unno, the '98 sticker has me very leery

Not woody, not warm at all, way more on the bright treble side.....

And yeah the sticker is probably from the 1800 - debute 1900 which makes sens...

Also the turtoise pickguard is not fake which would be totally illegal of our days, its an original and such pickguard braquets are very difficult to find......

Originally Posted by JakeRI

that thing is gorgeous. how much?

He wants too much for it, way too much

[Apophis]

awesome guitar

[JakeRI]

Originally Posted by .........

Not woody, not warm at all, way more on the bright treble side.....

And yeah the sticker is probably from the 1800 - debute 1900 which makes sens...

Also the turtoise pickguard is not fake which would be totally illegal of our days, its an original and such pickguard braquets are very difficult to find......



He wants too much for it, way too much

give me a number man! i dont want to buy it, i want to know what he is selling it for

[hufschmid]

Originally Posted by JakeRI

give me a number man! i dont want to buy it, i want to know what he is selling it for

He wants over 14000$ for it

[JakeRI]

Originally Posted by .........

He wants over 14000$ for it

holy balls!

[hufschmid]

Originally Posted by JakeRI

holy balls!

It would first need a major restoration from a qualified expert then he could come up with a price

[possumkiller]

wow see now THAT is what gibson should be doing. not cutting holes in guitars and reversing the bodies and making lobster claw guitars. they should be reissuing shit like that! that is beautiful! ok maybe they could tweak it a bit with a thinner more playable neck and frets and a little better tuners and such. but wow! if gibson made shit like that people would buy it. that is a classic gibson. they really need to get their head out of their ass.

wait a minute. that decal says its guaranteed. he should take it back to gibson and make them fix it! (lol yeah right)

[hufschmid]

Originally Posted by possumkiller

wow see now THAT is what gibson should be doing. not cutting holes in guitars and reversing the bodies and making lobster claw guitars. they should be reissuing shit like that! that is beautiful! ok maybe they could tweak it a bit with a thinner more playable neck and frets and a little better tuners and such. but wow! if gibson made shit like that people would buy it. that is a classic gibson. they really need to get their head out of their ass.

I agree

Also what we call ''Gibson'' of our days cant be compared really to the original work they have done with the original man......