Identifying Vintage Guitars, Banjos Mandolins. Model Designations. In general, higher model numbers meant more binding and ornament. Higher numbers also meant more money. A jr. No binding, no inlay and no decoration. It was available with a brown finish and came as a snakehead or paddle headstock. Martin Serial Numbers How to Find the Year. All Martin guitars since 1898 except solidbody electrics from the 1970s, basses, and tiples are numbered in. Vega Guitars Serial Numbers' title='Vega Guitars Serial Numbers' />A also known as the A 0Brown or black finish, some binding only on the top and in the soundhole with one ring around the soundhole. Pearl dots on fretboard. Dark stained plain birch back and sides. The Gibson stamped on tailpiece cover. Archives and past articles from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly. Q What years was the flower pot headstock inlay available on the Tubaphone style 3, 5 string banjo DL A Roughly 1909 to 1913, the last serial number seen was 30441. Vintage Instruments Guitars, Banjos, Mandolins, Dobros, Lap Steels. Origin Mac 10.5.8 more. Ukulele History Vintage Ukuleles Questions, Answers, and Information 2007 Archive. A Timeline of Trumpets. My Collection in Chronological Context. Elements of the Collection on Display at the Birmingham Historical Museum in 2014. Vega Guitars Serial Numbers' title='Vega Guitars Serial Numbers' />A 1. Similar to A, but with double purfling on the soundhole. The Gibson stamped on tailpiece cover and inlaid in headstock. A 2. This was available in brown, black or blonde finish. It had binding on front, back, soundhole and the fretboard The Gibson inlaid into the headstock and a better grade of spruce top. It had a double ring of purfling around the soundhole, pearl dots on the fretboard, dark stained birch back and sides and The Gibson stamped on tailpiece cover. The headstock face was veneered in black. There was a line of black inlay or ebony layer along the centerline of the back of the neck. The credit reporting agency Equifax announced today that it suffered a massive breach, losing Social Security numbers and other personal information for 143 million U. The Brewers want a new spring training park. Gilbert, Ariz., would like to give it to them. The stadium would cost 90 million the Brewers offered to pay 20 million. A 2. ZSimilar to A 2 but with snakehead headstock, blonde finish, bw binding, and A2 Z on the label. Gibson discontinued the A 3 around 1. A 3s had refrigerator white tops with a black perfling line, adjustable truss rods and adjustable bridges. Get the latest breaking news across the U. S. on ABCNews. com. DynaBass watts, tube head, 1963 Features silvery grey grille cloth Yorkville. DynaBass 0011 and has used it as a promotional tool. In 1. 92. 3 it appears that Gibson began to assemble A 2s with left over blonde tops from A 3s. There are a few examples of A 2. Zs with black tops, though this was probably used to cover some imperfection in the selected tops. There are also examples of A 2. Zs without the Z on the lable but still sporting the black perfling line. A2 Zs were theoretically made during the Loar period of 1. A 3. Similar to an A2 except for the top color an orange top in the teens, and a white top refrigerator top in the late teens and early twenties. A flourish inlay under The Gibson in the headstock. It was bound on the top, back, sides and around the fretboard. The binding on the top is bw. The grade of top wood was tighter grained. The birch sides and back were stained red. The fretboard was bound but without extension and The Gibson was stamped into the tailpiece cover. The headstock had a black wood face veneer. The centerline of the neck had the black inlay. The Company Of Women Khushwant Singh Pdf. A 4. For a period of time, this was the top of the line. It was available in red, black or two tone sunburst finish, fleur de lis under The Gibson Handel inlaid tuner buttons prior to 1. WWI with a dotted in each button. The soundhole had an additional thick white purfling ring. It was available with a Snakehead and had a shaped fingerboard extension. It also had a black veneered headstock front and back and a black inlay in the back of the neck. The hardshell case had a green or red silk lining. Historical Context At the turn of the century, Orville Gibson was refining his notion of the superior mandolin carved in the tradition of violins for greater volume and tone as well as comfort. The tradition had been Bug style mandolins bowl backs with flat or bent tops. The new design was thinner and much easier to handle and play. It became apparent early that the new design concept was good they were, in fact, louder and more cutting in tone. They were well suited for orchestral arrangements as well as individual play and accompaniment. Identification A Style mandolins were symmetrical and shaped like a teardrop. F Style mandolins have a carved nautilus shaped curl on the upper left hand bout. It is important to note that there are exceptions to every rule and the following is only a general guide for identifying Gibson A Style mandolins. The Gibson Company was formed in late 1. Orville Gibson designs. They generally had birch or walnut back and sides sometimes flat and later 1. During the period of 1. Orville Gibson holding a lyre mandolin. Sometimes rarely the labels are easy to read the model and serial numbers hand printed in ink and sometimes the information was written in pencil and is now barely legible. Occasionally the labels have fallen out or been removed during repairs making it a bit trickier to date the instruments. The labels with an image of Orville Gibson are generally found on instruments with serial numbers below 1. If the serial number is legible the instrument can be relatively easy to date. Serial numbers are addressed elsewhere on the web site but can be found also on Gibsons website and George Gruhn Walter Carters book Gruhns Guide to Vintage Guitars. Corel Studio Pro X4 there. Factory numbers when the exist appear in pencil inside on the block where the neck meets the body. Bridge Height and Neck Angle. The early models had shallow neck sets and low bridges that increased in angle around 1. The current bridge height and neck angle was reached around 1. These bridges had movable saddles up to about 1. Then Gibson developed the adjustable bridge. Though it has gone through a number of refinements over the years, the basic design has not changed since. Mid 1. 92. 1 through late 1. Late 1. 93. 0s through 1. No feet the bottom of the bridge flush on the instrument top. Bridges after 1. 92. Jan. 1. 8, 1. 92. It appears that many mandolin owners of earlier models chose to upgrade their bridges to the fancy new adjustable models after 1. It is, therefore, not unusual to find older mandolins with replacement bridges. Pickguards. 18. 90s into 1. Inlaid into the top of the instrument. The examples weve seen vary from the Gibson catalogs quite a bit. In some cases there are no pickguards. Elevated pickguards of plastic tortoise shell clamped to the body with a removable clamp and pinned to the bridge. Metal 9. 0 degree pickguard support screwed into the body and additional screw to the neck. Pickguards between 1. Mar. 3. 0, 1. 90. The later pickguard clamps have a stamped patent date of July 4, 1. Necks. Some early necks were cherry before 1. Though there appear to be exceptions, necks between 1. Gibson developed the truss rod in 1. This was adapted to the mandolin over the next few years. The introduction of a truss rod cover to the headstock caused the inlay patterns to adjust as well. General Information. During the period of 1. Gibson produced large numbers of mandolins. These appear to be the easiest to find and quite reasonable to buy. The early models had shallow neck sets that increased in angle around 1. The current bridge height and neck angle was reached around 1. It was the innovations of the Loar period 1. The decade following saw a change in finish from varnish to shinier lacquer. Other FeaturesSnakeheadThis is a headstock that tapers from narrow at the top to slightly wider at the base the reverse of the traditional Gibson headstock shape. The public seems to have favored this shape over time as it fetches better prices now. These can exist on any model numbers including the A jr. It is most common after 1. Gibson model As had this shape. Neck Shape The standard early Gibson A models had a soft V shaped neck. Acknowledgements.