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Topic: Early 1950's Gibson Century Paint Match? |
Bill Eisele
From:
New Mexico, USA
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Posted 29 Jan 2023 4:05 pm |
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Hi All,
I just acquired an early 1950's Gibson Century lap steel in really nice condition and just finished putting a set of C6 strings on it. It has a great tone and I am planning to generally play Hawaiian tunes on it.
It has a few scattered dents that penetrate the wood that I would like to fill and was wondering about a potential color match that I found online. First, I believe the color of the guitar is Bittersweet (aka Salmon Pink) and from the plastic bridge and tuner covers (in great shape!) color it doesn't seem that the paint on the wood is significantly different. This is what I found online as a match: https://www.myperfectcolor.com/paint/285582-sears-cc093-bittersweet. I don't know the vintage of the Sears color but it seems very close to the Gibson color so not sure if one copied the other.
And, is it appropriate to even consider doing this? There are probably just a few dents that show the wood. I bought the guitar for about $1K but have seen ones in the same or lesser condition for much higher.
Thanks!
Here's a photo of the guitar:
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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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Posted 29 Jan 2023 4:53 pm
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| That guitar looks great to me, I wouldn't mess with it myself, it's old and should look it, just my two bits. Congrats on getting it btw. |
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Bill Eisele
From:
New Mexico, USA
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Posted 29 Jan 2023 5:04 pm
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| Glenn Wilde wrote: |
| That guitar looks great to me, I wouldn't mess with it myself, it's old and should look it, just my two bits. Congrats on getting it btw. |
Thanks, Glenn! Yes, that’s what I am wondering too! Most of the dents are on the side and underneath. Usually they are on the top from people dropping their bars. And, it looks like someone in the past had done some very minor touch up. But it’s older than I am (but close) and no one has told me (at least to my face) that I need some touch up. |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 30 Jan 2023 12:42 am
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If I had something like that I'd leave it be
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Tony Oresteen
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 30 Jan 2023 6:39 am
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I would not touch he paint. Those are "character marks".
Leave it as is.
_________________
Tony
Newnan, GA
Too many guitars, not enough time to play
'72 Sho-Bud 6139, '71 Marlen 210
'78 Fender Stringmaster T8 black
PedalMaster D8 |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 30 Jan 2023 7:11 am
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If it ain't broke (paint flaking off from just looking at it, etc.), don't fix it!
That's a great-looking Century-6. More likely from the early '60s than the early '50s, judging from the gold reflector knobs (which made their debut in late 1960). |
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Bill Eisele
From:
New Mexico, USA
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Posted 30 Jan 2023 8:54 am
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| Thanks all for your input. The consensus is to leave it be and that’s what I will do. And, thanks Jack about the age of the guitar based on the control knobs. This forum is a wonderful resource and community! |
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Bill Eisele
From:
New Mexico, USA
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Posted 1 Feb 2023 10:58 am
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| Jack Hanson wrote: |
If it ain't broke (paint flaking off from just looking at it, etc.), don't fix it!
That's a great-looking Century-6. More likely from the early '60s than the early '50s, judging from the gold reflector knobs (which made their debut in late 1960). |
I have a copy of A.R. Duchossoir's book on Gibson lap steels and have figured out that the guitar was made in 1951 based on the "1 0296" serial number pressed into the back of the headstock. However, as you say Jack, the gold reflector knobs are from the 1960's. So, at some point, someone replaced the original, more valuable, knobs with a set of reflector knobs. My guess is that the original knobs are worth quite a bit and were sold off at some point. |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 1 Feb 2023 11:22 am
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It's entirely possible the knobs have been replaced. Your serial number would indicate a date of 1961, for two reasons:
1) During 1951, the Centurys were transitioning from the v1 (black) to the v2 (dark blue) models. The pink ones (aka "Bittersweet") debuted in 1955. See Duchossoir pages 104 & 126.
2) Gibson did not begin stamping serial numbers on the back of the headstocks of their solid-bodies until after the original Les Paul model debuted (circa 1952). See Duchossoir page 151. |
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Bill Eisele
From:
New Mexico, USA
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Posted 1 Feb 2023 11:36 am
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| Jack Hanson wrote: |
It's entirely possible the knobs have been replaced. Your serial number would indicate a date of 1961, for two reasons:
1) During 1951, the Centurys were transitioning from the v1 (black) to the v2 (dark blue) models. The pink ones (aka "Bittersweet") debuted in 1955. See Duchossoir pages 104 & 126.
2) Gibson did not begin stamping serial numbers on the back of the headstocks of their solid-bodies until after the original Les Paul model debuted (circa 1952). See Duchossoir page 151. |
Indeed, Jack, I need to do better with my research! Thank you! The book is an incredible resource. No matter, it's a really nice lap steel.
I do have a question about the pickup. I measured its resistance by plugging a cable into the output jack and using a multi-meter on the tip and sleeve and found it to be slightly below 10k Ohms. I think I measured 9.56k Ohms. That seems somewhat high for this particular pickup. And, I have to move the volume knob close to 10 and amp volume around halfway (Henriksen Bud 10) to get a reasonable output in a medium sized room. I am going to take it to my repair tech within a week or so to check it all out, but wondering if the pickup and pots are in spec. Thanks! |
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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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Posted 1 Feb 2023 1:24 pm
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| If that's a '61 then the specs of that pickup are just right. Lower the pole screws and raise the pickup body, that pickup should scream. |
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Bill Eisele
From:
New Mexico, USA
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Posted 1 Feb 2023 1:31 pm
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| Glenn Wilde wrote: |
| If that's a '61 then the specs of that pickup are just right. Lower the pole screws and raise the pickup body, that pickup should scream. |
Thanks for the information, Glenn! I take it that adjusting the two Phillips head screws between the pole pieces will raise the pickup body? |
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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2023 5:07 am
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| Bill Eisele wrote: |
| Glenn Wilde wrote: |
| If that's a '61 then the specs of that pickup are just right. Lower the pole screws and raise the pickup body, that pickup should scream. |
Thanks for the information, Glenn! I take it that adjusting the two Phillips head screws between the pole pieces will raise the pickup body? |
theoretically they do, there may be rotten old foam under it that needs to be changed, or weak springs that need to be changed. Be sure to use a properly fitting screwdriver, they are easily stripped and hard to find. |
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Bill Eisele
From:
New Mexico, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2023 9:42 am
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| Glenn Wilde wrote: |
| Bill Eisele wrote: |
| Glenn Wilde wrote: |
| If that's a '61 then the specs of that pickup are just right. Lower the pole screws and raise the pickup body, that pickup should scream. |
Thanks for the information, Glenn! I take it that adjusting the two Phillips head screws between the pole pieces will raise the pickup body? |
theoretically they do, there may be rotten old foam under it that needs to be changed, or weak springs that need to be changed. Be sure to use a properly fitting screwdriver, they are easily stripped and hard to find. |
Sounds like something I will leave to my luthier just in case things go south. It's something he can do while I wait and, if needed, I will leave it with him if it needs more of an overhaul. Thanks! |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Bill Eisele
From:
New Mexico, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2023 2:00 pm
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Thanks, Jack! I will give it a try then. I just had a miserable time installing new tuners on a pre-war Ric B-6. The ones on there weren’t original to begin with and had several bent shafts. They were three on a plate per side instead of the original individual tuners. The screws that came with the StewMac replicas are meant to bite into wood not Bakelite. The heads rounded out and broke off. And this was with pilot holes and wax on the threads. I had to retrieve the broken screw shafts and fill the holes with black epoxy. Finally got them installed but it was a lot of work. In retrospect I should have tapped the holes in the Bakelite for a set of machine screw threads or at least used self tapping screws. |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2023 5:06 pm
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Assuming that your '61 is equipped with the stoptail bridge assembly, in combination with the relatively hot P-90 adjusted properly, your Century-6 should be a bonafide screamer. I've always wanted one of those pink Centurys, but they seem to sell for beaucoup bucks nowadays.
I've been kicking myself ever since I was narrowly outbid back in the early 'teens on eBay for this barely recognizable major custom job that began its life as a pink Century:
Does anyone recognize or know the location of this instrument? Can't help but wonder if it still exists in this configuration. There's a good likelihood that whoever outbid me all those years ago did a total refin. But with seemingly hundreds of inlaid rhinestones, this particular lap steel has always intrigued me. |
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Bill Eisele
From:
New Mexico, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2023 5:52 pm
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| Jack Hanson wrote: |
Assuming that your '61 is equipped with the stoptail bridge assembly, in combination with the relatively hot P-90 adjusted properly, your Century-6 should be a bonafide screamer. I've always wanted one of those pink Centurys, but they seem to sell for beaucoup bucks nowadays.
I've been kicking myself ever since I was narrowly outbid back in the early 'teens on eBay for this barely recognizable major custom job that began its life as a pink Century:
Does anyone recognize or know the location of this instrument? Can't help but wonder if it still exists in this configuration. There's a good likelihood that whoever outbid me all those years ago did a total refin. But with seemingly hundreds of inlaid rhinestones, this particular lap steel has always intrigued me. |
Here's a photo of the bridge, Jack. Is it the stoptail bridge?
Wow! That's wild looking pink Century! I hope you find it! |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2023 6:34 pm
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| Bill Eisele wrote: |
Here's a photo of the bridge, Jack. Is it the stoptail bridge?
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No, that's the standard-issue postwar Gibson chrome-plated brass 6-string screw-on bridge. In fact, there were two separate varieties of the lap steel stoptail. The pink Centurys came out of the factory in Kalamazoo assembled both ways. See Duchossoir page 126/127 for a photo of one variation. Here's the other, installed on the garish rhinestoned instrument pictured above:
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Bill Eisele
From:
New Mexico, USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2023 11:33 am
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| Jack Hanson wrote: |
| Bill Eisele wrote: |
Here's a photo of the bridge, Jack. Is it the stoptail bridge?
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No, that's the standard-issue postwar Gibson chrome-plated brass 6-string screw-on bridge. In fact, there were two separate varieties of the lap steel stoptail. The pink Centurys came out of the factory in Kalamazoo assembled both ways. See Duchossoir page 126/127 for a photo of one variation. Here's the other, installed on the garish rhinestoned instrument pictured above:
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Thanks for the clarification, Jack. I'm guessing that with the hot P90 it will still be a screamer! |
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Bill Groner
From:
QUAKERTOWN, PA
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 5 Feb 2023 8:43 am
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| Bill Eisele wrote: |
| I'm guessing that with the hot P90 it will still be a screamer! |
No doubt about it! |
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