Michael Fisher emailed in with this acoustic conundrum. A, ahem, “Gibson” J-50.
Michael notes that there are many inconsistencies with this guitar, the headstock, the bracing, the lack of Truss Rod cover, the pick-guard and the Grover Tuners. He was also unsure about the authenticity of the label.
Ok first up, I can’t comment on the bracing as I haven’t seen the guitar in person but on first glance it’s a fake, but after some consideration is it?
The headstock may have been damaged and therefore has an new shape due to repair. The Grover tuners could have been added as could the different pick-guard, (though some J-50′s may have this pick-guard). There are stories of ancient J-50′s with no truss rod, hence no need for a truss rod cover, though I doubt these stories are true. So far it’s a lot of inconsistencies but no solid proof. And then we see the label…
If you look at the serial number you can see that it is on a Bozeman sticker, which means it was made after the factory opened in 1989 and the serial number shows correctly that it has a Bozeman plant designation number. The serial number also shows us that it was made in 1998, which is odd because Gibson did not manufacture any J-50′s in 1998, (the J-50′s were reissued in 1990 until 1995 and then reintroduced in 1999). But hey, maybe it was made in 1998 ready for sale in 1999? Unlikely. As Michael points out in his email, and this is the final nail in the coffin for this guitars alleged Gibson heritage, the serial number also tells us the day of the year the instrument was made and in this case it was the 573rd day of 1998, which doesn’t exist.
Thank you to Michael for his email and the use of his pictures.
