1933

The shipping dates listed below relate to the instrument’s serial number and are based on information provided in Spann’s Guide To Gibson by Joseph E. Spann

Note that the serial number indicates the date at which the instrument was shipped rather than its date of manufacture

All examples have maple back and sides unless otherwise indicated

If an instrument appears in one of our picture galleries this is noted beneath the serial number

Serial Number: 89354

Year shipped: 1933

FON:

(See Type Three Gallery)

Headstock: Horizontal ‘The Gibson’ logo

Neck/fingerboard: 19 fret fingerboard with square end and wide pearloid block inlays from the third fret

Body: Maple back and sides

Hardware: Gold-plated metal parts including wrap-over tailpiece and individual open-back Grover 98G ‘Sta-tite’ tuners with butterbean keys

Notes: Missing pickguard. The Mandolin Archive lists this guitar as having had a P-90 pickup added though this doesn’t appear on Guernsey Auction pictures

Source: Arlan Ettinger of Guernsey Auctions and www.mandolinarchive.com

Serial Number: 89511

Year shipped: 1933

FON: FON 434

(See Type Two Gallery)

Headstock: Horizontal ‘The Gibson’ logo

Neck/fingerboard: 19 fret fingerboard with pointed end and dot inlays from the third fret

Body: Maple back and sides

Hardware: Gold-plated metal parts including wrap-over tailpiece and individual open-back Grover 98G ‘Sta-tite’ tuners with butterbean keys. Long bound pickguard

Notes: Has been re-fretted and there is small amount of overspray on the back

Source: Laurence Juber

Serial number: 89609

Year shipped: 1933

FON: 476

(See Type Three Gallery)

Headstock: Horizontal ‘The Gibson’ logo

Neck/fingerboard: 19 fret fingerboard with square end, wide block inlays from the third fret

Body: Maple back and sides

Hardware: Gold-plated metal parts including wrap-over tailpiece and individual open-back Grover 98G ‘Sta-tite’ tuners with butterbean keys

Notes: Replica pickguard

Source: Gruhn Guitars (guitars.com)

Serial Number: 89756

Year shipped: 1933

FON: 

(See Type Three Gallery)

Headstock: Horizontal ‘Gibson’ script logo

Neck/fingerboard: 19 fret fingerboard with square end, wide block inlays from the third fret

Body: Maple back and sides

Hardware: Gold-plated metal parts including regular tailpiece (see Notes below) and individual open-back Grover 98G ‘Sta-tite’ tuners with butterbean keys

Notes: The neck has been reset and re-fretted with period-correct fretwire and there is some overspray to the neck finish. Holes cut in the top for a pickup and control knobs have been filled and the top finish in these areas has been over-sprayed. The back and sides retain their original finish with an area of touch-up where a jack-socket repair was carried out. The trapeze tailpiece has been re-plated and the bridge and pickguard are period correct reproductions. Has original hardshell case

Source: Musurgia (musurgia.com)

Serial Number: 89764

Year shipped: 1933

FON: 566 (produced May 1933)

(See Type Three Gallery)

Headstock: Horizontal ‘The Gibson’ logo, factory original truss rod cover hand engraved with Roy Smeck’s name,

Neck/fingerboard: 19 fret fingerboard with square end and wide pearloid block inlays from the third fret

Body: Maple back and sides

Hardware: Gold-plated metal parts including Grover trapeze tailpiece engraved with Roy Smeck’s name (see Notes below) and individual tuners, the buttons of which are hand engraved with ‘S’ motif

Notes: Fingerboard has been refretted. Replacement pickguard.This guitar was custom built for Roy Smeck. Though the Grover tailpiece is unusual for a Gibson, there is no evidence of another tailpiece having been installed.

Source: Gruhn Guitars (guitars.com)

Serial Number: 89782

Year shipped: 1933

FON: 589 – possibly 590

(See Type Three Gallery)

Headstock: Horizontal ‘The Gibson’ logo

Neck/fingerboard: 19 fret fingerboard with square end and wide block inlays from the third fret

Body: Maple back and sides

Hardware: Gold-plated metal parts including regular tailpiece

Notes: Reproduction pickguard and non-original tuners. According to Joe Vinikow (archtop.com), the original parallel braces are not kerfed, but capped, with just a single slot in the middle of each tone bar

Source: Brian Delaney and Joe Vinikow (archtop.com)

Serial Number: 89790

Year shipped: 1933

FON: 508

(See Type Two Gallery)

Headstock: Horizontal ‘The Gibson’ logo

Neck/fingerboard: 19 fret fingerboard with pointed end and dot inlays from the third fret, ‘Eddie’ engraved on the truss rod cover

Body: Maple back and sides

Hardware: Gold-plated metal parts including regular tailpiece and individual open-back Grover 98G ‘Sta-tite’ tuners with butterbean keys. Short bound pickguard

Notes: Belonged to Eric Clapton. Sold at Christies 24 June 2004 Crossroads Guitar Auction for $27,485 (incorrectly identified in the auction catalogue as having been shipped in 1929)

Source: Christies 2004 Crossroads Guitar Auction

Serial Number: 89849

Year shipped: 1933

FON: 

(See Type Three Gallery)

Headstock: ‘Flared’ headstock (wider at top) with diagonal ‘Gibson’ script logo. The headstock inlay is the same as that found on the 1924 Gibson TB-5 trapdoor banjo

Neck/fingerboard: Neck with wide rosewood centre lamination framed by two narrow ivoroid strips. 19-fret fingerboard with a pointed end and inlay pattern the same as that found on some 1930s Mastertone banjos. Has semi-circular neck heel

Body: Maple back and sides

Hardware: Gold-plated metal parts including regular tailpiece. Long bound pickguard

Notes: The gold-plated Harmony Tune-Rite Jr.s  (2180GP) tuners are not original to the guitar

This guitar was custom ordered to meet the needs of guitarist Carl Kress. Hand-written interior label reads ‘Special’

Source: George Gruhn (guitars.com).

Serial Number: 89926

Year FON: 

shipped: 1933

(See Type Three Gallery)

Headstock: Horizontal ‘The Gibson’ logo

Neck/fingerboard: 19 fret fingerboard with square end, wide pearloid block inlays from the third fret

Body: Maple back and sides

Hardware: Gold-plated metal parts including regular tailpiece and individual open-back Grover 98G ‘Sta-tite’ tuners with butterbean keys (early style with rivet instead of the screw and ‘Pat Appd For’ stamp). Long bound pickguard

Notes: Has original hardshell case

Source: Nino Fazio (www.realvintage.it)

Serial number: 90002

Year shipped: 1933

FON: 642

(See Type Two Gallery)

Headstock: Horizontal ‘The Gibson’ logo

Neck/fingerboard: See Notes below

Body: Maple back and sides

Hardware: See Notes below

Notes: This L-5 belonged to guitarist Andy Nelson. It was re-necked at the Gibson factory in the mid 1950s. The original dot fingerboard and headstock overlay appear to have been retained. The tailpiece, tuners and pickguard are not original. A DeArmond floating pickup has been fitted

Source: Larry Grinnell

Serial number: 90007

Year shipped: 1933 

FON:

(See Type Three Gallery)

Headstock: Horizontal ‘The Gibson’ logo

Neck/fingerboard: 19 fret fingerboard with square end and wide block pearloid inlays from the third fret

Body: Maple back and sides

Hardware: Gold-plated metal parts including wrapover tailpiece (may not original to the guitar) and individual open-back Grover 98G ‘Sta-tite’ tuners with butterbean keys

Notes: Original finish with minor touch-up near the pickguard (where the finish was marked as a result of celluloid deterioration). Replica pickguard. A small hole in the rim, where a bracket was mounted, has been filled. The fingerboard has been refretted and rebound. The ebony bridge top piece is a reproduction (the original, which has been cut down, is stored in the case). Has original black hardshell case

Source: Retrofret

Serial number: 90009

Year shipped: 1933 

FON:

(See Type Three Gallery)

Headstock: Horizontal ‘The Gibson’ logo. Truss rod cover engraved with the name ‘Gene Macy’

Neck/fingerboard: 19 fret fingerboard with square end and wide block inlays from the first fret

Body: Maple back and sides

Hardware: Gold-plated metal parts including regular tailpiece. Long bound pickguard

Notes: The body has been refinished and the tuners replaced. Has original case with new handle. From the collection of guitarist J. Geils

Source: Mr. Music (mrmusicguitars.com)

Serial number: 90138

Year shipped: 1933

FON: 69 (?)

(See Type Three Gallery)

Headstock: Horizontal ‘The Gibson’ logo

Neck/fingerboard: 19 fret fingerboard with square end and wide pearloid block inlays from the third fret

Body: Maple back and sides

Hardware: Gold-plated metal parts including wrap-over tailpiece and individual open-back Grover 98G ‘Sta-tite’ tuners with butterbean keys. Ebony bridge

Notes: The guitar has been refretted and there is a repaired crack on the outer edge of the bass side lower bout. There is also a small area near the lower part of the treble side f-hole where the paint has been touched up. Reproduction pickguard

Source: Gryphon Stringed Instruments