dewayne Posted Sunday at 17:24 Posted Sunday at 17:24 Girlfriend recently, 3 months ago, gifted me with a 3 guitars and a banjo from an estate sale. 3 questions. 1st guitar is as best as I can figure is a 1978 Gibson Les Paul custom, no case. Any quick way to tell if it's authentic. Everything but the strap locks seems authentic but even they look old. Wear on top of neck. Smells seems age appropriate with no cigarette smoke. 2) BC Rich Avenger. Best sounding gtr that I now own. Seems mid linish quality wise but rhythm sounds dirty and clean excellent. 1 tone knob, bc rich brand bridge hunbucker only. Are all of these gtrs sold new for under $1000? Again not sure if authentic. Looks to be though.3rd is what seems to be a 1979 ovation celebrity. Didn't know celebrity was that old. Big bowl. Sounds pretty good. Has what seemed to be major cracks on top but using camera on phone and my fingers inside, (can only imagine the joke I could come up with on that one) they (2) only go through clear coat on top but not wood. Are celebrities that old? Quote
dewayne Posted Sunday at 17:25 Author Posted Sunday at 17:25 Serial numbers seem legit on all 3 Quote
Dad3353 Posted Sunday at 18:23 Posted Sunday at 18:23 42 minutes ago, dewayne said: ...seems to be a 1979 ovation celebrity. Didn't know celebrity was that old... There are no reliable, official, ways of dating a Celebrity Ovation; they kept no records of the serial numbers, which have no 'logical' sequence to them. These were the 'budget', Korean-made models, and had, in their time, a number of quality issues, especially the electronics. Don't worry about its value, just play it for its intrinsic sound qualities. It doesn't have the same prestige as the high-end Ovations, but they can be very good guitars, nevertheless. The Gibson date puts it in the 'Norlin' era. If the serial number checks out, the date can maybe be confirmed by its state of wear. In particular, any gold plating would most likely have taken on a certain patina, with little of its original shine. Many Les Pauls had headstock breakages (it's a well-known weakness of the design...), and have been repaired. Often, this is difficult to spot, if the luthier did a good job on it. Typically a well-repaired neck would be stronger than the original, but one should always treat these guitars with precaution, with no sudden shocks. Just sayin'. I've no knowledge of BC Rich guitars, sorry. Hope this helps. Quote
dewayne Posted Sunday at 21:30 Author Posted Sunday at 21:30 They're gifts and wouldn't sell. Inside I've never seen a cheaper made guitar as the celebrity. It's being a gift and it's age makes it pretty neat. Sounds decent. Plays decent Quote
