Gibson em-150 dating

[bdeivert]

Hi Folks
No I DON'T want to go on a date with a Gibson EM-150, (though I might consider an Loar F-5 blind date) but I would like to find out when it was made. I have scoured the net for pdf files and dates to no avail, so I now throw myself upon the mercy of you experts!

Picked up a Gibson EM-150 on eBay last night and it has serial number 63368, according to the seller, who said it was a 50's model. Can anybody enlighten me?

thanks!
BERT in Sverige

[mrmando]

Hi Bert! The PDF you seek is here (http://gibson.com/Files/downloads/bluebook/GibsonSERIALNUMBERS.pdf). An SN of 63368 would date to 1963, according to this PDF.

[bdeivert]

Hi Martin!
yeah I had looked at that page before and downloaded the pdfs and found them completely incomprehensible... Also, I found that Elderly has an EM- 150 which has a serial number of 63013, which they say is from 1953! http://www.premierguitar.com/gear....53.aspx (http://www.premierguitar.com/gear/Misc_Stringed_Instruments/Mandolin_Family/55826/GIBSON_EM_150_1953.aspx)

I did look a bit more on the serial pdf, and see the place you mean, but wonder if this is mostly for guitars?

cheers
BERT

[f5loar]

I contact that seller the first day and told him it was a 1963. He said he didn't know. (Most ebay sellers don't know). It has the screwed at the top pickguard vs side pins. It has the '59 + style tailpiece. It has the orange label if I remember. It has a 60's style hardshell case.
50's EM150's did not have serial numbers nor a label, they had the factory order numbers only in the lower f hole.
With all those 60's things, it's a '63.

[bdeivert]

Hi f5loar
thanks for the info!
well at least it wasn't too expensive! 720 dollars... and a little fixing.
will be fun to give it a try!

cheers
BERT:)

[f5loar]

The one from Elderly is 1953. Right type tailpiece, right style pickguard pinned to the side, right color shading,
and right factory order number for 1953. It starts with a "Y" , the '63 does not. and the last digit is "3" not part of the other 4 as it would have been the 3rd one made in that '53 batch. Sometimes a little knowledge is not a good thing.

[bdeivert]

AHH! I thought the Y was just short for the year, and no the seller of mine just said serial and didn't say anything more.
great to clear this up!
cheers
BERT