Gibson A-40 w/ a 6 digit serial/fon#?

[Dan Hulse]

Hello to all, A friend has what he believes to be a pre-50's Gibson A-40. Sorry, I don't have a picture yet, but he gave me a serial/fon number of 348571. He didnt mention any letters or hyphens. I've been searching for a few hours and now I'm more confused. I've searched through most of the older posts, but I don't see any reference to 6 didgit numbers w/o a hyphen, or perhaps I just misunderstood him. At any rate the number appears on the instrument twice, not sure if it's stamped. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

[f5loar]

that's a 1966 number. It would be on the orange oval label and stamped into the back of the headstock Photos would help verify this.

[Dan Hulse]

Thanks f5loar, I hope to be able to get to see it in the next few days. I'll be sure to post a pic. Most appreciated.

[Dan Hulse]

Finally got to see & play it. Here are a few pics. Just like you said f5loar, orange oval label & stamped on the back of the headstock. It needs a set up, but I don't see any major issues. Not sure how to approach how much it's worth. Probably needs a more expert eye than mine to make that call. Thanks again!
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[f5loar]

That is a 1966 A40 original finish in very fine condition. The things I see wrong is the bridge is not original. And I don't see the squigly "Gibson" engraved on the tailpiece cover. If that's not there then that would be a generic replacement. The case is not original either but it is a hardshell so that's a plus. I like this in the $650 to $700 range when this nice for a mid 60's. I would certainly bring up the issue they were way off on the date and that relates to be being way off on the price as the late 40's to early 50's would bring much more value and since this is one of the borderline years (those made after Norlin took over at Gibson) the price should be reflective of that issue.

[AlanN]

Tom, when did it go from 5 to 6 digits? I have what I thought was a early-mid 60s A-40 #68386, orange label on inside, stamped on back of h/s. I think you answered this in the past. And I thought Norlin was in the 70's.

[Schlegel]

Also, I'd like to ask when did they put the regular tailpiece on these (and A-50s) instead of the cloud?

[John Kinn]

That is a 1966 A40 original finish in very fine condition. The things I see wrong is the bridge is not original. And I don't see the squigly "Gibson" engraved on the tailpiece cover. If that's not there then that would be a generic replacement. The case is not original either but it is a hardshell so that's a plus. I like this in the $650 to $700 range when this nice for a mid 60's. I would certainly bring up the issue they were way off on the date and that relates to be being way off on the price as the late 40's to early 50's would bring much more value and since this is one of the borderline years (those made after Norlin took over at Gibson) the price should be reflective of that issue.

f5loar: I've got a 1949 A40. Why are these more valuable than the later ones?
Thanks,
John

[f5loar]

Alan, the 5 digits were used from '61 to '64 era and yours is a '64. The 50's style tailpiece with the cloud were just that through the 50's starting in late 40's. It changed around late '59 to early '60 to the regular F5 style tailpiece. A '48 through '63 are considered really good quality years for the A40/A50. After that tops got thicker, finish got thicker, braces got thicker and that is why they should bring more money. Dealers tend to price them that way too. It was Chicago Music first and then Norlan got it from Chicago in the 70's. People tend to think them one and the same since the name change was in the background on both names. This completes Gibson History Lesson 115.

[John Kinn]

Thank you, f5loar, for contributing from your wealth of knowledge. My A40 has got an extremely tin top, and it has sunk a little bit, although stable. I had Victor Smith (Flatbush mandolins) set it up, and he said it was about the thinnest top of any mandolins he'd seen. My A9 top seems much thicker in comparison. Wonder if this is a common feature in the early A40s and 50s.

[f5loar]

The A40/50 were built in more mass production then the F5/12. Likely it was done by the younger, newer luthiers at Gibson and some didn't get it just right. I've seen very few with caved in tops but not all are thick either. Sometimes caved in top has more to do with poor storage over time. Like leaving the strings at full tension and getting exposed to heat or too cold. By the time these A9 came along Gibson knew a lot more about making a really good mandolin.

[Dan Hulse]

Thanks again for all of your help. It's very much appreciated.

[Schlegel]

f5loar, I have an A50 whose FON put it at 49 to 50, it has the regular rectangular cover tailpiece. So that would definitely be non-original then? Not surprised as the tuners are cheap replacements.

[f5loar]

As long as you are sure about your FON and where it fits in those years. It should be one or the other. But many of those clamshells were changed out since they are a bit harder to change strings and have no end pin for straps. It's easy to do.
You should be able to remove it and see where your original holes are drilled to tell if it was. Tuners usually replaced due to the shrinking and crumbling of the end buttons on those Kluson tuners. These days you can buy replacement buttons and keep the same tuners.

[Schlegel]

Just double checked...2751-17, that's 1949 I think from what I looked up. I'm looking to put correct original hardware back on it when it's repaired. BTW, I repaired a broken 53 A-40 I got off Craigslist, and I was actually favorably impressed. It sounds pretty good for an "econo" model. Certainly can't complain for what I paid. One day it'll be the down payment on an F5L or a Sam Bush model, but right now it's my daily player.

[AlanN]

This completes Gibson History Lesson 115.

The thing I like about the A-40 is the neck. Just a dandy neck.