1953 EM-200 original red or refin?

**jefflester** · Feb-12-2019, 4:30pm

From Intermountain Guitar and Banjo:
http://www.guitarandbanjo.com/invent...ndolins/em-200

The color looks very unnatural to me and too good to be 65 years old, but could just be photo/lighting effects. And they normally had cream binding. The speed knobs look correct for '53-'54.

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**Chief** · Feb-12-2019, 8:38pm

Looks refinished to me. I don't believe they made an EM 200 that color. Or any other mandolin for that matter. I'm not sure how they can justify asking $12,000 for it.

**John Rosett** · Feb-12-2019, 9:22pm

I wish that the pictures were a little more detailed. The black binding(Never seen that on a 50's Gibson) looks pretty funky on the front close up shot. I don't think that Gibson would send an instrument to the NAMM show with workmanship like that.
Also, it kinda looks like there was a head stock scroll break in the picture of the front of the head stock, but repair visible from the back. These things make me think that it's a refinish with replaced binding.
Jethro burns had two 2-point red mandolins, an oval hole acoustic, and an F hole electric. Both of them were stained, rather than painted.
Without some real documentation, I wouldn't pay even a fraction of what they're asking.

**Daniel Nestlerode** · Feb-14-2019, 5:27am

I think I've seen photos of Jethro Burns playing a Gibson A5 (same two point design) of that colour.

D

**John Rosett** · Feb-14-2019, 9:32am

Originally Posted by Daniel Nestlerode

I think I've seen photos of Jethro Burns playing a Gibson A5 (same two point design) of that colour.

D

See my post above^^^. Jethro had two 2-point Gibsons, an acoustic oval hole, and a hollow body with F holes and a pickup mounted in the top. Both had red stain finishes, as opposed to the solid red paint of the mandolin in question.