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Thread: How does this happen to a 1924 A-2 at the factory?

  1. #1
    rock in rôle Paul Statman's Avatar
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    Exclamation How does this happen to a 1924 A-2 at the factory?

    If anyone has thoughts on this (I knew you would), please chime in. Are there (m)any others like this?
    I noticed this anomaly on these photos of a 1924 A-2 black top and wondered how it came to be this way from the Gibson factory.
    Here's my guess, for what it's worth:

    I'm assuming that this occurred during the time of changeover from the early post spacing and worm-under-post gear configuration (EPS) to later spacing and worm-over arrangement (LPS).

    With both sets of drill spacings for their respective matching tuner sets available, I can only assume that after mistakenly drilling the post holes closer to the nut using EPS spacing in the LPS position, the only thing to do was to mount a set of EPS tuners upside down. The difference in post hole spacing would have prevented installing anything else. It looks like they barely got away with it, too, as there's some plate 'overhang'. The outcome of course, is 'reverse' tuners.
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    Last edited by Paul Statman; Jan-08-2020 at 9:41pm.

  2. #2

    Default Re: How does this happen to a 1924 A-2 at the factory?

    Makes me feel better about some of the dumb mistakes I've made.

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  4. #3
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    Default Re: How does this happen to a 1924 A-2 at the factory?

    That, or bring your kid to work day.

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  6. #4
    rock in rôle Paul Statman's Avatar
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    Default Re: How does this happen to a 1924 A-2 at the factory?

    Quote Originally Posted by AndyV View Post
    That, or bring your kid to work day.
    Were they doing that as far back as 1924?

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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: How does this happen to a 1924 A-2 at the factory?

    And there was the beginning of people accepting reverse tuners as "OK". Another Gibson innovation! It wasn't a mistake it was a feature!
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

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  9. #6
    rock in rôle Paul Statman's Avatar
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    Default Re: How does this happen to a 1924 A-2 at the factory?

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post
    And there was the beginning of people accepting reverse tuners as "OK". Another Gibson innovation! It wasn't a mistake it was a feature!
    I see. Gibson re-framing is everything.

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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: How does this happen to a 1924 A-2 at the factory?

    They would have laid that one down and driven a tractor over it but video tape hadn't been invented yet

    They might have been trying to make their quarterly shipping quota, or the old guy building it never heard of the new-fangled worm-over tuners.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

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    rock in rôle Paul Statman's Avatar
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    Default Re: How does this happen to a 1924 A-2 at the factory?

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post
    They might have been trying to make their quarterly shipping quota, or the old guy building it never heard of the new-fangled worm-over tuners.
    I'm sure they were always trying to reach their shipping quota, Mike. In that scenario, someone else must have drilled the post holes too low, leaving said 'old guy' mounting the tuners sets with that 'someone else' to blame (if it ever came up)!

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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: How does this happen to a 1924 A-2 at the factory?

    That's where you blame the night shift.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

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    Kelley Mandolins Skip Kelley's Avatar
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    Default Re: How does this happen to a 1924 A-2 at the factory?

    I worked in a “factory” where if something came back in with QA issues, it was said it was made on Friday when everybody wanted to get out of there or on Monday when they were hung over.

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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: How does this happen to a 1924 A-2 at the factory?

    Quote Originally Posted by Skip Kelley View Post
    I worked in a “factory” where if something came back in with QA issues, it was said it was made on Friday when everybody wanted to get out of there or on Monday when they were hung over.
    I totally understand that concept.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

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    Adrian Minarovic
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    Default Re: How does this happen to a 1924 A-2 at the factory?

    Are you sure the neck wasn't modified later? The finish looks like new with no wear at thumb position which is very unlikely on almost 100 yo mandolin.
    Adrian

  18. #13

    Default Re: How does this happen to a 1924 A-2 at the factory?

    This is one of those "tongue-twisters" for my brain...

    What if you removed these tuners and installed them on the other sides? Would they look right? Would they turn the wrong way?

    OK, I'm confused......

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    Registered User Hendrik Ahrend's Avatar
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    Default Re: How does this happen to a 1924 A-2 at the factory?

    In book, they are the "wrong" tuners. Those wiggle end tuners were largely passé by early 1923 and are thus untypical for 1924. Not sure, what the story is here. If they were installed at the factory, they appear to be some sort of NOS. Or they are later replacements.

    Worm over tuners turning backwards seem odd. For 1924 worm over tuners, I'd expect something like these, without overlap:

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    However, worm-under (sic) wiggle end tuners were used on the early F5s ('22 - Jan. '23), and those did hang over:

    Click image for larger version. 

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  21. #15
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: How does this happen to a 1924 A-2 at the factory?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff Mando View Post
    This is one of those "tongue-twisters" for my brain...

    What if you removed these tuners and installed them on the other sides? Would they look right? Would they turn the wrong way?

    OK, I'm confused......
    They would stick down too far.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

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