gibson definately dropped the ball as far as documentation went during and after WWII. i used to have a southern jumbo guitar that was built shortly after the war. it had no markings of any kind, and i really searched. in my research i found many examples of gibson instruments from that era that left the factory without a single number on them.
#you have to go by the "features" of the instrument to date it. for example, gibson dropped the script logo on the peghead sometime in 1947. sometimes, if an instrument sat around unsold, they would repaint the headstock and put the current logo on it. if it looks early 40's, but has a late 40's-early 50's logo, look at it from different angles, and you may see an older logo undernaeth. i don't think that gibson made many mandolins from '42 to '49, as they were recovering from the war and consentrating on guitars, which were better selling items.
#there's alot of information on the web about gibson guitars, and you can get clues about your mando from that.
#it's kinda fun trying to figure out the particulars of a vintage instruments. enjoy the hunt!
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # john
can you post some pics?
"it's not in bad taste, if it's funny" - john waters
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