Mystery Gibson LP?

[olddawg]

Does anyone know what this is? It is a Gibson. Made in USA is stamped on the back of the Headstock. It is a slab mahogany body with a bolt on neck. Large Headstock with Klusons. No pick guard which seems factory. And... It has a factory installed Moog active tone control circuit board with Zero Center speed knobs. I believe late 70s or early 80s. I was told it was a factory prototype when I picked it up in the late 80s used.
Serial# 80280065

[soundguruman]

If it's a bolt on neck, it may be a LP Studio knockoff...definitely not a prototype. Probably not a Gibson, but a fake.
Epiphone sold some as a student low end model. Chinese also made them... It's not anything like a real LP...more of a student guitar.
Heard of these being made in Philippines and sold for $40.
You say it's a Gibson, I say it's a fake.
There have been a lot of counterfeit LPs, and they go on ebay for up to $300.

[Jazz P Bass]

The Gibson serial number indicates that it was made in 1980, on the 280th day of the year & the manufacturing facility was in Kalamazoo.

[Rick Turner]

The guy who would know is Tim Shaw who worked for Gibson first in Kalamazoo and then in Nashville for many years, eventually becoming a VP. Tim now works in the Fender/Guild custom shop in Nashville. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that this was one of his projects.

[olddawg]

I haven't ever used it much because I find the active tone controls and the switching architecture unwieldy. It is definitely not fake, is a Gibson, and MIA. It plays well though. Gibson made several LP type guitars with a bolt on neck around 1980, but I have just never seen one that matches this one. I have never seen another with a Moog board either.

[olddawg]

SGM... it looks to be in the Gibson Sonex family. They were produced from 1980 -1984. All had bolt on necks, all made in Kalamazoo I believe.

[g1]

Sonex didn't have wood bodies, I think they were all "resonwood", but yes, it does seem in that vein. Maybe a prototype before they had any of those bodies made. Invader was similar and all wood, but didn't come out till '85.

[Jazz P Bass]

Anything recognizable here? https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...40.m_rU6JOkYlQ

And maybe a schematic? RD77. http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?ap...ttach_id=12568

[g1]

GK-55 had the flat top and fine tuners like that, but I don't think it had that active package available.
Edit: correction, there were GK-55's with the active system.

[SpareRibs]

Hello,
Possibly custom order, or modified by request.

[olddawg]

Thanks for the replies and the leads. Despite the bolt on neck it is vey well built and I get a complements on it. It's an odd duck. I'm going to see if I can match the numbers on the Moog board to some the links provided.

[Enzo]

Contact my friends over at Elderly Instruments. If anyone knows old Gibson it would be they.

Elderly Instruments - Welcome - Elderly Instruments

[g1]

Funny you should mention Elderly, one of the GK-55 examples was from their site. Appears to be almost identical except tailpiece, which may have been changed. From what I gather, most of them had the fine tuners.
And I stand corrected as it does have the active moog package, so it must have been available as an option.
GIBSON GK-55 ACTIVE (1980) (30U-17490) - Elderly Instruments

[olddawg]

Funny you should mention Elderly, one of the GK-55 examples was from their site. Appears to be almost identical except tailpiece, which may have been changed. From what I gather, most of them had the fine tuners.
And I stand corrected as it does have the active moog package, so it must have been available as an option.
GIBSON GK-55 ACTIVE (1980) (30U-17490) - Elderly Instruments

That's it! Minus the micro tuners. And I bet someone took them off of the Elderly one. I never understood the purpose of the micro tuners on this guitar since it did not have a locking nut. Thanks ! I wonder what it sold for? I have the original case as well and almost never use it.

[Enzo]

Ask them, they are friendly people.