Gibson BR4 serial # question

Tim McKane · Post by **Tim McKane** » 14 May 2012 1:13 pm

A friend of mine just picked up a BR4 with no serial stamped in the back of the headstock.

Does anyone know if that was a common practice?

Thanks

Stephen Cowell · Post by **Stephen Cowell** » 14 May 2012 2:12 pm

I have a '61 SG/Junior that has the finish so thick (white) that the serial number is obscured completely. I've been to several guitar shows and found that almost *all* of these guitars had hard-to-read serial numbers... evidently the finish (or second try) obscured the number. Perhaps this is what happened... what color/type is the finish?

Tim McKane · Post by **Tim McKane** » 14 May 2012 5:32 pm

The color is brown.

From the pictures I've seen look original

Peter Huggins · Post by **Peter Huggins** » 14 May 2012 11:49 pm

Gibson did not put serial numbers on post-war lap steels until 1953, when they started stamping numbers on the back of the headstock in ink like on the Les Paul guitars.

This means none of the BR-3, BR-4, early BR-6, or early Ultratone or Century models have serial numbers.

The BR-4 was only produced in 1947.

Tim McKane · Post by **Tim McKane** » 15 May 2012 6:05 pm

Thanks for the info. My eh 100 and eh 150. Have the serial num stamped on the top of the removable back

Peter Huggins · Post by **Peter Huggins** » 15 May 2012 11:43 pm

Right, those were both pre-war models. After WWII ended, many Gibson guitars were shipped without any serial numbers up thru the early '50s.

There were exceptions, but for example my 1949 ES-150 has no numbers anywhere (Please note I said ES, not EH, its a big body non cutaway Spanish electric guitar with one P-90 and two unmarked, un-numbered knobs). We figured out 1949 by the plain knobs (numbers on the knobs by '50) and dot neck.