Need help to identify guitar and find bracing layout

[pn8830]

Hello everyone.

A friend gave me a guitar to mess with and try to fix up. He said it's some 1960s Gibson, the serial says 818620. There were some loose braces inside and I want to glue them back but I can't seem to find any drawing of how they should be laid out.

image1
image2
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Thank you.

[Wade Hampton]

What model is it? If you don’t know that, post some pictures.


whm

[pn8830]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

What model is it? If you don’t know that, post some pictures.
whm

It seems pictures did not work. I updated the links, please take a look.

[pagedr]

Looks like a late 60s B-25. That serial number would be roughly around 1969. Not sure about finding a bracing diagram but if the braces are loose can't you just glue them into place where they currently are? Or are they completely detached from the top?

[pn8830]

Originally Posted by pagedr

Looks like a late 60s B-25. That serial number would be roughly around 1969. Not sure about finding a bracing diagram but if the braces are loose can't you just glue them into place where they currently are? Or are they completely detached from the top?

Thank you. I was leaning towards B-25. Two things bothered me after looking for Gibson catalogs and on Reverb:

- Most B-25 I found had the bridge upside down.
- The rosette on pretty much all of them had only one circle.

The braces are on my workbench, I'd rather not glue them there
A couple of long ones got completely loose, good thing he saved them.

[Osage]

Look inside with a mirror. You will be able to see exactly where the braces were. You can make a drawing from this if you want.

[JKMartin]

Here are the images from the OP:

gibson_1.jpg

gibson_headstock.jpg

gibson_serial.jpg

[TennesseeWalker]

Can you stick a phone camera inside, shoot a few pics and see where the glue lines are on the top?

Peetty sure you can find a way to light the inside a bit -

[Slimt]

Its a B25. It should be a single X brace for that size of guitar. The bracing will be thick. It should have a thick rounded tone cross bar upper part in the sound hole . Those are built like tanks.

[gibpicker]

I wonder when Gibson stopped using the metal strap on the B25? I had one but thought it was a 68.

[zombywoof]

I know this is the same guitar you posted about on the Gibson Forum so you already know it is a '69 B25 with an unusual rosette for that year. When it comes to Gibsons built this late though, the problem you will run into is there is just not a whole lot of interest in them or accordingly information about them when compared to Gibson's offerings in earlier catalogs. So, while you will find photos, drawings and X rays of bracing footprints found in earlier Gibsons in the UMGF Gibson Bracing Library chances of finding them for guitars built the year yours was are not very good. But you might wander over and take a look. Even photos and such of older LG2s might help.

But there is a good chance if the braces are off you will find glue residue indicating where they had been attached. Also, Gibson did not feather the braces to tuck them under the kerfing like say Martin did. So, every brace was butt joined.