Gibson Les Paul Historic Brazilian Rosewood Cheat sheet
Gibson Golden Age
During the 1950s, acquiring a fresh Les Paul Standard guaranteed a Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard, a prized feature among Gibson guitar enthusiasts. Brazilian Rosewood, distinguished by its darker tone and denser texture, offered superior sonic characteristics compared to other Rosewood varieties. However, its scarcity emerged post-1991 due to its endangered status, limiting its availability for guitar construction.
Despite its rarity, intermittent releases of Gibson guitars featuring Brazilian fingerboards occurred, notably between 2001 and 2003. In 2003, Gibson introduced the revamped Historic Reissues, briefly featuring Brazilian Rosewood fingerboards. These guitars, authenticated by Gibson through serial numbers, command premium prices in the market, making it crucial to verify their Brazilian Rosewood authenticity.
The Gibson Forum, managed by Gibson, provides a Serial Number Guide for Brazilian Rosewood:
2001 – 2003 Special Historic Brazilian Runs
In 2001, a batch of Brazilian R9s was produced within the serial range 91203-91250. However, numbers 91236, 91230, 91220, 91217, 91215, 91214, 91209, 91207, and 91206 within this range did not feature Brazilian Rosewood fingerboards, according to available information. Additionally, serial number 911007 is confirmed to be an R9 model with Brazilian Rosewood.
In 2002, eight R9 models with Brazilian Rosewood fingerboards were manufactured, falling within the serial range 92038-92045.
In 2003, various reissues were released:
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1954 Reissue: Serial numbers range from 43001 to 43150. Within this range, 37 guitars are ’54 Black Beautys. Serial numbers 43001-43006 represent 1-pickup ’54 Goldtops, likely featuring Brazilian Rosewood fingerboards.
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1956 Reissue: Serial numbers range from 63001 to 63148. Notably, serial number 63126 does not appear to exist.
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1957 Reissue: Serial numbers range from 73010 to 73707. Numbers below 73010 either have 2002 specifications or are prototypes. Within this range, there are 231 guitars with 2 or 3 pickups, categorized as ’57 Black Beautys, and 26 LP Juniors. Serial numbers 73431-73438 do not exist.
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1958 Reissue: Serial numbers range from 83001 to 83256. Serial numbers 83001-83008 are prototypes, including 2 LP Juniors. One guitar is a korina explorer. Serial numbers 83046, 83047, and 83087 do not exist within this range.
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1959 Reissue: Serial numbers range from 93001 to 93674. Serial numbers 93001-93006 are prototypes, while number 93008 has 2002 specifications. Additionally, there are 3 korina Flying Vs within this range.
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1960 Reissue: Serial numbers range from 03001 to 03163. Serial numbers 03001-03010 are prototypes, with exceptions for numbers 03007 (not a prototype) and 03002 (2002 specifications). Two guitars within this range are LP Specials, and it seems that serial number 03007 does have Brazilian Rosewood. Additionally, there are 21 LP Specials and 48 non-Historic GC ’60 LPs within this range, none of which feature Brazilian Rosewood.
For the Gary Rossington SG series, serial numbers range from 13001 to 13075, all featuring Brazilian Rosewood fingerboards.