banner

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Earliest pearly gates

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Earliest pearly gates

    Guys,
    When was the earliest Pearly Gates made
    ? I have one with a baseplate that’s says Seymour Duncan but no made in America.
    Was there an earlier version than this?

  • #2
    Re: Earliest pearly gates

    Since no one is answering...The first one I bought was in 88ish when it was special order only and it came in a vinyl string baggie instead of the normal plastic box.
    I never heard of one before then. Of course Billy might have been getting them for years....
    I don't remember if this one had a logo on the base or not....

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Earliest pearly gates

      I thought they were making them in the 70s, but that's just internet forum lore, so I could be relying on bad information.

      I don't know when they first mass produced them, but I'd wager whenever they started making them for Gibbons and word got out, you could order them off the shop floor even if you couldn't find one in the local store.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Earliest pearly gates

        1979

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Earliest pearly gates

          The Custom Shop told me SD started winding this for Gibbons in '76 or '77
          Epiphone Les Paul Tbte Plus (SD custom shop humbucker & SH2b neck)

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Earliest pearly gates

            Winding for Gibbons is not the same as for sale to the general public as a stock model.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Earliest pearly gates

              Originally posted by beaubrummels View Post
              1979
              So the average guy could get on in 1979 if they special ordered it?

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Earliest pearly gates

                Originally posted by Mpcoluv View Post
                So the average guy could get on in 1979 if they special ordered it?
                My understanding is 1979 is when it was first put on the market as a stock model, not any special secret order.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Earliest pearly gates

                  Yes, technically 1979 according to SD. Those earliest ones would not have had any stamping on the baseplate at all, just paper labels, but I'm not sure how many were actually produced prior to about 1982/3.

                  I think they were technically made available to the public in 1979, but weren't truly a "production" model (i.e. something you might see for sale in a guitar shop) until the early '80s.

                  As for the baseplates, beginning around 1983, SD started stamping them with the large SD logo. This continued until sometime in 1986, after which a smaller logo more similar to the current one appeared. The first versions from 1986/87 actually said "Made in USA" not "Made in America", which came later.
                  Last edited by Masta' C; 05-23-2020, 02:45 PM.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Earliest pearly gates

                    Originally posted by Masta' C View Post
                    Yes, technically 1979 according to SD. Those earliest ones would not have had any stamping on the baseplate at all, just paper labels, but I'm not sure how many were actually produced prior to about 1982/3.

                    I think they were technically made available to the public in 1979, but weren't truly a "production" model (i.e. something you might see for sale in a guitar shop) until the early '80s.

                    As for the baseplates, beginning around 1983, SD started stamping them with the large SD logo. This continued until sometime in 1986, after which a smaller logo more similar to the current one appeared. The first versions from 1986/87 actually said "Made in USA" not "Made in America", which came later.
                    so the logo without made in USA or made in America was from 83-86?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Earliest pearly gates

                      Yes

                      Comment

                      Working...
                      X