1937 Gibson Carson j Robison

LeviMan_2001 · #1 March 28th, 2007

today i just got a 1937 Gibson Carson j Robison for the wonderful price of free it's not in the best of condition but it still is cool. Its got 7 cracks on the back and one on the front which isn't too great and the second fret buzzez on the low e but anyway here's some pics

http://leviman2001.googlepages.com/guitars

picassov7 · #2 March 28th, 2007

wow, you cant beat the price of FREE! are you goin to try and fix it up or take it to someone and have them do it?

LeviMan_2001 · #3 March 28th, 2007

i don't know its actually not really mine i have to "share" it with my brother because my mom got it from work

coldethyl · #4 March 28th, 2007

Very nice!

eddiez152 · #5 March 28th, 2007

Levi,
Thats some guitar. I love that old sunburst color and body style.
Congrats.

LeviMan_2001 · #6 March 28th, 2007

just curious, does anyone have an idea on the value?

allthumbs · #7 March 28th, 2007

Found some info for you about your guitar.
I think you've got a Carson Robison flat top. Carson Robison was one of the original "singing cowboys" during the depression and managed to get his own line of guitars through Montgomery Ward around 1935. The Recording King Carson Robison model was made by Gibson who clearly needed the business during the Depression. The guitar is a mid-level spruce and mahogany flat top similar to the Kalamazoo KG-11 and the Cromwell G-1, also produced by Gibson during this time. In 1937 the guitar was renamed the Recording King Model K, and was available in a 12-fret Hawaiian version. In 1939, the body was enlarged to 16", but by ’40 the Gibson Carson Robison was discontinued although a Kay version was offered from 1941 until 1942. I drew this info from the Feb. 2000 issue of Vintage Guitar magazine. If you want to learn a little more about Carson, follow this link:
http://www.vintageguitar.com/brands/details.asp?ID=126

As far as price, I really don't know anything about this specific model. I know in general, Gibson flat top guitars from this era fetch from between $1,500 to $2,500. Given the historical association of your guitar, I'd say it's worth something, but you probably need to talk with someone that can inspect your guitar more closely to determine it's value. You might consider contacting Gruhn's with your serial number to see what they have to say. Good luck with your research, sounds like you have a really cool guitar. Steve

LeviMan_2001 · #8 March 28th, 2007

hmm well all i can see for a serial number is u4a on the end of the neck on the inside of the guitar, if that doesn't make sense ill send you a picture

scrappydidnt · #9 March 31st, 2007

piece of advice if it has a good tone with the cracks just leave it like it is. that thing's a piece of history and getting it refinished could kill both its sound and value, as for the "dead" fret take it to someone respectable and have the frets replaced. I'm telling you this outta past experience my grandfathers '46 Martin D-18 came into my ownership when i was young and didnt know very much about guitars. the back had a hole worn in it from Granddad's belt buckle and his loping picking style. well to make long short, i had the entire guitar refurbished and when i got it back it sounded like a first act that you woulda picked up at wally world. kinda puts a new perspective on the old addage "if it aint broke don't fix it" lol

BrassDrummer · #10 April 1st, 2007

`If it aint broke, dont fix it. Thats what I live by haha. That guitar sounds like its got a bit of history on it. Great Find

Kirk Lorange · #11 April 1st, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeviMan_2001

i don't know its actually not really mine i have to "share" it with my brother because my mom got it from work

I know a guy who can bump that brother of yours off ...

Just kidding! What a find! If it doesn't sound good or is unplayable, I suggest you take it to someone who knows and get a quote on getting it fixed up. It would be worth it, I think, to spend a few bucks on it. Very cool.

LeviMan_2001 · #12 April 2nd, 2007

Yeah i just got some new strings for it because the old ones were ancient, so now i can tell the real tone ha. It's just about the first acoustic guitar I've seen that actually has a unique tone. I'll send you a sond clip if I can. Im not very good at playing though, kinda amazing having this and so many others for so little experience.

LeviMan_2001 · #13 April 2nd, 2007

sorry bout the double post, i know people hate it but I couldn't find edit

. Anyway here's me playing Free Fallin by Tom Petty. (I covered up the bad playing with bad vocals lol) It's too bad the guitar kinda loses it's vibe through the microphone.