Model GB25 -circa 1975

[Barry]

Hello to all.
And thanks Charles for putting this site together.
As a sometime web guy myself I appreciate the work that goes into mounting and maintaining a project like this.
Thanks!

Pictures follow this text

HISTORY
As pointed out elsewhere there is precious little information about these guitars beyond the name of the original New York distributors and the fact that the 'good" stuff appears to have been made in Japan for the Canadian market (lucky us!). There also seems to have been some crappy product circulating under this label. Trying to sort out the good from the bad is the problem. Unfortunately I'm as much in the dark as most of you and cannot add anything new--sorry 'bout that.

MY PURCHASE
I bought my GB25 in 1975, as near as I can recall, from Richmond Trading Post in Toronto *, or possibly some other "pawn shop" on Church Street. I was looking for a 'cheap' acoustic guitar that I could use in the classroom--I was a public school teacher then.

At the time, I thought, "Gee, nice looking guitar. Good price. It'll do."
I guess it didn't register with me how good the El Degas was because my only other guitar was my beloved Gibson ES-330, and by default everything else would have been a piece-o'-poo by comparison.

* Edit March 24
Well, isn't it always the way? I was looking for something else in drawer and I found my original receipt for the GB-25 tucked away at the back! So, here's the corrected version:
I bought it on Sept. 11/76 at H. Williams & Co. Ltd. on Church Street in Toronto. And I paid $120 for the guitar and $15 for the cardboard case, both of which I still have. In 1976 dollars that was quite a bit of money, which reflects, I guess the quality of the instrument. Still not sure of the manufacturing date but I'm sticking with circa 1975

A CONVERTED FAN
I'm embarrassed to say that I really didn't appreciate just how good it was until many, many, many (did I mention many?) years later when I realized that I had collected 9 guitars over the years and figured it was time to start cataloging them, if only for insurance purposes!

It was then that I started researching all of them, and like you, found very little info on El Degas. However, one thing kept repeating itself about these instruments--for the most part, their owners loved them! Gibson of course hated them. Then sued their arsses off.

I'm happy to say that I now offer my "Gibby" all the respect that it deserves and I would happily pick up more if I could:
1) find them!
2) find some $$$ to buy them!

DESCRIPTION
The El Degas GB25 is a “Gibson Dove” copy (dreadnought design). It sports a spruce top in a natural finish, with mahogany back and sides. But its most striking features are the spectacular cherry red finish on the sides and back, and a beautiful mosaic inlay down the back's centre.
The fret board is rosewood, with trapezoidal pearl position markers, and the neck has remained true since I've had it and never needed an adjustment.
Overall, the fit and finish are first class, and worthy of its namesake. Oh, and the playability? Like butta!

FRONT VIEW


REAR VIEW


TOP BODY


HEADSTOCK


SERIAL NUMBER STICKER


Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy!

[charles]

EXCELLENT POST

I have to say, that's about the first El Degas I've seen with a legible serial number.

That's a gorgeous guitar, about as close to pristine shape as you could hope for. My Dove is similar to yours, but also strikingly different

Noted similarities:
- general construction/materials: I believe mine is also spruce top with natural finish / mahogany sides & back with red finish
(I would bet the construction / fit & finish is better on yours, however - I do have a bit of a stigma against the early MIK models but mine is a fun player in the end)

Noted differences:
- country of manufacture: yours is MIJ, mine is MIK
- headstock design: yours has the correct open book shape while mine has the later MIK shape
- Fretboard inlays: yours has the correct split trapazoids while mine has block inlays
- back inlay: My MIK has no centre mosaic inlay
- serial number: later MIK models have no serial number (although as mentioned, you almost NEVER come across a serial number of any kind
in El Degas guitars)

Thanks again for a very detailed and interesting contribution.

[Geo]

She's a beauty. My uke has the same plate inside but no serial. Hmm interesting.

Peace, Geo

[crockenrocker]

hey barry, I have the exact same guitar as you.. the el degas gibson dove copy. Mine is exactly the same as the one in your picture except a little more "worn in." the dove details on the pick guard are wearing off from long term use and pick scratches and whatnot. But its a heck of a guitar, sounds great, way better than my $800 takamine even. I had to lower the action on it a few years ago though because it was ridiculously high. I had no idea that my guitar was made in the 70's! and that el degas is known for quality replica guitars! I bought mine about 10 years ago and I think I'll be holding on to it for as long as i can.

[Barry]

Hey thanks crockenrocker! You are the first person I have known to have the same model. I was beginning to think I may have had the only one!
You obviously got yourself a great buy whatever you paid for it.
As for wear and tear, mine has a few light scratches here and there but manged to weather several years of playing in a classroom plus many more years of neglect. The only thing that distresses me now, is that nasty pick bruising just below the pick guard towards the bridge. Obviously got carried away at some point and missed the thing entirely!

Have you checked around to see what a new pick guard would cost? A genuine Gibson might be pricey but maybe worth it to preserve the accuracy of the replication. You might even find a used one if you're lucky, or perhaps another suitable clone out there (Dillion??).

As for quality replicas, well, yes and no. If you look around this site you'll see a lot of variation on that issue. Some (like ours!) are superb, others not so much. You'll discover that El Degas was a white label brand of convenience, and the quality can vary depending on who was making the instrument and when and where it was made.

Glad to have you with us. Now, how about some pictures please?

[Riot stick]

I got mine in 1974, Labrador City, Newfoundland, it has a little more "use" than yours but it is still a great guitar. My serial is 4060019.

[Barry]

Hey Riot stick, nice of you to check in. We'd really love to see a picture or two! (Still waiting for crockenrocker's too )
And thanks for that serial number too!

Charles is trying to date the El Degas line as well as possible, but it's very difficult. Everything has to be by deductive reasoning since there's no paper record to refer to. As you see from my post I later found that I actually bought mine in '76 although I refer to it as circa '75. I was making an assumption that it might have been made a year before I bought it new. Now, I'm not so sure.

If you are certain about the year you bought yours, and it's the identical model to mine, then I'm starting to think that maybe the serial number does mean something after all! Usually they don't, or so it seems, or they just don't have any at all.

Both of our serials start with "4" and many of the Japanese manufacturers of the 70's and 80's used the first digit to identify the year of manufacture. It may be possible that we're both holding guitars made in 1974.

Hey crockenrocker if you're still following this thread we'd really appreciate your serial number too (and pix). If they all match that would likely clinch it and we'd have at least one mystery solved!

[charles]

There's no way to date these at present, even with a serial number. One can muse about what they mean, but it's all hearsay.

[Barry]

I happened to have this guitar out in "rotation" this week and it happened to be sunny and mild today (a rare occurrence this year!). So, I popped outside for a few extra pictures of this beautiful guitar in natural light. Hope you enjoy:

[charles]

Love it - I wish I could find one of those adjustable saddles for my MIK Dove copy. Everyone tends to say they lack sustain, but the big slab of bone I have in mine now is giving me a lot of trouble with buzzing and dead spots - the amount of adjusting you can do with teh adjustable saddle is worth it.

[Barry]

Yeah it's funny how you take it for granted until you need it.
I was going nuts last year trying to set up the MIJ Vantage acoustic that I picked up. It needed the action dropped quite a bit, especially for my old fingers! A truss rod adjustment helped straighten out the neck, but it really needed the saddle lowered. One of these adjustable bridges would have made life so-o-o much simpler! I had to sand the bloody saddle by hand...in out, in out, loosen the strings, tune the strings, loosen the strings, tune the strings...(sigh)

[ronniemac]

I also have a mid 70's GB-25. s/n 4090370. Its been played..a lot..and slightly modified. Sounds great! I'm new here so not sure how to post pics of it.

[charles]

I also have a mid 70's GB-25. s/n 4090370. Its been played..a lot..and slightly modified. Sounds great! I'm new here so not sure how to post pics of it.

Start a new thread for your guitar and use the following thread as a guide:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=45
Let me know if you need any help.

[thornbush]

Beautiful guitar......interesting info about the rarity of serial numbers. 3 of my MIJ EDs, the GL 36 the Mt 16 and the GB 29 all have very legible seial numbers. I'll make time to get pics up soon.

[charles]

Back in those days I did not see many serial numbers but I've seen a lot of them since then.
Most early MIJs have them, but it can even be hit or miss with those ones. And, of course, since no records survive, they don't tell us anything. I almost wonder whether they put serial numbers on just to look "legit".