BB at Elderly

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Gibson Ballbearing Owners Group

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119 Members, Created 1/26/2011 -

Administrators: Couchie (owner)

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From revellfa on 2/10/2015 11:03:33 AM

There's a nice BB at Elderly for sale if anybody is interested--the price sure is right $2,300.

6 Comments
	Dave1climber says: 2/10/2015 1:19:19 PM I just had a quick look, if it is still there when next I am in the store I will look at it and report back.
	NDJohn says: 2/11/2015 3:44:45 AM I'd be interested in Dave's hands-on assessment. The price looks reasonably fair, but not a bargain. Why? The original neck is not available; the neck's provenance is uncertain and the inlay pattern is of course not correct; the tailpiece is not original (and other parts may not be as well). All the resonators of the 3's of the time I've seen were not double bound. No mention of whether all the BB tonering parts are there. Not saying it's not a fine instrument; just probably no bargain.
	Dave1climber says: 2/11/2015 7:06:32 AM John I should be at Elderly yet this week.
	NDJohn says: 2/11/2015 7:51:55 AM We'll all look forward to your assessment. Elderly has fine staff people; you should be able to have a good discussion about the history and parts authenticity.
	Dave1climber says: 2/11/2015 2:14:28 PM Looks good, sounds good. It started as a TB3, has a highly figured neck that plays like butter. A close look at the inlays revels some filler. The tuners are engraved with “Grover” in script. The fret board and frets show no wear. There are RR spikes installed at six through twelve. The tail piece is a replacement. The arm rest is the two legged version with “Gibson” engraved on the side in script, it shows some normal wear. The remainder of the hardware appears to be correct, however the tube, flange, skirt, and tension hoop look as if they have been re-plated. Two of the resonator holding screws have been replaced with clever sort of look alike screws. Some of the “J” hooks show some plating loss and rust. The resonator is in great condition considering its age. Not double bound. It does show some crazing of the finish, however not bad for its age. At some point of time a previous owner engraved their S.S. number on the inside of the resonator. If someone wants a Gibson Ball Bearing with a Frank Neat five string neck this could be the one. Its on consignment so if you thought the listed price is too high, you can make an offer.
	NDJohn says: 2/12/2015 10:29:52 AM Thanks for the update, Dave. Sounds like a nice instrument for someone...
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