I will have an opportunity to bid on this old Gibson guitar at auction tonight. What model is it? What is this beater worth?

Could be a 30s L-00 model? 40s model. 50s J-45. Something like that.

The finish is check marked and cracked on all surfaces. There is planking on the front. There is slight warping on the top. Neck is straight. Tuner knobs are broken. With good tuners and new strings I think it would be playable.

I know some of you here are into vintage guitars. Should I bid? If so, what kind of money? Or should I just watch it sell to someone else?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and ideas.

IMG_9340 (resized).JPG

IMG_9342 (resized).JPG

IMG_9344 (resized).JPG

IMG_9346 (resized).JPG

Thank you all for the insightful opinions. Before I posted this, I did stop a a local guitar shop for an opinion. An employee sold a 1938 model with scripted lettering. He got some nice dollars for the one. He is telling me I could bid up to $500.00 and not get hurt.

The tone was substandard. But those might still be the original strings. and it is not in tune. It looks rough, but there were not that many scratches in the pick guard. I'm thinking it got tossed under the bed wet and was forgotten about.

Some pics I saw led me to believe it is a 50s model J-something. I noticed a big drop off in prices in the 50s models when compared to the 30s and 40s models.

I have enough projects and would only be looking to flip it. Shipping to anyone of you would cost too much in packing time and postage.

Yes, I was hoping for that "striking gold" moment and maybe you could see me on Antiques Road Show like the girl that had that $75,000.00 mandolin.

Again, thanks all.

I cannot answer any other questions about the guitar. It started out at $25.00 with two guys after it. Sold for $290.00. I talked to the winning bidder and he acted like he knew nothing about the guitar other than it was a Gibson and it was old.

Sounds like you are talking about Trigger. This one will bring a large fortune some day.

willies-guitar (resized).jpg