It is in good shape and played often.

Your best bet is to contact a vintage instrument dealer like Mandolin Brothers or Elderly Instruments. Make sure you have the exact model and serial number and lots of clear digital photos to send them.

http://www.mandoweb.com/

http://www.elderly.com/

Both of these places are experts in the field of vintage guitars. Don’t waste your time with some local shop.

Good luck.

is it a good acoustic guitar?

Not much to add to Average Mike’s answer. Epiphone is the asian made cousin of Gibson but is not a Gibson guitar. Gibson guitars are very good quality (although somewhat overpriced). Epiphones are an average asian made guitar. They’re playable and look nice and are a pretty decent value but are not going to compare well to a Martin, Taylor, or Gibson guitar. If you’re on a budget though, they’re worth trying out. Play the one you plan to buy though because there are dramatic differences from one guitar to another even in the same brand and model, especially with the cheaper ones where quality control is not as high.

its in good shape.. its Beautiful

thousands,a little bit of advice,get it appraised.

gibson 3500/- better go with the same………

I have an acoustic Gibson guitar and know that it was made sometime before 1974. The serial number is 861206 and I want to know wht year it was made. It may say somethng on this site: http://www.gibson.com/en-us/support/serialnumbersearch/ but I cant understand it. Thanks!!!!

As it says on the web site, they only have numbers listed from 1975 to the present. It doesn’t have pre 1975 numbers.

I’ve been playing for years now and i know that its not because of a "beginners buzz." Its a really old gibson that i found out of my uncle’s attic. I replaced the strings and everything but it still keeps buzzing. The frets on the neck look extremely worn down. Could the frets be the problem? What should I do??

Take the guitar to a good tech. Your local music store either has one or can direct you to one. An old Gibby is too good a guitar not to take care of. It could be fret buzz caused by a myriad of problems, some small and inexpensive to address and others, not so small and inexpensive. Either way, it’s best to know.

Are there any cheaper versions of this Gibson guitar made by other companies (or similar alternitaves shapes)

http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Acoustic-Instruments/Jumbo/Gibson-Acoustic/J-185.aspx

The cheaper form of Gibson is Epiphone. Check out the EJ-200, which is also a jumbo. Price on Musician’s Friend ranges from $279 – $499.

Is it a good brand/guitar for beginners?

Rather than go for one particular brand – go to a well equipped store and try out as many in the same price range as possible. The differences can be huge in sound and build quality.

Any guitar from approximately $150 and up, which has a solid (not plywood) top and decent build quality will potentially be a good beginner guitar.

Do make sure it is well set up/adjusted – or will be set up – with not too heavy strings and that it feels comfortable to hold and play. If you’re shy to play in a shop, just hold it and check that you can reach around the guitar (the string height/action can always be adjusted later, but should really be handled by the store).

If you get the chance to test out some instruments from Takamine, Yamaha or Ibanez, then do that! They all build really great guitars.

Also consider buying a used guitar. You will get more for your money in second hand instrument. Naturally you will need to play and inspect such a guitar thoroughly.

There is a pawn shop that I called in town and they said that they had a WM 10. Before I go down there I would like to know if its worth the time.

ANY real Gibson is worth the time. If it’s authentic, it will increase in value over time, whether it sounds good or not. The WM-10 stands for "Working Man" series — and they are great guitars. They are solid wood sides/back with a solid Sitka spruce top. They’re built pretty much like the standard series but less "bling" – simple bindings, satin finish, etc. Just scaled back ornamentation – . They came with a hardshell case standard.

Gibson didn’t make them very long b’c they lost money on them. They required almost as much effort as the "standard’ series but sold for a fraction of the price… and were competing with the Chinese Epiphones… so they discontinued them.

I own a 1970 LG-0 which is built the same way as the WMs… very plain-jane, it was the first "good" guitar my parents bought me. It was under $200 new, and is now worth $1000.

If it’s a real WM-10- grab it. Be aware that there are a LOT of Gibson knock-offs and fakes floating around, so I’d want to see the certificate of authenticity . there should be a round orange label inside the guitar as well. If that’s missing, you should be able to reference the serial # on the back of the headstock with gibson.com to see if it’s real. Good luck.

Samash maybe.