Weird label in a 1959 Freshman

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I recently bought a "MODIFIED" 1959 Freshman. All of the mods were done post factory, bridge Franz pickup, switch & wiring harness, B3 bigsby, etc... Mods look to have been done in the early 60's or with early 60's parts. But the label inside the guitar is the most puzzling. It's definitely looks original to the guitar but for the model it's just scribbled "STAR" and no serial number. Anyone ever seen one like this? Any ideas?
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IMG_0270.jpg
 

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Looks like the original number was erased and star written in with a pencil to me.
 
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There aren't any indentations in the paper indicating something else was once written there or abrasions of a removal. It also kinda looks like it was once much dirtier overall and someone rubbed off the dirt and smudged the "Star" like they were trying to get a better look. But only over the Model Serial number part, that label has been in there a long time. Why would somebody erase it after it left the factory?
 

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Also, the way star was written does not look like it was written on a flat surface, but by a pencil through the sound hole. Note the "a".
 
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Also, the way star was written does not look like it was written on a flat surface, but by a pencil through the sound hole. Note the "a".

I thought that too, it is scribbled no doubt. So Guild put a perfectly blank label in there? could be?
 

walrus

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Love to see pix of the whole guitar, bahringe! And welcome to LTG!

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JohnW63

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The serial number spot looks like nothing was ever there. Why does the "Star" have a period at the end ?
 

jedzep

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Seeing that it's a (beautiful) dual PU w/Bigsby, it kinda' tells me it wasn't that way originally, and once modified the label was erased to no longer reflect it's first designation. I've seen that before.
 

zizala

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Very nice!

Looks like a matched quad of Dakaware stove knobs....if its a conversion it has an air of authenticity.

Bet its not in the least bit neck heavy....
 

Los Angeles

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1959 was the year that someone at Guild used a pen that had fading ink. Over just a few years, the ink disappeared completely. That's why most M-30s have blank labels. A few years ago, I got an M-30 that had a splatter of what looked like oil on part of the label. The writing under the splatter was preserved and the writing everywhere else was completely gone. That was evidence enough for me to know the ink used that year was not archival.
 

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Zooming in on the label, I can see a thin line or impression of a "1" and then a "2" on the serial number line. The impressions look to me like they were written in pen. If an eraser was used, it was probably used to correct a first attempt at pencil writing on the first line.
 

JohnW63

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Cheap pens at Guild in 59, eh ? I guess they weren't thinking about it being readable 60 years later.
 
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