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I have what I was told is an '63 Epiphone Texan on my bench, labelled as built in Kalamazoo, with a laminated top and an adjustable bridge but not the reverse belly Gibson type.type. Serial number on the label is consistent with '63, but the serial number does not appear anywhere else on the guitar like the headstock.
Finish appears to be poly back and sides, nitrocellulose on the top.
Is a fake?

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Laminate top? I don't recall a laminate top...laminate bridge plate I think but not top. It should indeed have the S# on the back of the headstock, a reverse belly bridge and the "epsilon" E on the pickguard in '63.
But this is a horrible era for Gibson S# and a real goofy thing happens in this time somewhere with the numbers going backwards.
I think it's '67/'68 when the Texan becomes belly down without the "epsilon" E.

Doc

Note the highlighted sections where '63 and '67 were both using the same range of serial numbers. This is from the Gruhn Guide.

Doc

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Yes, serial number is 101449, used '63 and '67 - owner was told it was '63 when he bought it. No E on the pick guard.
It's the laminated top which made me suspicious.

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

The polyester finish alone is not consistent with any Kalamazoo made Gibson.

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John

And Epiphones? Can't be sure it it's poly, but Acetone and Isopropyl alcohol have no effect on it at all.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I had a sixty-something Texan in my shop this summer, it had a solid top and definitely a lacquer finish. Having said that, it had also been re-topped in the seventies, and the bridge was not original. So, I'm not much help in regards to identifying the legitimacy yours. But I've got to think a person wouldn't go to the trouble of re-topping a plywood guitar.

It may have been partially refinished.

We live in g*bsonland here in Michigan and we see a lot of g*bson and other brands once made on Parson's street that are not in the books. As DG rightly mentioned g*bson was notorious for changing serialization methods including forgetting some too.....

You have to understand that g*bson was a toy company that made guitars on the side when they had parts. So for example they may have only made five of something because that's all they could batch parts for and the next time they made it it has different parts.

So lots of one offs we see here AND g*bson was pretty liberal about "employee guitars" too where employees could build their own but they were not permitted to serialize them. You may have an employee Epiphone.

I don't see this model as attractive enough (in terms of vintage demand) for anyone to go to the trouble of faking one. Besides it would have to lay there and think about painting the ceiling beige.

We've encountered and uncovered fakes before and proved it with fret scale forensics for a Loar mando and 58 Lester. Texans can't compare in terms of demand and market acceptance.

I owned a Texan I bought in college in 1965 and have worked on several, one recently. I would guess with a laminated top and no serial number on the back of the headstock as well as an adjustable but not reverse belly bridge that it is a fake.

If converted to a fixed saddle they were great guitars. The one I just worked on sounded awesome. Too bad it had a 1 5/8” nut. Pretty narrow for most folks today. What is the nut width on yours?

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Yes, including Gibson-made Epiphones. What you are describing (total resistance to acetone) is a hallnark of catalyzed polyester. Back in that time frame, polyester was not common outside of Asian instruments.

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John

A friend of mine had an authentic Kalamazoo Epiphone texan. It was definitely finished in nitro, solid top, 1 and 5/8 inch width at the nut. Adjustable rosewood saddle bridge. I would be very surprised to find a Gibson guitar made in the 60s with a plywood top. Hesh is correct that a Texan would not be a prime candidate for counterfeiting. But you never know. My friend"s Texan was and entirely forgettable guitar.

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Stay with the happy people.
--Reynolds Large

Interestingly, found the same, or very similar model on the net through the a number (model?) on the label.
Volume knob on the shoulder, pearloid dot central on the bridge (this hides a bolt to a central brace), everything matches.
I suppose the winning bid tells it all, £60 or less than $80....
Google lens threw up that the model may be Epiphone FT 145. (the one thrown up was a maple one made in japan)

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

That's one of the import models from the 70s. Those are all laminate tops with polyester finishes. They are atrociously difficult to work on and as a result I rarely do anything to them. They are best suited to campfire fuel guitars.

Epiphone started to be the import brand in the late 60s early 70s. They kept the same names for models but the guitars were not made to a good standard nor did they have anything to do with the original 60s ones that were actually made in Kalamazoo.

Sounds right, despite the label number.
I know his guitar had the top coloured and refinished for the current owner.

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.