What OHSC, OSSC and the rest of the shorthand mean
Vintage guitar listings are written in shorthand. That is not an affectation. The shorthand exists because a listing has to carry a lot of facts in a title and a paragraph, and because those facts — era, originality, what is included — are exactly what a vintage price is built on.
Take a real listing from our recent inventory: 1962 Fender Stratocaster Pre-CBS Slab Board Aged Sonic Blue Refinish w/HSC — $23,995. Six facts in the title: the year, the era, the fingerboard type, the color, the fact that the finish is not original, and the fact that it comes with a hard shell case that is not the original one. Every one of those words moves the price.
Here is what the terms mean, and why each one matters.
The case shorthand
Case shorthand is the most common shorthand in the trade — it appears in the descriptions of more than 2,600 listings in our catalog. We keep the full list on our glossary page. These are the terms you will see most.
OHSC — original hard shell case
The hard shell case the guitar shipped in from the factory. Original cases are scarce. Cases got separated from guitars, thrown away, water-damaged and replaced for sixty years before anyone thought about collector value. A correct OHSC adds real money to a vintage instrument, and on high-grade pieces it can be a meaningful slice of the price. When a collector asks whether a guitar has its OHSC, they are asking whether the package is complete.
HSC — hard shell case, not the original
A hard shell case, but not the one the guitar left the factory in. It may be a modern aftermarket case or a period-correct substitution. An HSC protects the guitar exactly as well. It does not add collector value. That difference — protection versus originality — is the whole distance between HSC and OHSC, and it is why the two abbreviations exist.
OSSC — original soft shell case
The factory-original chipboard, faux-alligator or pressed-cardboard case supplied with many student and budget models through the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Our 1961 Gibson ES-125T, listed at $2,995, comes with its OSSC. On these guitars the flimsy original case is part of the instrument's history, and surviving examples are uncommon precisely because chipboard did not age well.
OGB — original gig bag
The manufacturer's own gig bag, included from the factory. You will see this mostly on modern, reissue and boutique instruments — our 2019 PRS Silver Sky, for instance, listed with its OGB. On a 2019 guitar, the bag is the correct original case, and the shorthand says so.
w/ — "with"
Simply marks what is included: w/ OHSC, w/ COA, w/ hangtags, w/ tremolo arm. If a listing names no case at all, ask us. We usually have something that fits.
The Fender era shorthand
Pre-CBS
CBS bought Fender in January 1965. Instruments built before the changeover are Pre-CBS, and collectors pay a premium for them because of how they were built: nitrocellulose finishes, clay position dots, Brazilian rosewood boards on rosewood-era models, and hand work that changed after the sale. Both the 1962 Stratocaster above and our 1963 Precision Bass are Pre-CBS. Pre-CBS is the most value-positive phrase in Fender collecting.
L-Series
From 1963 to 1965, Fender stamped serial numbers with an L prefix — the last of the Pre-CBS run. The serial range helps date the instrument, and it matters to collectors who want the era pinned down precisely.
Slab board and veneer board
Fender's rosewood fingerboards came in two constructions. Until mid-1962, the board was a thick, flat-bottomed slab of Brazilian rosewood glued onto the maple neck — the slab board. From mid-1962 through the late 1960s, Fender used a thinner board curved to match the neck radius — the veneer board. The distinction is a dating tool. A claimed slab board on a guitar that should have a veneer board is exactly the kind of thing our bench checks before a guitar is listed.
The condition and originality shorthand
Refin
Short for refinished: the finish was redone after the instrument left the factory. A refin typically prices 30 to 50 percent below an all-original example, which is why our 1963 Precision Bass — Black Refin Pre-CBS w/HSC, $12,495 — carries both the era and the finish status in its title. The part that matters to a player: a refin does not make the guitar play or sound worse. If you want the instrument to play rather than to store, a refin is often the better buy.
Truss rod crack / repair
A disclosure, not a euphemism. It means the neck or headstock cracked at some point and has been professionally repaired — glued, splined and finished by a luthier. This is the classic injury on angled Gibson headstocks. A repaired headstock cuts value sharply, and we say so in the listing rather than let a buyer find it later. It does not necessarily end a guitar's playing life. It ends the pretense that the guitar is untouched, and the price reflects that.
Pot codes
Potentiometers — the volume and tone controls — carry source and date codes. A CTS pot stamped 1376248 was made in the 48th week of 1962. Pots have to be at least as old as the instrument, so pot codes corroborate the build date and the electrical originality, and a later code exposes a changed harness or a faked date. Reading them is part of every vintage examination on our bench, along with checking solder joints under magnification and the finish under UV light.
P.A.F.
"Patent Applied For" — Gibson's humbucking pickup, designed by Seth Lover, produced from 1957 to 1962. It is one of the most sought-after and valuable components in electric guitar history. A real P.A.F. versus a later replacement is serious money on any Golden Era Gibson, which is why listings for these guitars get specific about pickups.
COA
Certificate of Authenticity — factory or Custom Shop paperwork verifying the serial number, model and build origin. It matters most on modern and reissue instruments, which is where such certificates exist. A 1950s or 1960s vintage guitar has no COA; its paperwork, if any, is hangtags, cases and receipts. When a Custom Shop piece is listed w/ COA, the certificate is included.
Using the shorthand
Treat every abbreviation as a flag, and every flag as a question you are entitled to ask about. Our listings spell out what is original and what is not — finishes, tuners, pickups, refrets, repairs. If a description does not cover something, call the store that has the guitar. The person who answers can put hands on it.
And it cuts both ways. When you sell or trade to us, cases and paperwork change the number we can offer — tell us what you have and we will value it with those facts in mind.
