Gibson L-00 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1937)
LOADING IMAGES
Gibson L-00 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1937), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 609 (FON), sunburst top, dark back and sides finish, mahogany back, sides and neck, spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, black hard shell case.
This is a "beat but sweet" example of a sunburst L-00, a bit of a "Genuine relic" guitar showing a lot of wear but a really good sounding example. This model was Gibson's most popular Depression era flat top; the L-00 stood at the bottom of the company's guitar line in the mid-1930s but was a very well-designed instrument offering great value in sound. This example is hard to date exactly; the FON (Factory Order Number) on the neck block is partially faded but the general look of the guitar and the bound back indicates it was most likely built in 1937 when the list price was $30.00, without the case.
The top finish is a deep sunburst with a darker orangey center, somewhat larger than the years before as is typical of mid-1930s guitars. There is single-ply white celluloid binding around the front and back edges; the top is ornamented with a "firestripe" tortoise celluloid pickguard and a three-ply sound hole ring. The back and sides are finished in dark mahogany, as is the "V" profile neck with an unbound rosewood fingerboard. The headstock carries a white stenciled "Gibson" logo on the face and simple strip tuners (replaced on this guitar). The rosewood bridge does not have the reinforcing bolts with their pearl dot caps added soon after.
This model was a working-class standard of the day, a professional grade guitar at a price affordable to blues players, Hillbilly string bands, and many other itinerant musicians as well as Gibson's intended student customers. Each one of these guitars has its own character and this one is just a honey; great-sounding both finger- and flat-picked, with a ringing tone that never gets harsh. This is worn in but powerful sounding example, an fine player in perfect shape to still gig without fear of a scratch or two.
Overall length is 39 5/8 in. (100.6 cm.), 14 3/4 in. (37.5 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This beautifully worn-in 85+ year old L-00 looks like it has a lot of stories to tell. The original finish shows a lot of wear over the entire instrument, most heavily to the back which has a collection of deep scratches and scrapes. The rest of the guitar has dings, dents and scrapes but less playwear to the top than some. The lower edge of the soundhole is worn to the wood, and there are pick marks above and below the strings, ahead of the pickguard and a deep spot into the wood below the treble side of the bridge. The back of the neck has some finish worn away along the spine and in the first position, and shallow capo dings up to the 6th fret area. The headstock has a decent amount of wear as well but the silkscreen logo is mostly intact.
Considering the amount of wear to the guitar crack repairs are minimal. There is a grain re-seal on the top upper bout; this top was made from four pieces of spruce (not all that unusual on these budget models) and the upper seam separated and was reglued. The top has no other visible cracks. The back center seam appears re-sealed just below the heel and there was a split lower on the back centerline with a deep impact mark glued up solidly but visibly. The lower side waist has want looks like a sealed split from the outside but shows no internal evidence.
The neck has been reset, the angle is excellent but the job was not as neat as some leaving visible evidence around the heel. The guitar is fitted with a decently well done repro bridge, the original must have had had bolts added through the ends, the marks of which can still be seen patched inside under the bridge ends. The original bridge did not have factory retaining bolts in the usual spots. The original bridgeplate and bracing are intact and unaltered. The top is in excellent shape, with the light arching it was built with but none of the heavier bulge distortion these very lightly-built guitars often suffer.
The original tuners appear long gone and the guitar currently sports recent vintage Waverly-style reissue machines, with some minor scarring visible on the back of the headstock from a previous installation. The fingerboard has visible divoting in the lower positions; it was refretted some time ago with wire slightly larger than the original showing some minor wear in the first position. The bone nut appears original or at least older. The action is very comfortable and this is a fine playing and sounding instrument, a lovely example of a long-serving working L-00 that wears its scars proudly and is ready for another century of use. Very Good + Condition.
This is a "beat but sweet" example of a sunburst L-00, a bit of a "Genuine relic" guitar showing a lot of wear but a really good sounding example. This model was Gibson's most popular Depression era flat top; the L-00 stood at the bottom of the company's guitar line in the mid-1930s but was a very well-designed instrument offering great value in sound. This example is hard to date exactly; the FON (Factory Order Number) on the neck block is partially faded but the general look of the guitar and the bound back indicates it was most likely built in 1937 when the list price was $30.00, without the case.
The top finish is a deep sunburst with a darker orangey center, somewhat larger than the years before as is typical of mid-1930s guitars. There is single-ply white celluloid binding around the front and back edges; the top is ornamented with a "firestripe" tortoise celluloid pickguard and a three-ply sound hole ring. The back and sides are finished in dark mahogany, as is the "V" profile neck with an unbound rosewood fingerboard. The headstock carries a white stenciled "Gibson" logo on the face and simple strip tuners (replaced on this guitar). The rosewood bridge does not have the reinforcing bolts with their pearl dot caps added soon after.
This model was a working-class standard of the day, a professional grade guitar at a price affordable to blues players, Hillbilly string bands, and many other itinerant musicians as well as Gibson's intended student customers. Each one of these guitars has its own character and this one is just a honey; great-sounding both finger- and flat-picked, with a ringing tone that never gets harsh. This is worn in but powerful sounding example, an fine player in perfect shape to still gig without fear of a scratch or two.
Overall length is 39 5/8 in. (100.6 cm.), 14 3/4 in. (37.5 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This beautifully worn-in 85+ year old L-00 looks like it has a lot of stories to tell. The original finish shows a lot of wear over the entire instrument, most heavily to the back which has a collection of deep scratches and scrapes. The rest of the guitar has dings, dents and scrapes but less playwear to the top than some. The lower edge of the soundhole is worn to the wood, and there are pick marks above and below the strings, ahead of the pickguard and a deep spot into the wood below the treble side of the bridge. The back of the neck has some finish worn away along the spine and in the first position, and shallow capo dings up to the 6th fret area. The headstock has a decent amount of wear as well but the silkscreen logo is mostly intact.
Considering the amount of wear to the guitar crack repairs are minimal. There is a grain re-seal on the top upper bout; this top was made from four pieces of spruce (not all that unusual on these budget models) and the upper seam separated and was reglued. The top has no other visible cracks. The back center seam appears re-sealed just below the heel and there was a split lower on the back centerline with a deep impact mark glued up solidly but visibly. The lower side waist has want looks like a sealed split from the outside but shows no internal evidence.
The neck has been reset, the angle is excellent but the job was not as neat as some leaving visible evidence around the heel. The guitar is fitted with a decently well done repro bridge, the original must have had had bolts added through the ends, the marks of which can still be seen patched inside under the bridge ends. The original bridge did not have factory retaining bolts in the usual spots. The original bridgeplate and bracing are intact and unaltered. The top is in excellent shape, with the light arching it was built with but none of the heavier bulge distortion these very lightly-built guitars often suffer.
The original tuners appear long gone and the guitar currently sports recent vintage Waverly-style reissue machines, with some minor scarring visible on the back of the headstock from a previous installation. The fingerboard has visible divoting in the lower positions; it was refretted some time ago with wire slightly larger than the original showing some minor wear in the first position. The bone nut appears original or at least older. The action is very comfortable and this is a fine playing and sounding instrument, a lovely example of a long-serving working L-00 that wears its scars proudly and is ready for another century of use. Very Good + Condition.