{"product_id":"gibson-l-5-pn-arch-top-acoustic-guitar-1940-13634","title":"Gibson L-5 PN Arch Top Acoustic Guitar (1940)","description":"Gibson L-5 PN Model Arch Top Acoustic Guitar (1940), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # FA-5170, natural lacquer finish, maple back and sides with spruce top; laminated maple neck with ebony fingerboard, original tweed hard shell case. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis guitar is both a fantastic sounding instrument and an important piece of Gibson history: one of the earliest cutaway L-5's ever made. This then-novel body design with the rounded \"Venetian\" cutaway on the treble bout became a Gibson staple, copied by virtually every other guitar maker since. This design was a milestone in guitar evolution, elegantly allowing the player much more fingerboard access; it began right here. Gibson had experimented with cutaway instruments before 1910 with the elaborately-scrolled Style O Artist Model, but the 1939 \"Premier\" L-5's and Super 400s represent the birth of the modern cutaway guitar.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe company's new \"Premier\" L-5 and Super 400 were officially announced in the 1940 \"Catalog AA\" but the first few examples appeared in late 1939; one is shown with Alan Reuss in an endorsement picture. A full page in the catalog spotlighted the new models with Hollywood guitarists George Smith and Eddie Skrivanek, touting the new exclusive features: The \"Premier Cut Away\", \"Beautiful Natural Finish\" and \"Vari-tone Control\". This last was a tension adjustor built into the new solid tailpiece that players hardly ever used, but the natural finish and cutaway options were truly groundbreaking. The L-5P was priced at $290 in either sunburst or natural finish; the #600 case was $28 extra. By \"Catalog BB\" (dated 1941) the Premier option was oddly downplayed, mentioned as available by \"Special Order only, at additional cost\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGibson's L-5 had been in production since 1924; the \"Advanced\" 17\" version appeared in 1935. While after 1934 the guitar had been officially superseded by the Super 400 as the top-of-the-line, the L-5 was still highly popular with professional users, many of whom found the 17\" guitar to be better handling (and often better sounding) instrument compared to the 18\" Super 400. Gibson reverted to parallel bracing on both in 1939 and all Premier models are built this way. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe cutaway and natural finish were still brand new when this guitar was made, one of 40 registered as shipped in 1940. Published information indicates a total of 53 natural-finish, cutaway L-5's were shipped up through 1943 when the last one left Kalamazoo. After the war the model was reinstated but the \"Premier\" designation was soon dropped in favor of the more prosaic \"cutaway\" designation. Pre-war L-5 Premiers like this one represent some of the finest purely acoustic cutaway archtops the company ever built.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese first cutaway Gibsons were built with a distinct quirk: the fingerboard is not elevated off the top, but rests directly on the guitar's face more like a flat top. Possibly Gibson's engineers were unsure of how well the heelblock would be supported with the rim cut away on one side; the reason is lost to time. Whatever the rationale, by 1941 Gibson's cutaway archtops reverted to the standard cantilevered fingerboard found on their full-body cousins and only a limited number of these early Premiers are built this way. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis guitar has several other interesting features. The most distinctive is the multi-bound pearloid pickguard fitted instead of the standard tortoise celluloid. This super flashy trim piece is very rare, appearing on only a very few Super 400s and L-5s just around this time. It certainly dresses up the guitar; The serial number FA-5170 (on the label and stamped on the back of the headstock) is from a distinct \"Artist\" series used only on some high-end instruments in 1939-40; it dates the guitar to 1940. The internal factory order number is faded to illegibility, but it looks like this was #11 in the batch. This guitar features the earliest Kluson Sealfast tuning machines with beautiful amber Catalin buttons and the new \"Vari-tone\" tailpiece, with a particularly nice contrasting satin-and-shine gold finish.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis guitar was a top-line showpiece for Gibson in 1940 and the woods and workmanship is to an extremely high standard. The back is finely grained bookmatched maple with a subtle but distinctive flame grain, the rims show some stronger flame figure. The cutaway itself is interesting; it appears hand-shaped, with a slight effect of opening outwards towards the face of the guitar. The top and back behind the cutaway slope down a bit to meet the binding in a beautifully executed piece of carving; it ls likely these were carved from blanks originally roughed out for non-cutaway guitars. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe 2-piece maple neck with an ebony center strip is carved to a rather chunky, somewhat flat \"C\" profile. The fingerboard is a very fine dark piece of ebony with block pearl inlay the elaborate 5-ply binding very neatly executed. At the time this guitar was built the top-line \"Orchestra Guitars\" were far more important to the company than flat tops or electrics, and this guitar was a prestige show piece, Gibson's definitive modernistic statement. Every progressive big band and broadcasting guitarist was a prospective customer, and Gibson was treating their top competitor Epiphone with a one-two punch by simultaneously introducing the cutaway and gleaming natural blonde finish. This one still plays and sounds superb and appears to have found a professional home and served for some time as a gigging guitar, exactly as intended.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOverall length is 42 1\/4 in. (107.3 cm.), 17 in. (43.2 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 3\/8 in. (8.6 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 1\/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11\/16 in. (43 mm.). \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis 85 year old historic guitar has been well played but remains largely original and unaltered, showing light checking and mostly moderate wear overall, most heavily to the top above the fingerboard. Unlike most higher-grade archtops, the top in this area is close to the plane of the fingerboard; some pick strokes have left scratching in the upper quarter of the face. There are a few deeper dings to the top it looks like some oil or polish has seeped into, making them darker than the rest of the top. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe sides and back are cleaner (this guitar was not played standing up with a belt buckle!) with some light dings, scuffs and scratches and a bit of finish worn away along the upper binding line in the waist on the back and side in the lower waist. The back of the neck was worn to the wood along some of its length; whoever played this L-5 used the entire fingerboard! A VERY light overfinish appears to have been applied to this area, as is typical with older \"jazz\" guitars. This is not very conspicuous at all. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere are not many repairs and all very minor. There is a tiny check on the back of the headstock just inside the \"V\" of the \"stinger\"; this extends in a \"V shape about 3\/4\" up the back just inside the paint line. We are not sure how this even occurred, but it was sealed up long ago; not moving or even that noticeable. The back rim has a small sealed crack running off the back edge just below the tailpiece. The \"Vari-tone\" (A\/K\/A \"Top buster adjustor\") mounted in the tailpiece has dug just a bit into the wood, but has not caused any cracks to the top. Some areas of the back\/edge seams have been resealed; there are a few chips and dings to the wood along the edges from this. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll fittings on the guitar remain original including the very unusual (and visually stunning) pearloid pickguard. There is some wear to the gold plating, especially on the pickguard bracket and tuner housings; the tailpiece is surprisingly clean. The silver-plated center section has an unusual coppery lacquer coating over it; we have not seen this before but if not original it is certainly period. The label is intact with a stain obscuring part of the serial number, which is also stamped into the back of the headstock.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe guitar looks to have been refretted long ago with exact appropriate wire; these frets are small by modern standards but show hardly any wear. This is simply a lovely and majestic guitar to play, effortless with a sound that resonates freely and is powerful, sweet and supple. This is simply one of the finest l-5s of any stripe we have ever seen or heard, a real showpiece for the best \"Orchestra guitar\" Gibson could offer. The original tweed \"Aeroplane Cloth\" case is worn from being carried to countless gigs but still intact and functional. Overall Very Good + Condition.","brand":"Gibson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51618984165516,"sku":"13634","price":29500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0672\/8702\/3756\/files\/01_4ae61b4e-9dab-4544-9ad3-dc9325bb073d.jpg?v=1785013690","url":"https:\/\/retrofret.com\/products\/gibson-l-5-pn-arch-top-acoustic-guitar-1940-13634","provider":"RetroFret","version":"1.0","type":"link"}