Gibson L-50 Model Arch Top Acoustic Guitar (1933), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, sunburst top, dark back and sides finish, maple back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
In the depths of the Great Depression Gibson had a pressing need to develop more affordable guitars; this unusually stout-looking round-hole archtop was one of the early results. Only available for a year or so around 1933, this first model L-50 was a stylistic experiment with its squat, wide-waisted body and large round soundhole. Gibson soon moved on to more conventional F-hole designs, leaving this model as a rather unique oddity in the world of carved-top guitars. The single-bound top is braced with a combination of paralell and cross braces; the pickguard is glued to the top (rather than raised) and the tailpiece and bridge are typical for the period. The headstock carries a white script Gibson logo-most L-50's carry pearl; the neck on this model usually carries the typical fairly sharp V contour of the period but this one has been re-carved to a rounder profile The sound is punchy and surprizingly loud, with a thicker midrange than many smaller archtops. A cool piece of Gibson history and a very good playing guitar.
Overall length is 38 3/4 in. (98.4 cm.), 14 5/8 in. (37.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.). Nice condition overall, all original hardware; finish has light to average wear. The main repairs are a long spliced top crack just north of the center seam and a smaller one by the pickguard, both well sealed. This guitar does have one significant alteration-at some point long ago someone rather amateurishly re-contoured the back of the neck to a round profile, removing the "V" spine. The altered surface is unfinished but fairly smooth, and runs from just above the heel to the edges of the headstock. The result is comfortable to play, notably thinner than the original. Apart from this the guitar is a good example, some fretwear but a good player with a nice chunky sound. Includes a worn but servicable original case. Overall Very Good + Condition.
