Gibson L-7C Model Arch Top Acoustic Guitar (1951), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # A-7129, sunburst lacquer finish, maple back and sides, spruce top; maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, brown hard shell case.
This very early 1950's L-7C is a lovely 17" cutaway archtop guitar fitted with a later period DeArmond Model 1100 pickup, which was the company's top-of-the-line version of the extremely popular Rhythm Chief. This pickup is still one of the top choices for players desiring to amplify their acoustic archtops, with the traditional electric /acoustic sound still prized today. Other than this addition the guitar remains original with features typical for the period. The neck is maple with a center laminate ebony strip and rosewood fingerboard. The top is carved spruce and the rim and back are maple. The neck and headstock are single bound, with triple binding on the top and back. The pearl fingerboard inlay is a parallelogram pattern with Gibson's traditional crown on the headstock. The bridge, tailpiece and tuners are the standard period fittings; the Kluson Deluxe pegs with tulip buttons are the very earliest style with the shaft completely enclosed by the housing. The white Gibson "artist" label inside the body indicates a shipping date in early 1951, one of just under 175 shipped that year. This is a great-playing and sounding solid wood archtop acoustic/electric guitar, perfectly at home in both plugged and unplugged modes and well on par with many originally more expensive carved-top Gibsons.
Overall length is 42 1/2 in. (108 cm.), 17 in. (43.2 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.). A nice example overall with some light average wear and an un unobtrusively added electric pickup setup. The finish is generally well preserved although there are some small scratches, chips and dings overall. The only notable repair is to one old repaired crack on the lower treble bout rim with some visible touch-up. The original 1949-52 style Kluson Deluxe tuners are on the guitar with newer keystone buttons; at some point something else was installed as there are compression marks visible on the headstock face. The original tailpiece has a mini-jack installation through the endpin hole; the vintage DeArmond Model 1100 pickup is mounted with a bracket to the bass side of the fingerboard. With mini-controls positioned at the rear edge of the pickguard in a functional but very inconspicuous manner. Overall Excellent - Condition.
