Gibson Nick Lucas Special Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1932)
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Item #14259
Gibson Nick Lucas Special Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1932), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 88513, sunburst lacquer finish, rosewood back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, period brown hard shell case.
Guitar-slinging crooner Nick Lucas was the first pop artist to endorse a signature guitar, which was also Gibson's first namesake model. Although largely forgotten now (except as inspiration to Tiny Tim) Lucas was a huge star in the 1920's, on records then on the sliver screen. Prior to 1926 Gibson catalogs denigrated flat-top guitars as unworthy of an artist, but with the Lucas Special the company abandoned that tack and made its first professional grade flat top. This one survives in very fine original condition, a really superb example.
Its full name was "The Gibson Special-Nick Lucas Model"; Gibson's top-of-the line flat top from the mid/late 1920s well into the '30s. Over this span the Lucas went through a complex and rapid evolution but always remained a small deep-bodied flat top. This one has an odd construction specific to this era: a tailpiece/floating bridge layout that is very unusual on higher grade flat tops. In the darkest days of the depression Gibson experimented with this idea briefly (it was noted as an option in the 1932 catalog) but it was quickly dropped. This guitar's rosewood body is also specific to this period and the two features often intersect; a large percentage of these rare rosewood models also have the floating bridge. This one also features an unusual 13th fret neck joint, an odd halfway step in the model's evolution from the older 12 fret to 14 fret configuration.
These traits mark this 1932 guitar as the third major Lucas variation, built on Gibson's larger nearly 15" wide, less round-bottomed body introduced in 1929. The back and sides are beautifully grained rosewood with some dramatic figuring, a premium feature Gibson rarely indulged. Other Lucas variants had mahogany or maple bodies, but the rosewood version is considered the model's pinnacle. The thin, delicately X-braced spruce top is not specifically designed for the elevated bridges construction, but does have an original heavier subtly arched bridgeplate for extra support.
This Lucas is a superbly classy looking guitar. The top carries a beautiful hand-rubbed Cremona brown finish with a small sunburst in the center; the rest of the instrument is finished in natural to showcase the stunning rosewood grain. There is triple binding on the top and back and a 3-ply soundhole ring, with binding on the edge as well. The ebony adjustable bridge and "string over" tailpiece are the same pieces used on period archtops. The tortoise celluloid pickguard is the standard elevated arch top piece that Gibson fitted to flat tops before adopting a glued-to-the-top design.
The round-backed neck has a fairly slim/flat profile, if a bit less so than some other period L-1's and L-2s we have had. It is topped with a single bound (with a side line) rosewood fingerboard with the trademark "Lucas" shaped pearl inlay especially designed for this model. The headstock has "The Gibson" inlaid in script pearl inlay above a fleur-de-lys pearl emblem. The tuners are engraved Waverly strips with ivoroid buttons
This is a fine playing guitar and with its fancy Cremona sunburst and quite a looker as well! The tailpiece/bridge format with a sharper neck angle results in a flattop guitar with some of the kick of an archtop, trading off some sweetness for added power and punch. While we are partial to all pre-WWII Gibson flat-tops, we find the Lucas from this period to be a particularly attractive guitar. These delicately built 13-fret large Lucases were made in very limited numbers, just one short stop in the model's constant evolution. The two we have seen recently are from the same production batch, Factory Order number #169. Not many of these survive in as fine condition as this one; they have often been converted to a typical flat-top pin bridge set up. This one remains in its original state and yes it sounds great playing "Tiptoe Through The Tulips"!
Overall length is 39 in. (99.1 cm.), 14 3/4 in. (37.5 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 9/16 in. (11.6 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 is a very clean guitar and super attractive overall, about the nicest of this version we have ever seen. It also has an interesting history, having served for some time in the studio of esteemed Artist/Producer T Bone Burnette. He wrote to us about the instrument "Both (Marc) Ribot and I played it on most of the recordings we did over the twenty years. Michael Piersante said it was "the best sounding and his favorite to record of all our acoustic guitars".
The finish shows some light play wear overall; there is minor checking mostly to the top with small dings, dents and scratches scattered around but no really heavy wear. The top has a few shallow pick scratches and a small worn spot between the fingerboard extension and soundhole rim. The back of the neck has finish rubbed down to the wood on both sides from the first to the third fret areas, and some checking around the heel. The original round "Nick Lucas Gibson Special" portrait label under the soundhole is intact and quite well-preserved; Nick's enigmatic smile peers out clearly. Someone added the date "Jan 26 1932" in carefully handwritten ink just to Nick's right.
There are hardly any repairs, which is kind of amazing for one of these very lightly built guitars. There is a small split to the center seam between the fingerboard and soundhole rim, repaired with a small cleat under the front edge of soundhole. There is a small grain pucker to the top wood just above the treble side waist that never opened up fully into a crack. The rosewood back and sides have no cracks or repairs, again really fantastic on a guitar of this age.
The tailpiece and adjustable ebony bridge remain original; Despite the added tension the thin top has survived well with no major distortion, just some minor compression under the bridge which is pretty ubiquitous on these. Apart from the one small cleat the interior is quite clean and unaltered with the somewhat delicate bracing remaining original as is the small maple bridge plate, in flat top size but a bit deeper, slightly arched in the center and obviously never drilled for pin holes.
This is still simply a beautiful and very rare instrument in this spectacular condition, despite its eccentric bridge layout still playing perfectly after well over 90 years. There are not many rosewood-body Nick Lucas guitars extant, and this is about the nicest we have seen or heard, well played in a professional environment but exceptionally well cared for. Even ignoring its more recent provenance this a superb piece of Gibson history residing in a period but not Gibson issue HSC from the 1940s, a bit worn but fully functional. Overall Excellent Condition.
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Guitar-slinging crooner Nick Lucas was the first pop artist to endorse a signature guitar, which was also Gibson's first namesake model. Although largely forgotten now (except as inspiration to Tiny Tim) Lucas was a huge star in the 1920's, on records then on the sliver screen. Prior to 1926 Gibson catalogs denigrated flat-top guitars as unworthy of an artist, but with the Lucas Special the company abandoned that tack and made its first professional grade flat top. This one survives in very fine original condition, a really superb example.
Its full name was "The Gibson Special-Nick Lucas Model"; Gibson's top-of-the line flat top from the mid/late 1920s well into the '30s. Over this span the Lucas went through a complex and rapid evolution but always remained a small deep-bodied flat top. This one has an odd construction specific to this era: a tailpiece/floating bridge layout that is very unusual on higher grade flat tops. In the darkest days of the depression Gibson experimented with this idea briefly (it was noted as an option in the 1932 catalog) but it was quickly dropped. This guitar's rosewood body is also specific to this period and the two features often intersect; a large percentage of these rare rosewood models also have the floating bridge. This one also features an unusual 13th fret neck joint, an odd halfway step in the model's evolution from the older 12 fret to 14 fret configuration.
These traits mark this 1932 guitar as the third major Lucas variation, built on Gibson's larger nearly 15" wide, less round-bottomed body introduced in 1929. The back and sides are beautifully grained rosewood with some dramatic figuring, a premium feature Gibson rarely indulged. Other Lucas variants had mahogany or maple bodies, but the rosewood version is considered the model's pinnacle. The thin, delicately X-braced spruce top is not specifically designed for the elevated bridges construction, but does have an original heavier subtly arched bridgeplate for extra support.
This Lucas is a superbly classy looking guitar. The top carries a beautiful hand-rubbed Cremona brown finish with a small sunburst in the center; the rest of the instrument is finished in natural to showcase the stunning rosewood grain. There is triple binding on the top and back and a 3-ply soundhole ring, with binding on the edge as well. The ebony adjustable bridge and "string over" tailpiece are the same pieces used on period archtops. The tortoise celluloid pickguard is the standard elevated arch top piece that Gibson fitted to flat tops before adopting a glued-to-the-top design.
The round-backed neck has a fairly slim/flat profile, if a bit less so than some other period L-1's and L-2s we have had. It is topped with a single bound (with a side line) rosewood fingerboard with the trademark "Lucas" shaped pearl inlay especially designed for this model. The headstock has "The Gibson" inlaid in script pearl inlay above a fleur-de-lys pearl emblem. The tuners are engraved Waverly strips with ivoroid buttons
This is a fine playing guitar and with its fancy Cremona sunburst and quite a looker as well! The tailpiece/bridge format with a sharper neck angle results in a flattop guitar with some of the kick of an archtop, trading off some sweetness for added power and punch. While we are partial to all pre-WWII Gibson flat-tops, we find the Lucas from this period to be a particularly attractive guitar. These delicately built 13-fret large Lucases were made in very limited numbers, just one short stop in the model's constant evolution. The two we have seen recently are from the same production batch, Factory Order number #169. Not many of these survive in as fine condition as this one; they have often been converted to a typical flat-top pin bridge set up. This one remains in its original state and yes it sounds great playing "Tiptoe Through The Tulips"!
Overall length is 39 in. (99.1 cm.), 14 3/4 in. (37.5 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 9/16 in. (11.6 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 is a very clean guitar and super attractive overall, about the nicest of this version we have ever seen. It also has an interesting history, having served for some time in the studio of esteemed Artist/Producer T Bone Burnette. He wrote to us about the instrument "Both (Marc) Ribot and I played it on most of the recordings we did over the twenty years. Michael Piersante said it was "the best sounding and his favorite to record of all our acoustic guitars".
The finish shows some light play wear overall; there is minor checking mostly to the top with small dings, dents and scratches scattered around but no really heavy wear. The top has a few shallow pick scratches and a small worn spot between the fingerboard extension and soundhole rim. The back of the neck has finish rubbed down to the wood on both sides from the first to the third fret areas, and some checking around the heel. The original round "Nick Lucas Gibson Special" portrait label under the soundhole is intact and quite well-preserved; Nick's enigmatic smile peers out clearly. Someone added the date "Jan 26 1932" in carefully handwritten ink just to Nick's right.
There are hardly any repairs, which is kind of amazing for one of these very lightly built guitars. There is a small split to the center seam between the fingerboard and soundhole rim, repaired with a small cleat under the front edge of soundhole. There is a small grain pucker to the top wood just above the treble side waist that never opened up fully into a crack. The rosewood back and sides have no cracks or repairs, again really fantastic on a guitar of this age.
The tailpiece and adjustable ebony bridge remain original; Despite the added tension the thin top has survived well with no major distortion, just some minor compression under the bridge which is pretty ubiquitous on these. Apart from the one small cleat the interior is quite clean and unaltered with the somewhat delicate bracing remaining original as is the small maple bridge plate, in flat top size but a bit deeper, slightly arched in the center and obviously never drilled for pin holes.
This is still simply a beautiful and very rare instrument in this spectacular condition, despite its eccentric bridge layout still playing perfectly after well over 90 years. There are not many rosewood-body Nick Lucas guitars extant, and this is about the nicest we have seen or heard, well played in a professional environment but exceptionally well cared for. Even ignoring its more recent provenance this a superb piece of Gibson history residing in a period but not Gibson issue HSC from the 1940s, a bit worn but fully functional. Overall Excellent Condition.
