Home / Instruments /Accessories / Ordering / Tips / Friends

archtop.com

Gibson 1934 L-5

Status: Pricing and hold status for all instruments currently available is shown on our Instruments page here. If this instrument does not appear on the Instruments page it has been sold, and is no longer available. Photos and descriptions of Previously Sold instruments may be found here. To be notified of examples of this model or similar instruments in the future, please contact [email protected],. Please be specific on which instrument(s) you're looking for, and we'll be happy to contact you as soon as they become available.

Serial #: 91912, white oval label.

Body size at lower bout: 16". Scale length: 24 3/4" Nut Width: 1 3/4"

Materials: Handcarved bookmatched solid Adirondack spruce top; solid bookmatched tiger flame maple back and sides; solid three piece maple neck with walnut centerstripe; solid ebony fingerboard; mother of pearl script peghead logo and fingerboard inlay, abalone flowerpot peghead inlay; triple bound fingerboard, body, peghead and pickguard.

Hardware: 100% original gold hardware includes trapeze tailpiece; Grover Stat-Tite open back tuners included; compensated adjustable ebony bridge; triple bound tortoise pickguard; adjustable truss rod.

Notes: Making it's debut in 1922, the Gibson L-5 was created by the legendary Lloyd Loar, father of the renowned F-5 mandolin. One of the most influential instrument designers of the 20th century, Loar pioneered a number of key innovations, including very early work on the electric guitar. The Gibson L-5 is perhaps his most influential creation, and is widely regarded as the first successful commercially produced archtop guitar. Now in its eighth decade, it remains the most famous jazz guitar of all time.

This guitar is from 1934, the last year for the legendary 16" Lloyd Loar design, made famous by Eddie Lang, Maybelle Carter, and a host of other luminaries. models ever built. As befits an instrument from the top of the Gibson catalog, this stunning L-5 is graced with magnificently bookmatched fiddleback maple in the back and neck, and deep rollers of tiger flame in the sides. The soundboard is hand graduated of quartersawn Adirondack spruce of the highest caliber.

A lovingly maintained instrument, this guitar shows no cracks or repairs, with 100% original hardware and a very handsome original Cremona sunburst finish. Playwear is very light for an instrument of this vintage, showing only some scattered pick dents, a small patch of buckle wear, and a little nick in the peghead for its long playing career. The voice is clear, bright and transparent, with great balance and projection, and the dry open quality of well aged tonewood. The fingerboard is a generous 1 3/4" at the nut, a favorite of jazz and fingerstyle players, and many modern builders. Neck profile neck is the traditional solid, slightly softened vee shape with smooth low action over fine pro fretwork. A superb example of the world's first and most celebrated jazz guitar.

Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, recrowned and polished as necessary; trussrod tension and neck relief adjusted; bridge height adjusted; bridge compensation set; string slots at nut and bridge inspected and recut as necessary; bridge foot contour inspected and fit to top as necessary; bridge radius inspected and recurved as necessary; bridge wheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished.

This instrument is strung with medium gauge bronze strings (.013-.057). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 5/64" to 6/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief for acoustic playing with medium strings. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.

Case: Original Gibson black plushlined red stripe hardshell case.