Home / Instruments /Accessories / Ordering / Tips / Friends

archtop.com

1935 Gibson L-4

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 by 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 #: 92173, white oval label. FON#: 124A-1

Body size at lower bout: 16". Scale length: 24 3/4" Nut Width: 1 3/4" Neck depth: .98/1.11, 1st/10th frets

Materials: Handcarved bookmatched solid spruce top; solid mahogany neck, solid figured maple back, solid maple sides, Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, variegated mother of pearl inlay fingerboard inlay, 'fleur-de-lis' peghead inlay; bound fingerboard, peghead and body.

Hardware: Original hardware includes compensated ebony bridge, original nickel trapeze tailpiece, nickel Grover Sta-Tite tuners with scalloped keys. Vintage correct swirl tortoise pickguard, DeArmond Model 1000 Rhythm Chief floating pickup with control box.

Notes: Created by legendary designer Lloyd Loar and popularized by jazz pioneer Eddie Lang, the original issue Gibson L-5 remains one of the world's most sought-after guitars. With it's comfortable 16" body, generous 1 3/4" nut, and lightly braced top, the original L-5 combines tone and playability in a manner many feel is unsurpassed to this day. The bad news is that Gibson discontinued the 16" L-5 by 1936. And if you've looked for one in recent years, you also realize they fetch a king's ransom. But what many otherwise savvy players don't realize is that the guitar was just too good to kill. So Gibson didn't. They just fiddled with the inlay and gave it another name: the L-4.

Introduced in 1912, the L-4 was Gibson's top-of-the line guitar, and remains its longest lasting model, still in production to this day as a cutaway electric. The L-4 was produced with a round hole exclusively until 1934, when this version was offered with optional f-holes. Built on the same forms as the 20's L-5, the f-hole L-4 differed mostly in cosmetics from its costly cousin. Same scale, f-holes, fingerboard dimensions, bracing, and a solid mahogany neck for lighter weight and better balance. (Interestingly, the variegated floral 'Roy Smeck' fingerboard pattern, borrowed from 20's Mastertone banjo inlays, is even more ornate than the L-5, which offered only simple blocks.) This version, with the slim, elegant bound peghead, and narrow script logo was offered only until around 1939.

The body has a fine grained, bookmatched solid spruce top, and figured maple back and sides with dark walnut finish. Original nickel hardware includes the 20's style trapeze tailpiece, compensated adjustable ebony bridge, and original Grover Sta-Tite tuners with scalloped keys. The lustrous Cremona finish is all original, and in fine condition, apart from some typical scattered finish nicks and some light thumbwear to the neck. The top centerseam is solid, and showing some checking under the tailpiece, and a single hairline crack under the pickguard has been soundly resealed.

The top is carved very delicately, and the lightweight body is a remarkable 5lb 5oz, including the DeArmond pickup. With a classic prewar V profile and a comfy 1 3/4" width, the neck has smooth, low action with a fresh high-precision setup over fine pro fretwork in the original style. The voice is notably brilliant: wide open, clear and transparent, with excellent balance and projection. A special plus is the vintage DeArmond 1000 Rhythm Chief pickup, with original control box, whose clear, detailed response conveys the acoustic tone of the instrument in classic vintage style.

An exceptional performer, and the best kept secret in a true prewar master quality Gibson archtop: the working player's L-5. One only, call now.

Setup: 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. Action set to 4-5/64" at the 12th fret, with medium gauge nickel roundwound strings.

Case: Original Gibson deluxe black arched plush lined hardshell case.

Home / Instruments /Accessories / Ordering / Tips / Friends