Instruments /Accessories / Ordering / Tips / Friends

archtop.com

1945 Gibson L-7

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 #: 98619

Body size at lower bout: 17". Scale length: 25 1/2" Nut Width: 1 3/4"

Finish: Sunburst finish, nitrocellulose lacquer type.

Materials: Hand-carved solid Adirondack spruce top; solid figured maple back; three-piece maple neck; Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with split-parallelogram mother of pearl inlays; solid bone nut, 7-ply body binding.

Hardware: 100% original hardware includes bound tortoise pickguard, wartime Kluson open back tuners with button keys, compensated adjustable Brazilian rosewood bridge; nickel triple parallelogram trapeze tailpiece.

Notes: Introduced in 1932, the Gibson L-7 was Gibson' most popular professional sized archop. The last noncutaway example rolled off the line in 1955. Identical in all but cosmetics to the costly L-5, the L-7 was highly prized by working players for it's warmth, projection and playability.

Wartime instruments are Gibson's rarest guitars, as the factory shifted to defense production, leaving just a small crew to finish up back ordered instruments. With supplies tight, guitars of this era show unusual variation in ornamentation, as craftsmen rummaged though supplies left over from earlier decades. Accordingly, the small cursive pearl Gibson headstock logo was unused stock from the 20's or early 30's, and the original open back tuners are of a type often fitted on prewar Gibson flat tops.

In addition, the fingerboard was constructed with a generous 1 3/4" nut, a feature usually seen only on the 16" models of the early 30's. Finally and most unusually, this guitar is fitted with original seven ply body binding, an ornate touch usually reserved for the upmarket L-5 and Super 400 models. This is the only L-7 we've ever seen with this level of ornamentation, and it's certainly possible that this body was originally intended for an L-5, then pulled off the line to fill an order for an L-7.

Meticulously maintained, this spectacular guitar has been preserved in uncannily pristine condition since new, and retains a unusually handsome appearance. Showing 100% original Cremona sunburst finish and hardware throughout, the instrument is without pick, thumb, buckle or fingerboard wear. Apart from a bit of normal checking and a single finish crack near the treble soundhole (not through the wood) the instrument and appears almost unplayed. The guitar has a solid carved bookmatched Adirondack spruce top, carved figured maple back, and a classic neck with a full, gently rounded C profile, with smooth low action over fine original fretwork. The voice is clear and throaty with wonderful depth and projection. Instruments at this level of preservation are exceedingly scarce indeed, especially after more than six decades of age. A distinctive and exquisite example of Gibson's most popular pro-sized acoustic archtop, in stunning museum quality condition. Call now.

Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, recrowned and polished; 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.

Case: Original linen covered Gibson deluxe arched plushlined hardshell case.

Instruments /Accessories / Ordering / Tips / Friends