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1947 Gibson L-7N
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Serial #: 99093, white Kalamazoo label
Body size at lower bout: 17", Scale length: 25 1/2" Nut width: 1 11/16" Neck depth, 1st/10th frets: .86/1.02
Materials: Solid carved AAAA tiger maple body and neck; bookmatched graduated Sitka spruce soundboard; Brazilian rosewood fingerboard; split-parallelogram mother of pearl fingerboard inlays and "crown" headstock inlay; prewar 'thin script" Gibson peghead logo, triple-bound body, bound fingerboard and headstock.
Hardware: All original nickel hardware includes Kluson Deluxe tuners with single-ring tulip pegs, trapeze tailpiece with raised parallelogram crossbar; original bound tortoise pickguard with nickel bracket; original compensated adjustable Brazilian rosewood bridge; adjustable truss rod.
Notes: Introduced in 1932, the Gibson L-7 was Gibson' most popular professional sized archop. The blonde finish option debuted as a premium priced option in 1940, and never constituted more than a fraction of the number of the sunburst examples. The last noncutaway L-7, a single guitar, rolled off the line in 1956. Identical in all but cosmetics to the costly L-5, the L-7 remains highly prized by players to this day for it's tone, playability, and unbeatable value.
While most sunburst L-7s were fitted with mahogany necks, Gibson made an exception for the blonde finish guitars. Typically crafted with bodies of highly figured northern Michigan maple, the natural finish L-7s were also built with matching maple necks, rendering them structurally identical to their L-5 cousins. Just minus the bling.
This stunning instrument is one of the last example to bear Gibson's prewar label numbers, which ended in this model year, when Gibson label stampers ran out of five digit numbers. It's also one of the last instruments to show the graceful "thin-script" pearl peghead logo, an emblem that adorned Gibson archtops since before the First World War.
Graced with tiger flame maple of exceptional intensity, this stunning guitar is topped with a finely graduated Sitka spruce soundboard, and a fingerboard of handsome Brazilian rosewood. The multi-ply binding is all original and tight to the body, and at barely 6lb even, the guitar is notably lightweight and well balanced, on the lap or the strap. The all original nickel hardware includes Kluson Deluxe tuners, some of the first with enclosed gears, and the triple parallelogram trapeze tailpiece. And remarkably, the original bound tortoise pickguard has survived in excellent condition, a notable rarity after these many decades.
The deeply ambered blonde finish is original as well, and aged to a lustrous honey color. Remarkably free of pick, buckle, or thumbwear, the instrument shows scattered spider checking consistent with a true lacquer finish of its vintage. Neck angle and bridge height are both excellent, with ample room for adjustment up or down. The neck profile is a full gentle C, with smooth, low action over fine pro fretwork, on a fresh high precision setup. Some small ID numbers are faintly visible near the endblock in the back as well.
The voice is particularly robust as well: fully open and resonant, with the clear, vibrant projection only decades of seasoning can produce. And this spectacular example is graced with the kind of flame that many L-5s would simply kill to have. So skip the bling, and save a bundle. 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 radius inspected and recurved as necessary; bridge wheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge conditioned; body and neck cleaned and hand polished. This instrument is strung with medium gauge phosphor bronze strings (.013-.056). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 4/64" to 5/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.
Case: Deluxe arched black plush lined hardshell case.
