Description
1-7/8″ Width at Nut / 2-5/16″ Pins
VG+ condition / Original tuners
Flat Top / Arched Back
F.O.N. #8234
This 1925 Gibson L-1 is quite nice. Birch back and sides with high grade wide-grain Spruce top. Most likely the neck is Mahogany (the grain is hidden beneath old black-ish finish on back and neck). The Spruce top appears to be Red Spruce, with grain as wide as 3-4 per inch.
“The Gibson” silkscreen script logo at top of peghead. Appears to have original 3-on-a-plate open-back tuners with original buttons. Ebony nut. Ebony fingerboard with pearl dot inlays. Ivoroid single binding around top edge and inside the soundhole. 5-ply wooden soundhole rosette. Ebony pyramid bridge with non-slanted, cut-thru saddle. Bridge has a mixture of Ebony pins from various eras. Ebony screwed-on endpin.
This guitar has the early Gibson ladder bracing that is sometimes referred-to as the “A-frame” bracing. These early flattop braces work pretty well, tonally. In the case of this particular guitar, the old bracing is yielding much more projection and power and great warmth and sustain than you may expect from “ladder-bracing”.
There is one significant repair. There was a long crack repaired around the treble side, just above the kerfing edge along the back. This was a difficult repair but was done quite well, with the end result being so good that the repair can be celebrated by how well it was done. Looking inside the guitar you can see how clean this side crack was repaired. From the outside you don’t notice there ever was a crack until an experienced eye examines it.
It should be noted that this guitar has exceptional tone for an early L-1.
Comes with a period chipboard case (maybe the original case), with working latches and hinges and a replaced handle.
