Gibson L1/L3 archtop repro ?

[jpbat]

mahoriver : I don't know if I can thank you for letting me know Champlin Guitars.
Oh my oh my.
(I realized sometimes ago that I'm really much more into modern reproductions of old models, double O, triple O, resonators, archtops, etc… than in contemporary designs, and I'm not a fan of vintage ones because I'm not ready to compromise my needs -now that I learnt them- and I don't want to butcher an old guitar)

And then you show me that link. Not fair ;-)

[mahoriver]

Oh Dear sorry about that (big grin)

[jpbat]

Yes, and now I sent email to Devin Champlin with some specs and he responded and… look : it's all your fault.

[jpbat]

Devin sent me 2 pictures of guitars he made recently (a flat top L1 and an archtop L4), and, from an old fart, I immediately became a drooling old fart.
This will end up badly, I tell ya.

[mahoriver]

Sounds good !
If it ever got to a new guitar day,would love to see it.

[jpbat]

Since his wait time is 2 years, I wouldn't hold my breath, but we're beginning to talk seriously...

[mahoriver]

Hi JP.I have to confess i haven't played a Champlin guitar.
Someone on a blues forum i go to had a Champlin L-1 copy made
(if you Utube 'Champlin Guitars L-1' you should see one,if haven't already) liked what i saw..
Its difficult enough trying to find the Flat top model guitars you want to play before hand,let alone Archtops..
2 years is a long time to wait.Not sure i would have the patience.Though i guess thats a good sign.

[Patch Rubin]

Hope I'm doing this right, I just signed up as a sponsor.

This seems like a good time to introduce myself, I'm Patch Rubin, I live in Taos NM and am a builder who also makes a Gibson L1 replica. I've been obsessed with the L1 for years and finally decided to make my version as something that I could offer along with my custom builds. I'm in the process of finishing up my new website and having the great Sean Hayes make some demo videos. I was going to wait a few weeks to say hi and announce what I was up to, once I had everything where I wanted it but saw this thread and thought I ought to chime in now.

My version is braced, not carved, the top is braced at a 15' radius rather than my usual 28'. This gives the top more of an illusion of being carved as well as sets the neck angle in such a way that there is better string clearance for the bridge and trapeze tailpiece. I've carved a thinner neck, more playable than the baseball bat style neck. Also made a deeper body that's similar to the "Nick Lucas Special" era of Gibson for a bigger fuller sound. I'm using Western Red Cedar for the top, Sapele for the back & sides, Mahogany for the neck, Ebony for the fretboard & bridge and the pick guard is Maple dyed black . I age the tuners and tailpiece and hand finish with a French polish. I've had TKL make custom brown alligator cases, they look as cool as the guitar.

I think its a great sounding guitar that really captures the vibe and the character of those old great guitars.

My website has more techy info and instagram has a lot more photos and some phone recordings…
http://www.wideskyguitars.com/pl-1/
https://www.instagram.com/wide_sky_guitars/

[kbrooks]

Wow -- beauteous :-)

[Patch Rubin]

Thought I would mention that I started a thread over in Custom Shop about my Gibson L1 replica builds that I do. There I'll be posting info, photos and soon some video.

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=428115

[printer2]

Nice lineup of guitars on your site. That 12 string is crazy. On this L1, what bracing did you go with?

[Patch Rubin]

Originally Posted by printer2

Nice lineup of guitars on your site. That 12 string is crazy. On this L1, what bracing did you go with?

Thanks! I had two orders for 12 strings back to back, same woods but different sizes, was really fun.

The top bracing on the PL1 is kind of an A design, or an X but with a cross brace to support the bridge. Did that make sense?

[printer2]

Originally Posted by Patch Rubin

Thanks! I had two orders for 12 strings back to back, same woods but different sizes, was really fun.

The top bracing on the PL1 is kind of an A design, or an X but with a cross brace to support the bridge. Did that make sense?

Sort of. I was curious as Gibson went through a few arrangements and I was wondering which one caught your fancy.

[Hot Vibrato]

I agree with the idea that an original will have more charm than something new. Furthermore, an original one would cost less than having a luthier make you one. However, when you buy a 90 year old guitar, it will certainly have problems (they always do), so you will have to find a luthier to do whatever is necessary to turn it into a player, but it's still likely to be less expensive than having one custom made.

That said, those pics of that guitar that Patch posted look sweet. Beautiful work!

[Patch Rubin]

Originally Posted by printer2

Sort of. I was curious as Gibson went through a few arrangements and I was wondering which one caught your fancy.

I studied as many as many photos as I could find of the L1 bracing patterns but ultimately came up with something that was more of my own design.

Originally Posted by Hot Vibrato

That said, those pics of that guitar that Patch posted look sweet. Beautiful work!

Thanks, here are some photos from the latest batch. At the moment I'm selling the ones with a natural finish for $2100 and the burgundy finish for $2300 + shipping.