Gibson L-00 question.....

[airborne1]

I’ve tried a search without success, so I’m turning to members to tell me what, if any, are the differences between the L-00 Original Vintage Sunburst, and the L-00 Standard Vintage Sunburst.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[pagedr]

Structurally they are the same. Both have scalloped X bracing, same nut width, I believe the same neck, etc. The vintage has the firestripe pickguard, white button tuners and old school Gibson logo on the headstock, while the standard has Grovers, tortoise guard and "newer" Gibson logo. Outside of that I believe they're basically the same thing.

[darylcrisp]

may be a finish difference, as in thinner on the vintage, but you'll need to research that out.

check Ian's place, he has a lot of comparisons and may have some info on this.

i would also check thru musicvilla videos and do a search for the last few years, they would mention differences as well.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmZ...gCKg/playlists

[RalphH]

The original also has a bone nut...

But it's quite odd. Gibson has the neck profile listed as slim taper on both. Certainly with the J45s, the originals have a more vintage "round" profile. I'm not sure why the L-00s wouldn't.

I wonder if it's spec misprint or it really is the case.

[zombywoof]

The 1930s L-00 had a French Heel V neck. But with the notable exception of the out-of-production Legend L-00 (which was a dead bang copy of a 1937 L-00) the Bozeman versions have very little structurally in common with the guitars built during that decade other than body shape. "Original," "Vintage" and such designations are pretty much marketing gimmicks meaning you are getting basically the same guitar with different bling. The main decision often comes down to whether such differences are worth spending extra bucks on.

[airborne1]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

The 1930s L-00 had a French Heel V neck. But with the notable exception of the out-of-production Legend L-00 (which was a dead bang copy of a 1937 L-00) the Bozeman versions have very little structurally in common with the guitars built during that decade other than body shape. "Original," "Vintage" and such designations are pretty much marketing gimmicks meaning you are getting basically the same guitar with different bling. The main decision often comes down to whether such differences are worth spending extra bucks on.

Listings that I have seen have both models at the same price.

From what I gather, the only differences I have found are tuners, and pick guard.

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by airborne1

Listings that I have seen have both models at the same price.

From what I gather, the only differences I have found are tuners, and pick guard.

For a while the Standard was selling for bigger bucks than the Original but it does appear that somewhere down the road they started going for the same price. The Keb Mo Bluesmaster was another entry into the L-00 field.
It came with a 12 fret French Heel neck like the originals but it still had the standard Gibson scallop bracing carve rather than the tall slight taper non-scallop bracing the 1930s guitars had.

The key though to the 1930s Advanced L body guitars was their scary light build. Made them very responsive and resonant. You darn near needed a magnifying glass to see the thickness of the bridge plate and back braces.