Mystery vintage Gibson

Dreadfulnaught · #1 10-20-2018, 05:06 AM

https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/59053831

I’m not good at identifying old Gibsons, anyone got an idea? Note the “Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Company” label. The headstock logo does not say “the”, and its straight not canted. That should narrow down the year. Don’t have a clue as to the model. Most L-0s that I have seen have a fixed bridge, not a trapeze tailpiece, but I have no idea I’d that is a rule or not.

zombywoof · #2 10-20-2018, 09:31 AM

I have never been great with the L archtops. Best way to figure it out is to match rosette, top finish, and neck/body binding. But the slanted "The Gibson" logo does not appear on some models until sometime after 1910. I think all but the L-1 had the tailpiece/floating bridge setup.

That shopgoodwill site though gets some of the best guitars I have ever seen. In the last year they had a Kel Kroyden and a Carl Holzapfel six string up for auction. I bid unsuccessfully on both. Downside, of course, is it is not all that easy to determine condition.

Wade Hampton · #3 10-20-2018, 10:22 AM

It appears to have refinished by an amateur at some point - that isn’t something Gibson would have done. The back is a nice piece of maple, but the sides might be birch.

Which was completely typical of Gibson back when this guitar was built. Even though they never admitted to it their catalogues, Gibson routinely used birch for part or all of their supposedly “maple” guitars and mandolins. (I actually prefer the sound of their birch A model mandolins from the WWI era.)

Anyway, you can see the remains of the original finish there against the neck joint.

whm

Dreadfulnaught · #4 10-20-2018, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zombywoof

I have never been great with the L archtops. Best way to figure it out is to match rosette, top finish, and neck/body binding. But the slanted "The Gibson" logo does not appear on some models until sometime after 1910. I think all but the L-1 had the tailpiece/floating bridge setup.

That shopgoodwill site though gets some of the best guitars I have ever seen. In the last year they had a Kel Kroyden and a Carl Holzapfel six string up for auction. I bid unsuccessfully on both. Downside, of course, is it is not all that easy to determine condition.

I keep hoping for a Prairie State or a Stahl, but I guess I will wade through many First Acts, Estebans, and Harmonys to find one. It’s a crap shoot, as in “I bought this guitar online unseen and it’s crap. Shoot.”

Silly Moustache · #5 10-20-2018, 01:45 PM

I'd really like to have accepted the challenge of identifying this for you but sadly the link that you provided will not allow me to open it, possibly because I'm in the UK. Sadly, this is happening increasingly with American websites.

However,as I can't help, maybe you can identify the guitar from this website:

http://www.guitarhq.com/gibson.html

Osage · #6 10-20-2018, 02:02 PM

That's an early 30's L-4.

It has an amateur refinish, some amateur binding repair, an amateur truss rod cover and the tuners are not original. It's also missing the pickguard.

Br1ck · #7 10-20-2018, 02:05 PM

From the website above, I'd guess an L2 flatop. The OP pic does not look arched to me, The arch tops I've seen were very much arched like the mandolins of the era. Yes, the refin is horrid. If cheap enough, I might be tempted, or not.

Osage · #8 10-20-2018, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Br1ck

From the website above, I'd guess an L2 flatop. The OP pic does not look arched to me, The arch tops I've seen were very much arched like the mandolins of the era. Yes, the refin is horrid. If cheap enough, I might be tempted, or not.

The trapeze tailpiece L-2's were made of Rosewood and have 13 frets clear of the body.

Silly Moustache · #9 10-20-2018, 06:20 PM

Aw, c'mon boys, can't anyone put upa picture of this thing for an old limey?

Photojeep · #10 10-20-2018, 06:39 PM

Here you are Mr. Moustache!

Best,
PJ

NotALuth · #11 10-22-2018, 07:04 AM

I’m in agreement with Osage L-4 1928-1935.

Wasn’t sure at first as L-4 went through a lot of changes, which is covered in slightly confusing detail in my 1999 Blue Book, which I (wrongly) interpreted as L-4’s of this period being 14/20 frets as opposed to 14/19 in the OP’s example, but finally found a photo of a 1930 example in Acoustic Guitars & Other Fretted Instruments: A Photographic History (George Gruhn & Walter Carter) which convinced me that it is definitely an L-4.

The photo caption states “Between the oval hole and the f-hole versions of the L-4, a round hole model appeared from 1928 to 1935.”

Osage · #12 10-22-2018, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotALuth

I’m in agreement with Osage L-4 1928-1935.

Wasn’t sure at first as L-4 went through a lot of changes, which is covered in slightly confusing detail in my 1999 Blue Book, which I (wrongly) interpreted as L-4’s of this period being 14/20 frets as opposed to 14/19 in the OP’s example, but finally found a photo of a 1930 example in Acoustic Guitars & Other Fretted Instruments: A Photographic History (George Gruhn & Walter Carter) which convinced me that it is definitely an L-4.

The photo caption states “Between the oval hole and the f-hole versions of the L-4, a round hole model appeared from 1928 to 1935.”

Yes, it is definitely an L-4. It is from the early 30's. Best guess without seeing it in person is 1933. In the 20's and very early 30's, the headstock logo would have been different as it would have been in '35 as well.

drive-south · #13 10-22-2018, 08:44 AM

It looks like an L-Jr I once owned.