Basement find show and tell

[KalamazooGuy]

L-00 for sure. The back binding indicates late 30s. Try shining a black light on the internal numbers and you may find more info.

[HughesDadX2]

Originally Posted by KalamazooGuy

L-00 for sure. The back binding indicates late 30s. Try shining a black light on the internal numbers and you may find more info.

I’ll definitely have to try that! Thanks for the info!

[HughesDadX2]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

LG-1s were ladder-braced. LG-2s and 3s were x braced. The body here looks more like a L-00, which predates the LGs. Looking over my shoulder at my 43 LG-2, the upper bout is narrower relative to the lower bout than on the LG.

My assumption on L-00 was based mostly off of known time he owned the guitar, I know he left for WW2 fairly early into the war, and I know he’d had the guitar a little while because they said he played a lot of honky tonk bars back in the day with it. The measurement of the lower bout is 14.75” and the info about the tuners being 3 in a line etc from the site I found. But I’m also completely ignorant to most things vintage at this point in time. Here’s a reference to the info I’m using.

http://www.guitarhq.com/gibson6.html

[HughesDadX2]

Anyone care to speculate what a guitar like this is worth in current shape and fixed back to original?

[jklotz]

Originally Posted by HughesDadX2

Anyone care to speculate what a guitar like this is worth in current shape and fixed back to original?

I'd contact Gruhn's in Nashville. They have a really good handle on the vintage market and do value assessments all the time. Worth a phone call for sure.

[383roller]

Stories like these fuel the geekdom, looks like 40s style burst. Fon can be hard to decipher the letter.good playing condition around 5k

[Jim Owen]

https://reverb.com/item/54992841-193...3-1936-vintage

There are a handful of vintage L 00s. Some seem priced a bit over-enthusiastically.

A good tech needs to evaluate why your relative put on that tailpiece. He may have been worried the bridge was pulling up?

It’s worth fixing if you’ve got the means to do so. Or you could sell it as is, and let the buyer assume any risk.

[Glennwillow]

Wow! What a cool, old guitar! And a real piece of history for your family! That would be great if you could fix it up some and get it into tip-top shape!

- Glenn

[Sage Runner]

Nice little L-00. Judging by the Sunburst it’s a 1936/37. Tailpiece is non original of course. Very desirable PRE-War Gibson!

[The Bard Rocks]

Originally Posted by Tube Sound

Looks like an L-00. Very cool find and story. I would be so tempted to have the tailpiece ditched and returned to bridge pinned. Have you found a serial number? What a cool heirloom. Thanks for sharing.

There doesn't appear to be enough bridge to allow space for pins. The saddle is pretty much centered.

It reminds me of a 'mid 50's Gibson I found at one of my clients. Unplayed since it was new, original receipt and everything. I really thought I'd found something. So, I bought it, did some restoration, and ended up selling it to a friend for my investment. That was the beginning and the end of my guitar dealing enterprise. The fact remained that this was a cheap Gibson when it was new and that's what it still sounded like when I sold it. Not saying yours is the same.

[Hurricane Bob]

looks like my 1933 L-00 but with a larger sunburst, has the same tiger striped pick guard. Mine has no serial no. or model no. Its worth some money for sure, I just had mine re-fretted for $350.00 and will be in family forever.

here's mine

[BradleyS]

Wonderful discovery! I agree with the other comments, have the repair shop restore the guitar and then play it often.

[Misifus]

I recommend Gruhn in Nashville. George literally wrote the book on vintage guitars.

[gfspencer]

I found an antique autoharp at my aunt's house. It belonged to my cousin. I bought new strings and pads for it and fixed it up real nice. When I got through fixing it up my cousin wanted it back. She didn't pay me a dime for the new strings or for my work. Family. You gota' love em.

[tnw12000]

Not sure where you are located but I might suggest you give Mark Stutman at Folkway Music a call. He is an expert in all things Gibson vintage. He is located in Waterloo Ontario Canada but he does work on instruments from all over the world. True pro WWW.folkwaymusic.com (855) 772 0424