1928 Gibson L-1 Cremona Burst

Often called the Robert Johnson model because of one photo of him playing a very beat-up one, though there's no verification that it was actually his, this is one the Gibson's first flat tops. The body shape is their figure eight shape, with their H bracing and shorter scale (24 ¼") which all disappeared shortly thereafter, replaced by the larger L-00 body shape with X bracing and standard scale length of 24 ¾ inches. This one shows a bit of wear with a couple of repaired cracks under the fingerboard extension and a repaired open seam from the soundhole to the butt end. The action is a bit high, making this guy an excellent bottleneck guitar - this model was Geoff Muldaur's favorite bottleneck guitar - and a neck reset would render it into a fabulous player. The braces are all original and in great shape while the tuners have been replaced with the appropriate Golden Age set. The small extra ceremonial bridge pin in the original bridge is missing as well. It's a surprisingly big, sweet sounding guitar with the gorgeous cremona burst finish and just the right amount of wear.