Gibson L-5 1936 - Sunburst
1936 Gibson L-5
A beautiful example from the peak period of acoustic archtop production out of Kalamazoo. This is an early "Advanced" version of the L-5, which had just increased in size from a 16" lower bout to a 17" lower bout in the year before this guitar was built. At this time the bracing pattern was changed to an X braced instrument, as opposed to the previous parallel bracing pattern. This change was somewhat short lived, as they reverted to parallel bracing just a few years later. This example has a 24.75" scale length, with a neck depth of .94" at the first fret to 1.01" at the ninth fret. It is appointed with the smaller, unbound F-holes and the narrow block fretboard inlays. It features the engraved/hinged tailpiece with silver insert and riveted, open back Grover tuners. The headstock overlay is adorned with the now iconic flower pot inlay and the script Gibson logo. The serial number is 92961, ink stamped onto the interior label with Style L-5, and a factory order number of 447B stamped on the back opposite the treble side F-hole with the sequence number of 12 stamped in a different color ink.
The top is carved, solid spruce which has a somewhat more shallow carve than the earlier iterations. The sides and back are constructed with wonderfully flamed maple, plenty of curl across the sides with a wider flame on the back. This figuring is accentuated well by the glorious burst, which is still very vibrant and deep. The neck is two-piece flame maple that wears a burst finish to match the body, with a stinger that blends into the center strip. The entire package is wrapped in multiply binding along the body, neck, and headstock.
This instrument does show a good amount of wear, but is in great shape overall considering that it is closing in on its 100th birthday! There is checking, dings, and scratches throughout. There is a spot of finish that is chipped and worn away along the binding just adjacent to the bass side F-hole. There is a scratch through to the wood on the side just beyond this area and the back displays a few areas of wear through to the wood and some deeper scratches. The neck finish displays a good amount of wear, this guitar was clearly played quite a bit. The finish is worn through on either side around the first to fifth fret. The headstock has some chipping along the edges and a pleasing amount of checking.
The guitar has been refretted, most likely a long time ago, and the nut has been replaced leaving a small gap between the nut and binding on either side. There was a repair along the seam between the back and side just off of the heel to the bass side that left a small ledge, but is very sturdy and is not unsightly. It appears there was a strap button installed on the back of the neck heel that was subsequently filled and touched up. Two of the tuner ferrules are replaced which are mismatched from the hardware, although period correct.
The sound of the instrument is rich and warm, yet with plenty of volume and cut. Would surely make a great addition to a collection or a main instrument for a Chord Melody player. Ships in a modern Cedar Creek hardshell case that is very well fitting.
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