1964 Gibson LG-0
This is a guitar which would have been (maybe even was) very comfortable at Woodstock, or the first Newport Folk Festival, maybe when Pete Seeger tried to unplug Bob Dylan's electric guitar.
The Gibson LGO was created in 1958, maybe for the coffee-house concert-in-the-park kind of atmosphere of the early folk revival. Somewhat smaller than the dreadnoughts and jumbos, it had a 24 ¾" scale and was only 14 1/8" wide at the lower bout—similar to the size of Joan Baez's 000 Martin. This made it lighter and easier to handle, while its all-mahogany body made it tough enough to sling over your back for the trek to the next jam. But it was still a Gibson, and had the power and resonance to fill the spaces and send the message.
The LGO has a solid mahogany top, back, sides, and neck, with a 14/20-fret rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot inlay and a one-stripe rosette. The serial number of this guitar (165372) indicates the 1964 date I have attributed to it, as does the infamous plastic bridge. The screw-on tortoise pickguard (introduced in 1963) is also correct for the year, but the white bridge pins are probably replacements. The tortoise binding, the blackface headstock with the decal logo, and the three-on-a-plate open nickel tuners are "correct."
There is a lot of finish checking or “crazing,” but relatively few dings and any actual cracks have been cleated and glued long ago. While the action is a bit high for me (4/32” at the 12th fret low E), there is a lot of saddle and the truss rod works fine if you want to set it up lower. Probably the real issue is that the screws into the plastic bridge have worked loose so the bridge is lifting. While I assume that the screws can be re-tightened, many players simply replace the plastic bridge with a conventional rosewood bridge at relatively little cost.
For those of us who just like to play old Gibsons, this is a wonderful alternative—or addition—to that 18-pound J-45 with its five-ply case, and this guitar is in good playing condition. There is some visible fret and fretboard wear, but not enough to effect easy playing. And 57 years of seasoning that mahogany has only made it more resonant, and of course the sound is pure vintage Gibson!
The included brown chip board case is presumably original, and it is adequate protection for this cool instrument. The hardware all works, the handle is intact, and the interior fits the LGO perfectly, but the stitching around the edges is coming loose and the pocket top is taped on. The good news is that it is an authentic vintage complement to this cool vintage guitar.
Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashier’s checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.
I have made every effort to describe and illustrate this guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. Its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before offering to purchase it.
Thank you for your interest in this classic Gibson guitar.
Payments by Paypal, cashier’s checks, money orders, or personal checks are acceptable, but all payments must clear my bank before the guitar will be shipped. I will CONSIDER reasonable offers, even including installment payments and trade-ins, but generally since I already attempt to price my guitars very competitively, unusual deals must be unusually sweet.
From henceforth [that's how retired English teachers talk], insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states is $55 due to constantly rising shipping costs unless a specific listing says otherwise; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. I have sold guitars to Russia, Japan, Australia, and over 50 other countries, as well as almost every state in the USA. Since some of my guitars travel thousands of miles, I take care to use lots of packing materials, protect the neck inside the case, and of course de-tune the strings.
I make every effort to describe and illustrate each guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. However, many of my instruments are well-played vintage items which are many years old, and I am not a luthier. One should assume that any guitar will require some set-up to satisfy your personal requirements, and that not every flaw or ding will be seen/recognized/described in the listing. Thus the return of an instrument will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please read the listing carefully, check out the pictures, and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy.