Gibson Vintage 1948 L7P Carved Archtop Guitar

Product Description

This is the first year of the cutaway introduction by Gibson.  This L7P vintageArchtop guitar  sn A-2303 has a ton of mojo in it. Great tone in the body, beautiful Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard. 25 1/2″ scale length. There is a new nut & pickguard as well as a Kent Armstrong designed HJGN3BK pickup installed. This guitar was refinished, and top and back of this guitar show that, but there is an area in the cutaway that did not take the finish as well as the rest of the guitar.
On the back bass side there is a split in the binding, professionally repaired where it had previously shrunken & pulled away from the body. A very common occurrence for many guitars. You can tell by the tone that  guitar has been played and most of the finish is worn away from the neck giving it a very natural, easy feel when playing. This is a great players  guitar and is priced accordingly.

24.75″ Scale
20 fret Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard with Mother-of-Pearl split parallelogram inlays
Rosewood bridge
Waffleback tuners
Neck heel strap button installed
Kent Armstrong HJGN3BK pickup w/ volume & tone controls

The 1930s and 40s were a true golden era for Gibson’s archtop line; a period that produced some of the most sought after and famed instruments. Choice maple and spruce was abundant, and this guitar is built with stunning pieces of both. World War II brought production in Kalamazoo, MI to a halt; but it was in 1946 Gibson ramped up production and built an incredible line of guitars to make up. This L-7 is a standing testament to the quality and enchantment of the era.

The passing of time has done wonders for this guitar, mellowing the overall tone while adding a certain depth and dynamic quality not found in new production instruments. It is unbelievably loud and projecting, perfect for Freddie Green big band rhythm – easily cutting through a 12-piece brass band unamplified. Because the fingerboard is raised above the soundboard, the entire top is able to vibrate and respond freely. Eddie Lang style leads are crisp, defined, and well-rounded throughout the entire register, while backing rhythm chords are powerful and clear from note to note. The neck profile is rounded and fat; resting well in the hand and consistently comfortable up and down the fingerboard.

Introduced in 1932, the Gibson L-7 was Gibson’s most popular acoustic archtop ever. Identical in all but cosmetics to the L-5, it remains the outstanding value in a true pro-sized all-carved Gibson archtop. This is one of the very early cutaway versions that was introduced in 1949.

This guitar has all of the playing wear you would expect for a vintage guitar of this age. The finish is nicely checked, there are  dings and dents.  The  tuners have been replaced with Klusons, replaced pick guard and the tailpiece is from a 175. We have tried to capture all of the above in the detail photographs. Hardshell case included.

Specifications:

Year: 1952
Model: L-7C
Top: Spruce
Back and Sides: Flamed Birdseye Maple
Serial: A-1103
Nut Width: 1 11/16″
Scale Length: 25.4″
Lower Bout Width: 17″
Inlays: Dual Parallelogram
Trapeze tailpiece with 3 raised parallelograms
White Bound Black Pickguard
Total Length: 42 1/2″
Body Length: 20 7/8″
Lower Bout Width: 17″
Waist: 10 1/4″
Upper Bout Width: 12 1/2″
Depth: 3 1/4″
Hardshell case included

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