Gibson L-3 Arch Top Acoustic Guitar (1923)
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Item # 11105
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Gibson L-3 Model Arch Top Acoustic Guitar (1923), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 72590, red sunburst top, dark stained back and sides finish, birch back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, chipboard case.
This is a nice example of Gibson's original 1910-20s small-body archtops, the L-3. When it was built in early/mid 1923, the "Loar Era" was in full swing at Gibson, and the company was just launching the "Master Models" that are still considered some of their finest creations. This L-3 was the company's mid-line archtop guitar, the fanciest model built on the small 13 3/4" carved-top chassis. It was priced at $100; well under the 16" $150.00 L-4 but in the mid-1920's that was still a lot of money for a guitar; a pearl trimmed, Brazilian rosewood Martin 00-42 could be had for just $10 more!
The L-3 features a daintier rounded bout body than its higher priced Gibson siblings but is a fairly showy guitar nonetheless. The single-bound top is finished in a rich dark red sunburst, the fairly elaborate single multiply inlaid sound hole ring has a herringbone center layer. The L-3 carries the same basic set of then-new hardware as the L-4 with an adjustable ebony bridge, "wrap-under" trapeze tailpiece and (originally) raised celluloid pickguard. Another noticeable difference from the L-4 is a smaller round sound hole instead of a wide oval.
As "Master Loar" went around the factory many instruments beyond the Master Models benefitted from his sometimes pedantic presence; the carved spruce top on this '23 is a bit more thinly worked giving it a bigger, more open sound than most earlier examples. The neck has the brand-new adjustable truss rod but retains the deep "V" profile used before. Never a common model, as the '20s went on the L-3 would become pretty much forgotten and would be phased out as the Depression hit.
This is a fairly rare instrument; The Loar era Gibson still built a large proportion of mandolins compared to guitars, which would reverse itself after 1930 but too late to save the L-3. These smaller-bodied, round hole, carved-top guitars have a bright and barky sound with plenty of volume; this Loar-era L-3 is surprisingly rounder and richer toned than most we have had and sounds somewhat more like a "normal" guitar! This diminutive round bout archtop may seem an eccentric design today but remains a charming reminder of the Gibson company's earlier periods, before the 1930s changed everything.
Overall length is 38 1/2 in. (97.8 cm.), 13 3/4 in. (34.9 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 1/4 in. (616 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This guitar is relatively clean overall for a not-quite 100 year old instrument with a beautiful unfaded top finish and some general wear. There is not a lot of playwear, the finish does show checking with dings, dents and scrapes overall. The lower bass bout area of the top shows several longer scratches and one case lid ding near the edge, and there is some pickwear on the top on the treble side.
The only major finish disturbance is a spots of wear and touch-up by the treble edge of the fingerboard, where the pickguard would be it were still present. This has been touched up but is not overly conspicuous. The headstock has some larger scrapes and dings, the back of the neck has a decent amount of finish worn off. All back/side seams appear solid and intact, except some slight bulging below the endpin.
The hardware is original and complete except the elevated celluloid pickguard and clamp look to have gone missing many decades ago. The original tailpiece, adjustable ebony bridge (with the turn-over Hawaiian saddle carve on the underside) the attractive engraved-plate Waverly strip tuners are all present and intact. The original narrow frets have been crowned down a bit and show hardly any subsequent wear. With both a truss rod and adjustable bridge this is a very fine playing and quite good sounding L-3, one of the nicest players we have had of this most attractive small-body Gibson archtop. Overall Very Good + Condition.
This is a nice example of Gibson's original 1910-20s small-body archtops, the L-3. When it was built in early/mid 1923, the "Loar Era" was in full swing at Gibson, and the company was just launching the "Master Models" that are still considered some of their finest creations. This L-3 was the company's mid-line archtop guitar, the fanciest model built on the small 13 3/4" carved-top chassis. It was priced at $100; well under the 16" $150.00 L-4 but in the mid-1920's that was still a lot of money for a guitar; a pearl trimmed, Brazilian rosewood Martin 00-42 could be had for just $10 more!
The L-3 features a daintier rounded bout body than its higher priced Gibson siblings but is a fairly showy guitar nonetheless. The single-bound top is finished in a rich dark red sunburst, the fairly elaborate single multiply inlaid sound hole ring has a herringbone center layer. The L-3 carries the same basic set of then-new hardware as the L-4 with an adjustable ebony bridge, "wrap-under" trapeze tailpiece and (originally) raised celluloid pickguard. Another noticeable difference from the L-4 is a smaller round sound hole instead of a wide oval.
As "Master Loar" went around the factory many instruments beyond the Master Models benefitted from his sometimes pedantic presence; the carved spruce top on this '23 is a bit more thinly worked giving it a bigger, more open sound than most earlier examples. The neck has the brand-new adjustable truss rod but retains the deep "V" profile used before. Never a common model, as the '20s went on the L-3 would become pretty much forgotten and would be phased out as the Depression hit.
This is a fairly rare instrument; The Loar era Gibson still built a large proportion of mandolins compared to guitars, which would reverse itself after 1930 but too late to save the L-3. These smaller-bodied, round hole, carved-top guitars have a bright and barky sound with plenty of volume; this Loar-era L-3 is surprisingly rounder and richer toned than most we have had and sounds somewhat more like a "normal" guitar! This diminutive round bout archtop may seem an eccentric design today but remains a charming reminder of the Gibson company's earlier periods, before the 1930s changed everything.
Overall length is 38 1/2 in. (97.8 cm.), 13 3/4 in. (34.9 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 1/4 in. (616 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This guitar is relatively clean overall for a not-quite 100 year old instrument with a beautiful unfaded top finish and some general wear. There is not a lot of playwear, the finish does show checking with dings, dents and scrapes overall. The lower bass bout area of the top shows several longer scratches and one case lid ding near the edge, and there is some pickwear on the top on the treble side.
The only major finish disturbance is a spots of wear and touch-up by the treble edge of the fingerboard, where the pickguard would be it were still present. This has been touched up but is not overly conspicuous. The headstock has some larger scrapes and dings, the back of the neck has a decent amount of finish worn off. All back/side seams appear solid and intact, except some slight bulging below the endpin.
The hardware is original and complete except the elevated celluloid pickguard and clamp look to have gone missing many decades ago. The original tailpiece, adjustable ebony bridge (with the turn-over Hawaiian saddle carve on the underside) the attractive engraved-plate Waverly strip tuners are all present and intact. The original narrow frets have been crowned down a bit and show hardly any subsequent wear. With both a truss rod and adjustable bridge this is a very fine playing and quite good sounding L-3, one of the nicest players we have had of this most attractive small-body Gibson archtop. Overall Very Good + Condition.