Gibson L-00 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1935)
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Item # 11675
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Gibson L-00 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1935), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 1344-55 (FON), sunburst top, dark back and sides finish, mahogany back, sides and neck, spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, black hard shell case.
This is a nicely preserved 1935 14-fret L-00, Gibson's most popular Depression era flat top from the 1930's right up through today. While the L-00 stood at the bottom of the company's guitar line when new, it was very well designed, classy looking and offered great value in sound. According to the latest research the FON code stamped on the neck block indicates this example was built later in 1935 when the list price was $30.00, without the case. While showing signs of use this example has less wear than many, surviving in overall nicely original condition.
The top finish is a fairly dark sunburst with a deep orangey center, somewhat larger than the years before as is typical of mid-1930s guitars. There is single-ply white celluloid binding around the top and back. The spruce top is ornamented with a "firestripe" tortoise celluloid pickguard and a three-ply sound hole ring. The back and sides are finished in dark mahogany, as is the fairly chunky "V" profile neck with an unbound rosewood fingerboard. The headstock carries a white stenciled "Gibson" logo on the face and plain strip tuners with plastic buttons. The original rosewood bridge never had the reinforcing bolts with their pearl dot caps Gibson added not long after.
This model was a working-class standard of the day, a professional grade guitar at a price affordable to blues players, Hillbilly string bands, and many other itinerant musicians as well as Gibson's intended student customers. Each one of these guitars has its own character and this one is just a honey; great-sounding both finger- and flat-picked, with a powerful ringing tone that never gets harsh. Many of these lightly built pre-war Gibson flat-tops have been more heavily used and often amateurishly repaired; this one has sailed through almost nine decades still intact and singing.
Overall length is 39 5/8 in. (100.6 cm.), 14 3/4 in. (37.5 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This L-00 shows some light wear and typical maintenance repair wear for its close to 90 years on the planet but is still a gem both to play and hear. The original finish has typical checking, with some edge wear, dings, dents and scrapes overall but no large areas of loss. The top has less pick wear than many with just some loss to the treble side soundhole edge; there a couple of case lid dinks ahead of the pickguard on the upper treble bout. The back is less worn than many with a couple of deeper dings in the center but little of the common belt buckle wear. There is some minor lacquer wear on the back of the neck and numerous tiny dinks, while the headstock edges have chips and dings but again no large areas of wear.
The guitar is completely solid and somewhat amazingly does not show any crack repairs, which is delightful and unusual for a pre-war L-00. The top is in good shape, completely solid with some light bulging behind the bridge which is practically unavoidable on these lightly built guitars. The original Grover strip tuners are still intact and functional.
The neck has been very neatly reset. The original rosewood bridge looks to have been lowered slightly in front of the pins long ago and recently reglued, and it has a new bone saddle. The original small maple bridgeplate and all internal bracing remain intact and unaltered. The ebony nut appears original; the original small-wire frets are intact with some very light wear but still play well. The action is low and very comfortable and this is a fine playing instrument, very responsive with an even but very punchy sound with plenty of volume. Just a bit worn in, this is a lovely example of the classic 1930s L-00 in better shape than many, in a modern HSC. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is a nicely preserved 1935 14-fret L-00, Gibson's most popular Depression era flat top from the 1930's right up through today. While the L-00 stood at the bottom of the company's guitar line when new, it was very well designed, classy looking and offered great value in sound. According to the latest research the FON code stamped on the neck block indicates this example was built later in 1935 when the list price was $30.00, without the case. While showing signs of use this example has less wear than many, surviving in overall nicely original condition.
The top finish is a fairly dark sunburst with a deep orangey center, somewhat larger than the years before as is typical of mid-1930s guitars. There is single-ply white celluloid binding around the top and back. The spruce top is ornamented with a "firestripe" tortoise celluloid pickguard and a three-ply sound hole ring. The back and sides are finished in dark mahogany, as is the fairly chunky "V" profile neck with an unbound rosewood fingerboard. The headstock carries a white stenciled "Gibson" logo on the face and plain strip tuners with plastic buttons. The original rosewood bridge never had the reinforcing bolts with their pearl dot caps Gibson added not long after.
This model was a working-class standard of the day, a professional grade guitar at a price affordable to blues players, Hillbilly string bands, and many other itinerant musicians as well as Gibson's intended student customers. Each one of these guitars has its own character and this one is just a honey; great-sounding both finger- and flat-picked, with a powerful ringing tone that never gets harsh. Many of these lightly built pre-war Gibson flat-tops have been more heavily used and often amateurishly repaired; this one has sailed through almost nine decades still intact and singing.
Overall length is 39 5/8 in. (100.6 cm.), 14 3/4 in. (37.5 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This L-00 shows some light wear and typical maintenance repair wear for its close to 90 years on the planet but is still a gem both to play and hear. The original finish has typical checking, with some edge wear, dings, dents and scrapes overall but no large areas of loss. The top has less pick wear than many with just some loss to the treble side soundhole edge; there a couple of case lid dinks ahead of the pickguard on the upper treble bout. The back is less worn than many with a couple of deeper dings in the center but little of the common belt buckle wear. There is some minor lacquer wear on the back of the neck and numerous tiny dinks, while the headstock edges have chips and dings but again no large areas of wear.
The guitar is completely solid and somewhat amazingly does not show any crack repairs, which is delightful and unusual for a pre-war L-00. The top is in good shape, completely solid with some light bulging behind the bridge which is practically unavoidable on these lightly built guitars. The original Grover strip tuners are still intact and functional.
The neck has been very neatly reset. The original rosewood bridge looks to have been lowered slightly in front of the pins long ago and recently reglued, and it has a new bone saddle. The original small maple bridgeplate and all internal bracing remain intact and unaltered. The ebony nut appears original; the original small-wire frets are intact with some very light wear but still play well. The action is low and very comfortable and this is a fine playing instrument, very responsive with an even but very punchy sound with plenty of volume. Just a bit worn in, this is a lovely example of the classic 1930s L-00 in better shape than many, in a modern HSC. Overall Excellent - Condition.