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2011 Loar LH-700 Lefty!
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SN#: A11032459 Body size at lower bout: 16". Scale length: 24 3/4" Nut Width: 1 3/4" Body depth: 3 1/2" Neck depth, 1st/10th frets: .96/1.07
Materials: Handcarved bookmatched solid spruce top; solid bookmatched tiger flame maple back and sides; solid three piece maple neck with walnut centerstripe; solid ebony fingerboard; mother of pearl dot fingerboard inlay and abalone torch peghead inlay; triple bound body and peghead; solid bone nut.
Hardware: All original gold vintage style hardware including compensated adjustable ebony bridge; trapeze tailpiece; Grover 18:1 Sta-Tite open back tuners with butterbean keys.
Notes: No, your eyes are just fine. It's just that you don't see a lefty Loar very often. Like never. Because they just don't make them.
All the details are there: the generous 1 3/4" ebony dot fingerboard, the familiar full V neck profile, the hint of color in the torch peghead; the delicate 20's style f-holes and tapering headstock. Introduced in 1922, the Gibson L-5 was the first modern archtop guitar, a design many feel has yet to be surpassed to this day.
With its comfy 16" body, nimble 24 3/4" scale, and superlative tonal balance, the dot neck L-5 has become one of the most sought after archtop guitars ever made: a perennial go-to guitar for generations of studio guitarists and performing pros worldwide.
The luthiers at Loar went all out to produce this model, right down to the genuine Grover tuners, just like the originals, but with smooth modern 18:1 gearing. And the wood: all solid, carved, bookmatched tiger flame maple, and quartersawn fine grain spruce with plenty of crossgrain silk. The formal Cremona sunburst is faithfully applied, feathering almost imperceptibly from a deep amber to a dark chocolate brown.
At a phenomenal 4lb 14oz, the guitar is simply featherweight, with a clear, open voice, and the projection and punch these 16" full depth archtops are famed for. Action is smooth and low with a fresh high-precision setup over the classic solid prewar neck.
This very early example has been converted to left hand configuration in our shop, with a custom reverse bone nut and compensated ebony bridge saddle, and a gleaming bound tortoise pickguard from an original 20's Gibson template. And this guitar has another special distinction: it has the traditional L-5 flowerpot inlay in the peghead, a feature we've never before seen in this model. (Could a nastygram from Gibson have been the reason?)
In a final premium touch, the guitar is fitted with all gold hardware, in contrast to the nickel parts now fitted on recent models. Maintained in great condition, this fine example is free of pick, buckle, thumb, fret, or fingerboard wear, and shows only a few scattered nicks in its true vintage style nitro lacquer finish.
Complete with its original deluxe fitted hardshell case, these guitars are unquestionably the best buy in a true 20's style all-carved acoustic archtop: there's nothing even close on the market today. And for all your southpaws out there: one only, call now.
Setup: Trussrod tension and neck relief adjusted; bridge height adjusted; bridge compensation strobe tuned; string slots at nut and bridge inspected and adjusted to specs; bridge wheels and tuners lubricated; instrument strung with .013 phosphor bronze strings, action set from 4/64" to 5 6/4" at the 12th fret, which may be raised or lowered as desired.
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