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1946 Gibson L-7
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Serial #: 98840
Body size at lower bout: 17". Scale length: 25.4" Nut Width: 1 11/16"
Finish: Sunburst finish, nitrocellulose lacquer type.
Materials: Hand-carved solid spruce top; solid figured maple back; three-piece maple neck; Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with split-parallelogram mother of pearl inlays; solid bone nut.
Hardware: Original hardware includes Gibson compensated adjustable rosewood bridge; nickel triple parallelogram trapeze tailpiece. Vintage correct 16x1 nickel open back tuners with butterbean keys, bound tortoise pickguard. Pick-Up-the -World Powerstrip under-bridge transducer included, with endpin jack.
Notes: Introduced in 1932, the Gibson L-7 was Gibson's most popular professional sized archop. The last noncutaway example rolled off the line in 1955. Identical in all but cosmetics to the costly L-5, the L-7 was highly prized by working players for it's warmth, projection and playability. Guitars of the immediate postwar era show unusual variations in ornamentation, as craftsmen rummaged though supplies left over from decades earlier. Accordingly, the small cursive pearl Gibson headstock logo was unused stock from the 20's or early 30's, and prewar style butterbean tuners may still be seen through this model year.
The lovely example comes from north of the border, and has the 'Made in USA' stamp on the back of the peghead, designating an instrument originally made for export. She has a solid carved bookmatched spruce top, figured maple back and solid maple neck with Brazilian rosewood fingerboard and bridge. Lovingly maintained in exceptionally fine condition, the guitar is crack free, without thumb or buckle wear, and the gleaming original sunburst finish shows only very light incidental playwear. The original dark walnut finish on the neck is protected with a light dusting of clear lacquer, and an old jack hole in the side has been masterfully concealed. With freshly installed vintage style frets, the action is smooth and low, with a classic gently rounded neck profile. The voice is unusually loud and clear, with exceptional power and projection. A bonus is the state-of-the-art Pick-Up-the -World Powerstrip under-bridge transducer, complete with endpin jack, for faithful acoustic amplification. (Held in place by string pressure alone, the pickup may be removed in minutes without a trace.) An outstanding example of Gibson's best loved big band boomer.
Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, recrowned and polished; trussrod tension and neck relief adjusted; bridge height adjusted; bridge compensation set; string slots at nut and bridge inspected and recut as necessary; bridge foot contour inspected and fit to top as necessary; bridge radius inspected and recurved as necessary; bridge wheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished.
Case: Original deluxe plushlined hardshell case with canvas case cover.
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