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1953 Gibson L-7C
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Serial #: A-14764, white oval label FON: Y-4179-19
Body size at lower bout: 17". Scale length: 25 1/2" Nut Width: 1 11/16" Neck depth, 1st/10th frets: .88/.95
Materials: Hand-carved solid spruce top; solid figured maple back; three-piece maple neck; solid Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with split-parallelogram mother of pearl inlays; solid bone nut.
Hardware: Original nickel hardware includes triple parallelogram trapeze tailpiece, compensated adjustable Brazilian rosewood bridge. Vintage correct wide bevel 5-ply pickguard and Kluson Deluxe single ring tuners installed (original guard and tuners included). Vintage Vibe CC floating pickup, with volume and tone controls, No-Drill endpin jack and adapter.
Notes: Gibson's popular L-7C model was produced between 1949 and 1972, and constructed with the same body size, materials, bracing and scale length as its costly cousin, the L-5C. With 172 examples produced, this model year saw the largest output of the cutaway L-7C ever.
Carefully maintained in exceptionally fine condition, the guitar shows all original Cremona sunburst finish, a fine slab-cut solid maple body, and a soundboard carved to particularly fine tolerances. A true closet queen, she has remained almost entirely free of playwear with no cracks, and only some incidental traces of checking to ensure the lacquer is all original. All multi-ply binding is original and tight to the body as well, with excellent neck angle and bridge height.
At barely a hair over 5lb even, this guitar is unusually light in weight, deeply resonant, and nimbly balanced on the lap or the strap. The neck profile is a classic gentle C, with a full width 1 11/16" fingerboard, and smooth low action over a fresh high precision setup, on fine pro fretwork. Even the white inner label looks uncannily bright inside the body.
All original hardware is included, with an extra set of correct nickel Kluson deluxe tuners installed, along with a wide bevel 5-ply pickguard mounted with a Vintage Vibe CC floating pickup, with volume and tone controls, and a No-Drill endpin jack.
Light, responsive, and finely carved, this guitar has a particularly open acoustic voice: clear and brilliant, with excellent volume and projection. And the CC pickup provides true bop era tone to the amp, with its faithful single coil detail and transparency.
A classic vintage jazzer from the Golden Age, this striking beauty is a rare find, complete with its original Lifton arched brown hardshell case. A fraction of the cost of a comparable L-5, with tonewood now seasoned for almost 70 years, guitars this pristine are about as rare unplayed Bird 78's. One only, call now.
Setup: 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; electronics tested and adjusted as necessary. String action is set to 4-5/64" at the 12th fret, and may be adjusted up or down to suit.
