Was the Gibson L7 ever made with a pickup?

[farlow]

There are a number of photographs of Doug Raney playing what looks like an L7 with a neck mounted humbucker (not a floating pickup). Was this probably a custom order or a post-production modification? Did Gibson ever make the L7 available with a mounted pickup? With the pickup installed, would this basically be a Wes Montgomery L5 with less ornamentation?

[cjm]

I think the only way the L7 was available from Gibson as an "electric" was by ordering it with the McCarty pickguard suspended pickup assembly. This was also available as an aftermarket item.

Lots of L7 guitars were converted "in the wild." Probably the most common method back in the day was with the DeArmond Guitar Mic and Rhythm Chief pickups.

But you'll run into a little bit of everything on them if you look long enough.

[rpguitar]

The short answer is that no, Gibson never produced a stock L-7 with a mounted pickup. They did equip some L-7s at the factory with a McCarty floating pickguard/pickup combo, however. Grant Green is seen playing one on the cover of "Idle Moments," although given the picture frame inlays, that was an L-7 from the 1930s, so the McCarty apparatus was retrofitted to it. But there were L-7E and L-7CE models produced (yes, those were the designations).

Any humbucker you see mounted, though, is either a custom order or a player modification.

[oldane]

Originally Posted by farlow

There are a number of photographs of Doug Raney playing what looks like an L7 with a neck mounted humbucker (not a floating pickup). Was this probably a custom order or a post-production modification? Did Gibson ever make the L7 available with a mounted pickup? With the pickup installed, would this basically be a Wes Montgomery L5 with less ornamentation?

I was an ES 350. A couple of decades ago, I lived in Copenhagen like Doug Raney did (and still does to the best of my knowledge), and aften heard him in the clubs there. In fact, I have seen Doug Raney with two 350s at different stages in his carreer. They were both modified, and I think Doug Raney tinkered a bit with his instruments from time to time. The first one had a P90 on it in the neck position and a hole where a bridge picup had been. The second which he got when the first one apparently wore out (it looked that way in the end) first had a CC pickup in the neck position, later replaced by a P90. In between the two he used an old Gretsch with cats eyes holes. Reportedly Doug also inherited his fathers instruments when he died.

The ES 350 was a laminated guitar with one or two PUs, first P90s, later HBs. It had the same size and cosmetic trim as the L7. It came in a full body version with 25½" scale and in a thinline version with a shorter Byrdland scale, though the thinline was also produded with 25½" scale in small quantities from time to time.

The ES 350 was eventually replaced by the Tal Farlow model, which was essentially the same guitar with different cosmetics. However, Gibson made a short revival in the 1970s with a long scale ES 350 thinline.

[fws6]

>I was an ES 350

wow how did that feel ? who played you ??

[oldane]

I was an ES 350

wow how did that feel ? who played you ??

Depends on the players touch. Jim Hall was OK. Freddie Green really hurt.

[Nils]

Incidentally, and apparently, Doug's battered old Gibson which you see on the cover of his debut album for Steeple Chase (a great album!) - the one with a P90 in the neck position and a gaping hole where the bridge pickup used to be- is also the one you hear on his father's Live in Tokyo album from 1976. At least that's what I heard (I can't remember where - maybe from Jimmy's other son and Doug's kid brother Jon Raney's website. It has more info on Jimmy's gear...) As far as I recall, Jimmy borrowed that guitar from Doug, when going to Japan... (Now that's was I call jazz guitar trivia!)

And you're right, Oldane, when his father died, Doug inherited some of his guitars. I remember seeing him in Copenhagen in the mid-90s playing Jimmy's Höfner guitar.

I occasionally see Doug on the street here in Copenhagen, but I can't remember when I last saw him perform...

[jazzuki]

L7's never had any p/u but as others have said D'Armonds were used to electrify it-was a follow on to the sucessful L10's and L12's-- built in 1935 @$125-it was priced between the L4 @$100 and the L10 @$150.The L4 was a round hole model and the L7 became Gibson's lowest priced Grand Auditorium model with f-holes. L7c(cut-away) was introduced in 1954 and from 1961-1972 its last year of production about 700 were made and were all sunbursts.

[jazzuki]

L-7 Electrics;according to Tom Wheeler postwar models came in 4 versions- all with integrated pickguard-mounted p/u's patented by Ted McCarty-the one p/u noncutaway L-7 E -the one p/u cutaway L-7 CE- and the 2 p/u cutaway L-7CED all were discontinued after poor sales in 1954=so a few were produced but were unsuccessful.

[farlow]

Thanks for the responses. I didn't realize it was an ES-350. This forum is such a great resource!