17" Gibson L-7

**garybaldy** · 04-09-2026, 04:39 AM

Got this from Mak's in London yesterday. Beautiful!
17" Gibson L-7-maks-l7-fb-pic-jpg

**jim777** · 04-09-2026, 10:28 AM

Lovely, and looks like a great place to spend an afternoon!

**garybaldy** · 04-09-2026, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by jim777

Lovely, and looks like a great place to spend an afternoon!

Thanks Jim. Yes it was amazing. I was smitten by the L7 and didn't really take much notice of anything else! Maybe next time. My mission was to travel there and hope no one beat me to it by buying it on line before I got there.
Mak is a really great guy.

**David B** · 04-10-2026, 04:46 AM

Enjoy that beautiful instrument! I saw it on Mak's Instagram page when it came in and would have loved to try it! My bank account thanks you for removing temptation!

17" Gibson L-7-screenshot-2026-04-10-09-47-28-png

17" Gibson L-7-screenshot-2026-04-10-09-47-28-png

**garybaldy** · 04-10-2026, 05:03 AM

Originally Posted by David B

Enjoy that beautiful instrument! I saw it on Mak's Instagram page when it came in and would have loved to try it! My bank account thanks you for removing temptation!

17" Gibson L-7-screenshot-2026-04-10-09-47-28-png

Thanks David. It came up on my fb feed and I msgd Mak immediately. I waited for it to appear on his website and pounced! I didn't like the idea of having it shipped so travelled from Wales by train. A pretty long day for an old man but truely worth it! It has a gorgeous tone, very comfortable to play and the pickup is a lovely bonus. It's basically faultless. I had it strapped to my waist coming home - one doesn't know who's about! My home town was probably the dodgiest though! Cheers

**GuyBoden** · 04-10-2026, 05:26 AM

Wow, fantastic guitar.

**Rob MacKillop** · 04-10-2026, 05:46 AM

Mak has the best home for archtops. Yours looks stunning! Happy days ahead.

**garybaldy** · 04-10-2026, 06:10 AM

Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop

Mak has the best home for archtops. Yours looks stunning! Happy days ahead.

Thanks Rob. Yes, it's a wonderful place. I had a quick scout down Denmark St first but it no longer inspires me. There were one or two 'interesting' guitars but they either had issues or just didn't seem right. Sixty sixty (?) had a lovely twin neck SG that two young teenage lads wanted to try which they did! One of the guys working there tried to tune the 12 string but struggled. The one lad who was probably 14 had no trouble tuning it by ear in seconds and promptly played Stairway to Heaven! It was great to see. If only we could be that age again!

**skykomishone** · 04-10-2026, 10:56 AM

Beautiful guitar. Nothing like that sweet, full sound of an early L7. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do mine! Congratulations!

**garybaldy** · 04-10-2026, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by skykomishone

Beautiful guitar. Nothing like that sweet, full sound of an early L7. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do mine! Congratulations!

Thanks Sky.
Since I got the 16" last November I've been on the look out for this. Couldn't believe seeing Mak's preview on fb. There's nothing lacking with it and no issues at all. I knew it was right as soon as I played it. Once I got it home I was nervous that I would find something that I'd missed. Plucked up the courage late last night to play it. It's a real gem and has a sweet pickup to boot!

**skykomishone** · 04-10-2026, 01:14 PM

Nice! First thing that I did this morning after reading your post was to grab mine and play it. It never ceases to give me that lovely sound it gives when I play her, that Beautiful, rich, singular sound. I own other nice guitars, but the L7 stands alone in my book.

**Stringswinger** · 04-10-2026, 01:44 PM

I have played many L-7's from Gibson Kalamazoo that sounded every bit as good as the L-5's from that factory. The only real difference other than cosmetics, is a Brazilian Rosewood FB rather than an Ebony FB, which might make some of the L-7's sound better than some of the L-5's.

Congrats on the score and may she inspire your playing for many years to come!

**garybaldy** · 04-10-2026, 02:03 PM

Originally Posted by Stringswinger

I have played many L-7's from Gibson Kalamazoo that sounded every bit as good as the L-5's from that factory. The only real difference other than cosmetics, is a Brazilian Rosewood FB rather than an Ebony FB, which might make some of the L-7's sound better than some of the L-5's.

Congrats on the score and may she inspire your playing for many years to come!

Thank you SS.