Gibson L-48?

[Gibsonhead]

Thanks Jay! It really plays nice....plus hardly any feedback plugged in. The bracing is parallel and the P90 is set further down from the neck because the clearance from strings to the PUP required that. Im lov'in it so much (except for the thickness) that I'm having a hollow body, archtop , laminated top, maple back, P90s,
in Byrdland-style thickness = 2.25" custom made by Steve Holst. Cant wait!

BTW Trac'in Tracy French Fries is very cool!

[Greentone]

That looks like a guitar I used to play, occasionally. A friend of mine owned it when we were at university together. He had a L-48 with a P90. Because of the L-48 having the fretboard flush with the top of the guitar, the picture above shows you about as far as you can get the P90 up towards the neck. (You can get closer with a Charlie Christian pickup, obviously, because it is mounted flush with the top.)

The guitar, by the way, was just super!

[Fred Archtop]

Cool guitar. I love these Gibsons with laminated tops. Congrats.

[Room135]

Hello guys,

I found a L 48 in Paris, france. I am French...

The guitar had a problem with the soundboard but a freind of mine, luthier had make a great work. He puted a Benedetti Pickup. It sound like this. :-)

<span id="result_box" class="short_text" lang="en"><span class="">

[bayoubengal1954]

Great playing and a nice modern electric tone! I go for more of the old school acoustic tone but it doesn't mean I can't appreciate what you have done.

[Room135]

And a new test sound mixing magnetic pickup Benedetti and acoustic sound of L 48 Gibson...

[Room135]

[Room135]

A new sound here with new PU DeArmond Rhythm Chief 1100

[Little Jay]

Sounds great Room135, both the humbucker and the DeArmond! But.... is it the same guitar?

[Paulie2]

I have a chance to acquire a late 50's for a trade on a guitar I am not really playing. Any one here own one? I believe it's a laminated top so I know its not the loudest but I am not really planning on playing anywhere with it. It will be for the couch and porch to enjoy at home.

Is it worth it to wait and pony up a little cash for a L-50?

[rpjazzguitar]

I have an L50. The difference, as I understood it on the day I bought it in 1964, was that the L50 had some extra binding. That is, the differences were essentially cosmetic.

[m_d]

[daverepair]

I have a chance to acquire a late 50's for a trade on a guitar I am not really playing. Any one here own one? I believe it's a laminated top so I know its not the loudest but I am not really planning on playing anywhere with it. It will be for the couch and porch to enjoy at home.

Is it worth it to wait and pony up a little cash for a L-50?

A friend has a '59 L-48. I've played it quite a bit, and been able to compare the L-48 to my own bunch of vintage Epiphones(and a '30's L-50).

The '59 L-48 is a fun guitar to play, and sounds surprisingly good for a laminate top/back instrument. Nice, full neck(characteristic of many '59 Gibsons). For myself, I prefer my Epiphones, but if the price is right, the L-48 could be nice.

Pre-war L-50s have solid wood backs, either flat or carved. Post-war L-50s have laminate backs. Some mid-40s L-48s have carved tops, too. The '37 L-50 I owned a few years ago(carved back, raised fingerboard extension) was a pleasant sounding, good playing instrument, but lacked the bark of the Epis. L-48s and L-50s have kerfed tone bar braces on the top, as opposed to the carved braces of higher level Gibsons and all Epiphones.