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Oh my, I would jump on that guitar. Take it! When will you get another opportunity like that? And the case, absolutely. Don't separate those good friends after so many years.
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12-29-2013 01:53 PM
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Oh yeah thats nice. Original finish ? Looks amazingly clean , a beauty
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Oooo! Very nice! Like the others said, keep the original case with this guitar. You can always get a recent HSC for carrying the guitar around or a flight case for travels.
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Run, don't walk, to buy that L-12!
I didn't realize the L-12's were akin to L5's without the extra binding. I thought the L7's were L5's without the extra binding. I assume the L-12's preceded the L7's?
It's hard to believe that L-12 isn't restored.
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L-12 is #2 in the lineup, in between the 5 and the 7. It's more like a fancy L-7 than a dressed down L-5 to me, but that's splitting hairs. They're all similar. There's also the rare L-10.
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Owner swears its the original finish, but admits the pickguard may be repro. I didn't know about the tuners. How to tell if refinish or overspray - smell and look for haziness?
There is some neck wear, middle of neck, see photo's, which suggests it hasn't been refinished.
Thanks for the advice and comments, I'm hoping to see it next week, can't make it this week.
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Originally Posted by rpguitar
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In the world of "Advanced" 17" Gibson acoustic archtop guitars:
L-7
L-10
L-12
L-5
Postwar until 1955:
L-7 & variants
L-12 & variants
L-5 & variants
After 1955
L-7 & variants
L-5 & variants
As a '41, your L-12 alreasy has a mix of visible features, already mentioned.
The only way to confirm some of the non-visible features is through an in hand inspection, but that doesn't change the attractiveness of this instrument.
- it could be x-braced or parallel braced
- it could have a shorter scale or a longer scale
I'd grab it regardless - it certainly looks like a wonderful instrument.Last edited by Hammertone; 12-29-2013 at 09:24 PM.
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Wonderful find. I love the old curly script logo. I love the blister back. I love the bound headstock and I love the original Art Deco tailpiece. And I love the original Aeroplane tweed case. Count them loves.
Lovely. Lovely. Lovely.
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Late to the admiration party (as usual)......it looks magnificent!
I've had two 16" L-12's......'33 and '34, a '37 X-braced L-7 and still play some "humble" wartime and post-war L-7's.
I've always found a lot to love about each one.
I'm pretty sure this one would have straight braces and a long scale being a '41.
I have an extra original 17" L-12 or L-5 pickguard from the mid 30's that I don't need anymore, but it screws into the top rather than being pinned to the neck extension as yours appears to be. But the repro on your example has the right proportions and looks good.
So go ahead and get it, with case and all. Wake it up!
D
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So, we sold our old house, we did a bit better than expected, and I managed to convince my wife to let me use a portion of the bonus proceeds to "invest" in a serious guitar. I've been looking at getting a pre-war L5 or Epiphone because those tend to have been the most standout acoustic archtops I've ever played. But I wasn't sure if I wanted a 16" or 17", or parallel or x-braced, and even in Los Angeles there really aren't many quality examples lying around to be taken for a test drive.
I've basically been stalking every pre-war guitar on the internet for the last couple of weeks, and was pretty pissed when I saw a great looking 16" L5 get sold in a matter a couple days after listing from a music store in Kansas, and every other 16" L5 was either refinished, renecked, or had a replacement fingerboard, or was a signed Lloyd Loar and this absurdly expensive. Now, while a guitar with major work, or a refin, or whatever could still be awesome sound if done right, but since I couldn't play it first, I was reluctant to drop $8k-$10k even if there was a trial period. I even found a local walnut-backed Broadway, but it would've needed at least a refret, if not a full neck reset. Although it was comparably affordable, I was worried about the guitar being a money pit.
Then, the other day I saw the auction for this 1935 L-12 with no reserve and super low starting bid, and it caught my attention.
I kept tabs on it as time ticked away. Reading the description and checking the pictures, I could see the significant play wear on the back of the neck, and that told me that there was a good chance this guitar was good. I ended up watching the auction tick down it's final seconds while we were at dinner, and I ended up bidding manually with just enough time to rebid once. I ended up getting it for just under $3100. I immediately regretted the decision, but I decided the 24 trial period offered by the seller was protection enough, and that if I really hated it or felt I'd been had, I would just be out the shipping.
Well, it arrived today, and the first thing I noticed was how light the package was. Turns out the play wear was only one of the telltale signs of a great acoustic archtop, this guitar was super light too. Awesome. I was so excited I un-boxed in my mailbox place. I put the bridge on, and slowly brought the strings up to tension, and was immediately pleasantly surprised. I brought it home, futzed with the bridge placement slightly, and was greated by an amazingly open, resonant, singing guitar - every bit what a pre-war, X-braced 17" archtop should be.
I was taking a webcam video to show a friend, and just decided to a full review and playing demo on it. So check it out.
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I can't think of a more deserving player on this forum for a guitar like that. Now you and RP can hang out in the L12 club. Enjoy it in good health.
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Congratulations - it's nice to see your excitement regarding what appears to be a fine instrument.
You mention the future comparison between the sound of a short-scale, x-braced 17" like your new Gibson L-12 with, for instance, an Epiphone from the same era, say an Epiphone Masterbuilt Triumph or Broadway, which are long-scale, parallel-braced 17 1/2" instruments. My personal experience is that there is no better fun that that comparison.
You also mention the mahogany neck on the L-7 and the L-12 (and L-10 as well), and the maple neck on the L-5. During this period, Gibson produced the L-12 with maple necks as well - mine has a maple neck. You might want to take a closer look at yours. As always, such threads are useless without pix, so here are two '38s:
Last edited by Hammertone; 05-02-2015 at 11:34 PM.
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So is this a maple neck after all?
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Looks like it to me - a well-played one!
In addition to what the wood looks like, in my own experience I have observed that the mahogany-necked archtops have pointed heels, while the maple-necked versions have rounded heels. Perhaps some other members could chime in here with their observations regarding the pre-war Advanced archtops they have handled.Last edited by Hammertone; 05-02-2015 at 04:37 AM.
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That neck looks like Honduran hog to me. But, it's hard to tell for sure from the photo.
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A bit harder to see when the finish is still on it, heh:
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It's a rounded heel.
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A great story. Congratulations on a fine guitar. If this L12 could talk, what stories would it tell? What gauge and make of strings would you be using on your L12, Jonathan?
Here's a link to photos of a 16" L12 with a mahogany neck and pointed heel: 1934 Gibson L-12Last edited by Jabberwocky; 05-02-2015 at 02:04 AM.
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Oh man thats great. I placed bid on that, and it didnt meet reserve. Then the seller relisted it, and it sold at a price lower than my bid in the earlier auction... ah well, too bad for me but GREAT for you.
you are right that these are warm and full but not barky when compared to other Gibsons and Epiphones, as your guitar is x braced and not parrallel. That was only so for a short period around the mid - late 30s. Gibsons that were made earlier or later will have the parralel and indeed have more projection especially in a band context. All Epiphones are Parallel too , they never made an x braced guitar.
after archtop dot com has given you a 350 quote to make a guard, also drop me a line and Ill make you one at $79
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Oh, superb! Excellent guitar, and thankfully in the right hands. The world has turned to a balanced state. We can all relax now Seriously, it makes me happy to hear you play this guitar, Jonathan.
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Nice axe! I owned a 1935 L-12 for a while. Mine had a mahogany neck for sure, 24.75" scale. It had a wonderful tone but the only thing I didn't like was the fingerboard radius. It was tighter than any Gibson I've ever played. I had it measured by a luthier who was examining it to see if it could be changed, and he came up with a compound radius with 6" as the smallest measurement!
Nevertheless, it was a true beauty and one of the best sounding archtops I've owned. Notice the tailpiece difference between ours - yours has the late 16" L-5 tailpiece, while mine had one unique to the L-12 model (and for just a short time).
ENJOY!
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Just love listening to you play. Congrats on both the sale of your home and the fantastic guitar!
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Originally Posted by fws6
I'll message you about the pickguard too. Joe's made two pickguards for me, and they worked out perfectly, but yeah, they ain't cheap.
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Not to steal the thunder away from Jonathan's lovely 1935 L12; this is my 1947 L12 as taken under the lighting of the shop.
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