'40s Gibson L-7

**zizala** · 10-29-2013, 06:10 AM

I play my L-7's with original McCarty's and like the amplified sound very much.
Lower output than a P-90 and they really do allow the acoustic qualities of the guitar to shine through even beyond low volume playing. Or at least they give me that illusion.....
Being a floater on an acoustic, its seems inherently brighter, but the tone controls or EQ will warm it up enough for those that like a thicker tone. And of course choice of amps has its effect.

I have a couple of the Lollar McCarty pickups that he sold me early on without the pickguard assemblies....I was giving him measurements from my old ones. I have yet to make a pickguard for one of those but did test one taped to the top of a Guild CA-100 and in comparison found it to be a hotter, higher output pickup that is a bit thicker toned in the middle. Shows lots of promise and I want to get one set up properly one of these days. Available string to top clearance needs checking though.....its profile is a bit taller than an old McCarty pickup.

I have a DeArmond 1100 in the stash and its earmarked for an up and coming '50 Triumph Regent.
Never played that pickup so can't compare to the sound of an original McCarty. I'd expect them to be noticeably different for whatever thats worth.

Again....I really need to get set up and learn how to do some sound samples!

ziz

**Keira Witherkay** · 10-29-2013, 07:00 AM

absolutely stunning instrument....and a 40's one to boot... words can't describe how much mojo must be in that beauty

**wintermoon** · 10-29-2013, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by DC Ron

Jabberwocky, my theory, which will never be proven, is that it went back to the factory for a refin in the 60s, based on the chrome Gibson tailpiece and the yellow lined black Gibson case. I may go the KA route, but I've got some time to poke around for a Dearmond. Thx!

yes, many times newer features of a refin such as updated parts, new case etc. will help date Gibson factory work.
looks like an early 60's refin if Gibson did it, they didn't do orignal color refins then, it was whatever sunburst they were currently using. cherry finish came in about '64 and got more cherry as the decade wore on. the black/yellow cases replaced the brown/pink in mid-late '63 ish and the color of the guitar looks sorta like the 'iced tea' finish of the early 60's, though one does see a darker tobacco sunburst on some late 60's guitars.

chrome parts started trickling in around '65.

agree w/Jab, the lighter back/sides show off the maple better, though I don't know what he means by 'colour' ;^)
regardless, really nice job, guitar looks great!

**Mhofmann** · 08-05-2014, 06:07 PM

In a random conversation with my uncle he told me he had a 48 Gibson L7. I knew he had strats and teles and LP's, etc., but I had no idea (or maybe I had seen it when I was a kid and thought it wasn't as cool as the others...). Anyway, he said that it needed a little fret work - and he's probably going to be bringing it to a shop up in Weymouth, MA, but that I could take it from him when they were done. I have a couple questions and would love some opinions:

1. Should I grab one of those K Armstrong floating single coils, purchase a year appropriate pickguard to mount it on, and purchase a year appropriate replacement tailpiece (he has the original but it is broke)?
2. Does anyone know anyone in the NJ/NY area that they would recommend bringing the guitar, pickup, pickguard, and tailpiece to in order to get it going?
3. Does anyone know a good place to grab those items (ebay, archtop.com, others?)?

I'd like to get the work done, and if he ever asks for it back, have the guitar be better off than when he gave it to me.

Thanks for your input,
Matt

**rpguitar** · 08-05-2014, 10:43 PM

Hi Matt,

I have a lot of experience with vintage Gibson archtops and I'm in NW Bergen County. If you are close, PM me.

There is a fellow up here, Phil D'Angelo in Fair Lawn, who has done great things with two of my Gibson archtops. I recommend him highly for quality fret and setup work. Installing those items is a piece of cake.

The pickup on that L-7 is a very interesting one and you shouldn't discard it out of hand; it's an early Bill Lawrence single coil that gives a nice clear, low impedance sound. For some it would be quite ideal for a non-cutaway acoustic L-7 with bronze or nickel wound strings. At the very least, consider using it once you've had the guitar set up properly (before you bother with tailpieces and pickguards). Looks like it's installed with an endpin jack, which is convenient, and should be re-used if you do replace the pickup.

**Hammertone** · 08-06-2014, 12:13 AM

What he said.

My 2¢:
- Get a repro guard - all over ebay.
- Get the original tailpiece fixed - easy.

**Eddie Lang** · 08-06-2014, 03:06 AM

I don't know that pickup, but I would definitely give it a try before getting another one.

For the original tailpiece, you might want to ask a saxophone repair person. They are usually pretty good with that kind of work.

For the pickguard, I'd wait until I would know for sure which pickup to choose. Archtop.com have costly but excellent repro guards, while cheap guards are easily found on ebay.

Enjoy that guitar. i have a 1949 non-cut L-7, and I love it. Mine has a McCarty pickguard-single-pickup unit. Lovely!

I've posted this before, but I always enjoy watching and listening to Chris Flory playing his L-7 (with a DeArmond FHC -- and no pickguard).

**edh** · 08-06-2014, 03:10 AM

How is that pickup attached?

**Mhofmann** · 08-07-2014, 07:53 AM

thanks for the responses and info (and also the video). i actually grabbed the guitar yesterday. roger, i will definitely pm you in a little bit, im very interested in getting this guitar going and the guy in fairlawn sounds good if youve had good experiences with him.

and my uncle is bringing the tailpiece to a horn repair guy he knows based on the tip.

its a really cool guitar and im pretty excited to get it playing sounding and looking great. thanks again, matt

**Mhofmann** · 08-07-2014, 07:56 AM

oh, and the pickup is tacked/screwed into the side of the neck extension - like ive seen pictures of dearmond pickups attached.

**nopedals** · 08-07-2014, 01:12 PM

I had a very similar pickup. It was kind of low output; you might want to use it with a clean boost pedal or preamp (things worth having anyway). IMHO Flory has the correct pickguard ;-) The guitar is fine the way it is.

**Mhofmann** · 08-19-2014, 05:56 PM

Well, I ordered a pickup control kit for the bill lawrence pickup thats already on there (I'm keeping with that pickup based on the replys I got from my first post), triple parallelogram tailpiece, and non cutaway pickguard from archtop.com.
And the guitar is at a shop up in NJ where it will get a re-fret and planing and a new nut cut. I'll send photos when it's all done. Thanks again for all the advice.
Probably see an Eastman el Rey 4 in the for sale section soon to cover the cost of the repairs and the hardware (that hardware stuff is expensive...but cool looking). Just have to wait until the Gibson is almost done or else I'll be without a guitar for a while, and I can't have that.
Thanks again for the input

**Scot63** · 08-19-2014, 10:18 PM

I traded in my '47 L7 for a great '62 Guild starfire. Not saying it was a mistake, but there are days when I miss the full-bodied L7. Really, the pickups are secondary and there are lots of options—I agree with others: try the present ones before thinking about replacing them. But, above all, enjoy the design, the really great acoustic sound, and the solid construction of a classic, often underestimated Gibson.

**rpguitar** · 08-19-2014, 10:36 PM

Glad to hear about the progress and look forward to seeing the final outcome.

Before you cut a big old notch in that expensive new pickguard to fit the Lawrence pickup, at least play it for a while first without the guard attached. Take a little time to select strings that really work on the guitar acoustically and see if the pickup is right for you. You do NOT want to cut up that guard until you are ready to commit to the Lawrence!

Just a word of wisdom there... don't let impatience get the best of you.

The guy you took your L-7 to just made my '47 L-5 into my favorite guitar, and I've already owned it for a few years AND it's got some stiff competition, so that's saying something. It's just amazing what freshly groomed frets, nut, and saddle will do for a guitar - even when you think the guitar already plays "pretty well."

**Mhofmann** · 09-23-2014, 06:55 AM

So Phil D'Angelo in Fairlawn NJ finished the work on the L7. New nut, fretboard planed, refret, and replacement tail piece attached. Wow. I never thought it would play so nice. Thank you rpguitar for the tip. That guy does some amazing stuff. I was nervous to have the work done in the first place - I don't have experience with letting a guitar like that out to have so much work done. But it worked out better than expected.

And I was patient and still have the pickguard in the plastic. I have been playing it w the Bill Lawrence and will make a final decision on the pickup (BL vs KA) and then have it routed for the pickup and the holes cut in it for the tone and volume controls.

This Gibson is really cool and even cooler to me because of the sentimental value to it.

Can't wait to post pictures when the pickup decision is made and the guitar is completely finished.

Thanks again for the tip and helping me stay patient. It was the right decision.

**pingu** · 09-23-2014, 08:06 AM

hmmm nice Guitar !

Could you post any more Pics of the Bill Laurence PU and how its mounted ?
I've got a similar BL pickup and I might fit it to an old Hofner Pres
depending on if it works OK for you

**Mhofmann** · 09-23-2014, 08:14 AM

Sure, I'll post some pics later tonight. And I just realized I mentioned routing for the pickup in my last post. Just to clarify, I meant routing the pick guard, having it cut so the pickup fits w the pickguard on, NOT routing the top of the guitar for the pickup.

**Flat** · 09-23-2014, 01:14 PM

I'm glad to hear you say that. ;-)

**Archtop Guy** · 09-23-2014, 08:07 PM

Rp is right on the money as to that Lawrence pickup. I think it's one of the best ones out there. A well underrated piece and cheap to boot. You'll have a hard time beating it.

**entresz** · 09-23-2014, 08:27 PM

Def keep the Lawrence pickup -- I'm after one myself. They are very nice sounding. I use Lawrence pickups in my other guitars (L90-s, L609s) and love the clean clear, but warm sound they have.

**rpguitar** · 09-24-2014, 08:49 AM

I'm really glad about the results. I visited Phil to pick up my newly refretted '63 ES-175 and he told me your guitar was up next on the chopping block. Phil has now done fret work and other magic on four of my vintage Gibsons. I'm glad to have him in my area!

That Lawrence pickup... the very first acoustic archtop I owned was a '54 L-7CN back in the mid 1990s. It had one of those pickups. Like a dope, I didn't know at the time how to make the rig sound good - bronze strings, nickels, flats, Zebras, etc. - all were "wrong." Of course it was just my technique and expectations that were wrong. I'd love to have that guitar back...

Looking forward to seeing pics when she's ready.

**Mhofmann** · 09-25-2014, 06:33 AM

Here is a photo of how the BL pickup is attached. It is like this on both sides of the neck.

And after playing it for a while with TI 13 flats, I am thinking of going to 14's. Thought the 13's would be heavy enough with the 25 1/2 scale, but I think next set will be 14's.

**nopedals** · 09-25-2014, 05:18 PM

I had that pickup on another guitar. The one I had was a bit of a problem, because the output was quite a bit lower than other pickups. It might profit from a preamp or clean boost pedal.

**pingu** · 09-25-2014, 08:00 PM

thanks for the pu mounting picture
looks like a great refret

I wonder how chris flory tames the
feedback on his L7 with floating de A pickup
He's got the amp right right behind him !

**Mhofmann** · 01-19-2015, 06:11 PM

So I finally brought the guitar in to have the pickguard mounted on the guitar with the tone and volume mounted on the pickguard. Stayed with the Bill Lawrence pu.

But - There appears to be a small crack in the center of the soundboard starting from around the tailpiece to the bridge. The luthier who has worked on this guitar first showed me the crack back at the end of August. It was very slight, but has been getting worse. When he saw it again today he said that the wood must be getting very dry and shrinking. He has also mentioned that the wood is splitting (cracked) along the seam of the two pieces and that the glue holding those two pieces of the soundboard together is not holding it anymore. This guy did unbelievable work on this instrument to get it back into shape, so I hate to question what he is talking about, but I thought that a carved spruce top on a gibson l7 is one piece? Am I crazy?

Also got a damp-it to put into the guitar while it is in the case. Should have done something like that earlier.