The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    Okay full disclosure it arrived yesterday but I was having too much fun playing with it to post. Guitar was packed like a mummy, took me like 20 minutes to get it completely unpacked. Great seller! It arrived with really thin strings so I restringed it with my favorite D’Addario EJ-21 set (12-52 roundwound). I’m primarily a Swing guitarist and vocalist so I’m not a fan of flats.

    I wanted a big acoustic sound I just wasn’t getting from my L-4 and this one has it. The tone is gorgeous, the neck is perfect and it’s in showroom condition! For $3,500 I really feel like I got a deal. I’m still adjusting to the thin neck after playing that 1958 L-4 for the last year but my band Parlor Swing has a gig Saturday and I’m definitely taking this baby!

    i just recorded a couple of videos I’ll see if I can figure out how to post them.

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  3. #27

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    Okay let’s give this a try.


  4. #28

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    Great news! It's good to hear that your guitar arrived safely and it meets your expectations. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

  5. #29

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    Enjoy! Swing away! Super guitar.

  6. #30

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    Tony... My Doppleganger! Great work, you are feeling it, L7C's rule!

  7. #31

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    So it’s late on Saturday night, just want to report in on this weekend’s gigs. Friday night we played an hour at a small nursing home where my wife works. We just played acoustically and the L-7 held up beautifully.

    Then we had a 4 hr gig this afternoon that was awesome. I booked it through Gigmasters. A caterer holds these events every few months to promote her business. There were 350 guests there, event planners, couples planning their weddings, etc. We were a big hit, gave out a bunch of business cards. People love this old time Swing man. Oh and I spent some time this morning dialing in the L-7 with my Quilter amp, so I had a great tone going plus the guitar is so easy to play. That’s the longest gig I’ve played in years, my back is killing me but my hands are fine. Oh and the food was spectacular. Great exposure and they paid us!

    The funniest part was just as we were about to start playing some dude walked by and said “nice L-5”. I was so surprised I just said thanks. I couldn’t love this guitar more if it was an L-5, not to mention it would have cost at least $10K. My wife is in the group so I was glad she heard that comment. This is the most expensive guitar I’ve ever bought by like a grand. I’m having trouble convincing her it’s worth it. That helped.

    Anyway just had to report that to the group. I can’t believe more people aren’t on to these L-7s. It sounds funny to call a $3,500 guitar a bargain but compared to other vintage Gibsons it really is!

  8. #32

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    Nice guitar. Man, you can cook! Post as often as you can.

    Tony D.

  9. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by pilotony
    Nice guitar. Man, you can cook! Post as often as you can.

    Tony D.
    Thanks Tony, having a great guitar like this makes me want to practice more. I can hear how sloppy my playing has become. I also still need to adjust to this neck, it’s so different from what I’ve been playing. I noticed last night I would go for a certain lick or run and just whiff on it completely. Embarrassing. Not that anyone noticed (thank goodness).

  10. #34

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    Hey everybody,
    Johnny Smith is without a doubt my favorite guitarist and musician so when the price dropped on a L-7C I've been watching I started thinking of ways to swing it. Basically its a 60s L7 that already had a floating pickup at some point so I have no objections to adding a JS. I just picked up a Broadway, so if I pull this off too, I will use the rest of the shelter in place period as an audition and keep whichever one I bond with more (or sell the rest of my gear sans my Polytone to keep them both). I know the L7 is longer scale length and is not X-braced, but I figured it would be convincing enough for my sloppy playing. The only thing that concerns me with this L7 is the swapped bridge; its been changed to a nylon saddle TOM and is all the way up. I have some pictures of the arch and neck angle and it all seems good to me... so think the TOM base is just thin compared to the original. Anything look questionable here? '60s Gibson L-7C-l7-bridge-jpg'60s Gibson L-7C-neck-angle-jpg'60s Gibson L-7C-u8mthk7w34mi507kzike-jpg

  11. #35

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    that's a really steep angle, I'd be tempted to put either a new bridge or taller saddle on it.

    I'm not a fan of TOM's on acoustics anyway.

  12. #36

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    Get one that goes all the way across the top no feet. Buy a whole new saddle and bridge, solid one and then use sandpaper and get it to sit perfect to the top. Need to get a taller saddle for sure. Cannot tell the neck angle from pictures but probably fine. GO with ebony and I personally never use one of those already compensated saddles. Then have the ebony saddle carved to the proper offset and I think intonation is actually better. Use the TOM to get intonation on the 2 e strings then do with compensation.

  13. #37

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    Thanks for the insight guys! I have made small intonation adjustments sanding a rosewood saddle before, but how hard is the whole process on an ebony one? Or is it best left to a luthier?

  14. #38

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    Rosewood or ebony they both sand. Given the situation in the world you can take your time and do it your self. Buy a pre-done ebony saddle and bridge they run about $30. Then sand to match the curve of top. Here is saddle I put on my super 400. Note I only put a saddle on and put the TOM in case the bridge still same of course Note the compensation and it is intonated as well as the TOM was.

    '60s Gibson L-7C-img_1358-jpg

  15. #39

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    I agree. A TOM on an acoustic archtop in imo affects tonality. Good luck and congrats on the L7. I have a 68 L7 C and it's a great guitar.

  16. #40

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    Arch looks rather "flat" to me. But if it plays well, let it be.

    You could try ebony washers as shims around the bridge posts...

    http://delsnantuckets.com/Ebony-Wash...ir_p_1163.html

    A new ebony bridge and saddle would probably be great though.

  17. #41

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    You might also start looking for a new pickguard. The one on there is warped, probably from a bad fit. Also, I would never guarantee that a solid base sounds better than one with feet. IME it depends on the individual guitar and bridge base. I have a couple of guitars that sound worse with a solid base, and some that sound better. No way to know without trying both. And of course, better is subjective, and may be different for different listeners. I would certainly try a solid base, since it's difficult to buy just a saddle or just a base, they generally come as a set. That setup does look pretty high, but photos can be deceiving, so the neck angle might be fine. The pictures don't show the action, so I can't guess.

  18. #42

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    You guys are great. I did not even notice the pickguard until just now, and zooming in on the one picture the top sorta appears to dip towards bridge and back out. I have asked a few more questions. I would rather avoid being in a situation where i want to make a return in today's world. If I still go through with it I'm hopeful i can find a company that produces both types of bridges, then I only need to shape one saddle for 2 bases. The neck angle is surely steeper than my Broadway, but it's angle is low if anything. If I shy away from this, I will probably look for one of the L-7C reissues with the X bracing.