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I've been watching this listing for some time now. Price goes us and down... but sale. Curious if any archtop maintenance gurus can spot a reason why this guitar hasn't sold. Price? Is there binding shrinkage or is something else happening? Has the neck been reset (the discoloring around the neck pocket is interesting), refin?
If it's just binding issues, is that an expensive, big deal repair?
Gibson L7-CN circa 1953 (VIDEO Demo) | The Music Store, Inc | Reverb
More pics in the listing...
worlds shortest demo of a $5,00 guitar...
Last edited by Steve Z; 02-06-2021 at 09:41 AM.
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02-06-2021 08:43 AM
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The truss rod nut looks cranked down pretty far. That’s going to scare away a lot. Also, it seems like quite possibly a refinish of a guitar that was originally a sunburst. The wood doesn’t seem like it’s up to L-7CN quality and the label just says L-7C. Of course that would also mean that the refinisher took the care to add a stinger. More than anything though, that truss rod looks like it has nothing left.
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Oh, and on a quick look, the binding shrinkage looks pretty minor.
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.......I am no repair guru, but I own one exactly like that L-7, and a lot cleaner. No binding issues, no scratches like those. Mine has those skinny frets - -but not sure if this one has them.
I have shopped mine - - again cleaner than this one - -and have been told it'd never bring $5000. They just don't bring that. I was never offered even $3000. on a trade or purchase.
And if it helps Epiphone Triumph Regents don't bring that kind of money either.
And FWIW, this should be light as a feather like mine, and once you dial in strings and a setup, you'll like it. It's long scale, so while I tried 13's, I ended up with 12's.
Hope that helps, and good luck.
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A superior L-7CN can absolutely bring $5000, although it may not be an overnight sale.
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Thanks everyone for the replies. It did seem odd to show the close pick of the truss rod nut with no explanation. The stinger did look oddly long and the finish extremely shiny.
Great info as always!
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It looks ok to me the truss rod you never know just looking. If the neck is straight it probably is not anything but the bottom line this guitar is simply not worth that amount of money. To me this guitar is maybe worth $3500 depending on how it plays and sounds. The binding does not bother me but at some point in my head I see an L5 for of course more money but a better deal. If the neck is fine and some how the truss rod crank to max you can add washers to it for clearance. I would want to know how hard it is to turn the truss rod. If the nut moves normally then ok. Also truss rods do not always works as modern ones do today they can simply freeze or not do much. Again if neck has proper relief it is probably fine. It is like buying old house that have been around for many years, they don't just all of a sudden go bad.
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w/out having it in hand the finish looks right to me. I've seen plenty of blonde Gibsons w/no N on the label that weren't refinished. someone like that northwest dealer might be able to get 5K for it but in general L-7C's don't sell for that much more than non cutaways relatively speaking as opposed to L-5's and Super 400's. A friend of mine has a super clean sunburst L-7C w/special order wide neck and he just about gave up trying to sell it he was getting lowballed so badly.
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For those desiring a nice L7 represented correctly - check out this link. It might even be negotiable at this time.
1951 Gibson L-7CN Blonde > Guitars Archtop Electric & Acoustic | Laurence Wexer Ltd.
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Larry's had that forever, they just don't typically sell for more than 4-4.5K, but maybe as suggested he'll take an offer at this point.
Originally Posted by QAman
btw, that's another blonde w/out the N designation on the label.
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The lack of an N on the label is far from a be all end all, but it still gives extra reason to be certain. There are a lot of ‘30s and ‘40s archtops that were refinished as blondes that didn’t start out that way. It’s going to scare some people and that’s my point. Originally Posted by wintermoon
That’s just like the truss rod. That picture is guaranteed to scare off a lot of people, even if everything works right. An thorough explanation could go a long way there.
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Larry is a first rate seller and player too. Without a doubt his guitar is far better than this one pictured by OP. Larry knows guitars and I recommend him highly. If fact he has a couple guitars I am interested in but have to part with something to justify. Originally Posted by QAman
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A purchase from Larry is a no risk buy. He’s one of the foremost authorities on Vintage guitars, and can explain any areas of concern. Originally Posted by wintermoon
I believe the seller is motivated, so someone can acquire a nice guitar. Larry said it has a nice woody tone and plays effortlessly.
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I have a 55 L5N, a 57 Byrdland N, and a 57 L5CESN, and none of them have “N” on the label. They are most assuredly not refins.
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Seriously, the N is not what makes me question the possibility of a refinish, although I wouldn’t be surprised. I’ve seen it many times, and the wood appears to have a lot of defects that I typically associate with a refinished, formerly sunburst. That said, I could also see Gibson putting it out that way. Originally Posted by customxke
Just as an aside, I’ve also seen labels that have an “N” at the end of the model and they are factory sunburst.
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Im curious why you think the truss rod looks like it has nothing left? You wouldn't know unless you used a tool. Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan
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I’ve seen enough of them to know that if you see that many threads over the top of the nut, most buyers will steer away immediately. Not surprisingly, since while it may still work fine, 9 times out of ten when I’ve seen one like that there is still significant bow in the neck and the nut is super tight. Originally Posted by guitarcarver
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