‘30s Gibson L-7 - Suggestions for a good case & for a luthier in Holland

[Oscar67]

My 1937 Gibson L7 is in need of a luthier who can do a stellar setup on this type of guitar and who can advise me on its upcoming long-term maintenance needs. Someone who really knows archtops and can do whatever needs to be done with confidence. I don’t want to ship the instrument so it’ll have to be local, which in my case is Holland. And since its vintage case is falling apart at the seams, I’m also on the lookout for a good, modern case for this guitar. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[hotpepper01]

Greetings Oscar,

Depends a bit on how serious the long term maintenance of your L7 will be. I can recommend Spruce Guitars in Utrecht and Dick Noordijk. I think he moved recently to Waddinxveen. Other places, for a setup and some advice I recommend Guitar Shop Delft and Vox Humana Vlaardingen. For a new case, IMHO you are not likely to get that local. I bought new cases from Germany, France. Google is a great friend.

Ruud

[bluenote61]

Does Slaman makes repairs and maintenance works?
If yes that would be a good adress.

[ThatRhythmMan]

Frans Elferink knows Gibson archtops inside and out (literally). You could contact him. I don’t know how much of that work he does, but I’m sure he could at the least recommend someone excellent.

Contact - Elferink guitars


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[Oscar67]

Thanks for the suggestions!

[Hammertone]

Get a Hiscox case. They are made in England. Excellent quality, fit and bang/buck.

[Oscar67]

Get a Hiscox case. They are made in England. Excellent quality, fit and bang/buck.

I contacted them about the right case for an L7 but they don’t really offer one. They do have one for a Jumbo flattop but that one won’t accommodate the raised bridge of a 17” archtop.

[ThatRhythmMan]

I contacted them about the right case for an L7 but they don’t really offer one. They do have one for a Jumbo flattop but that one won’t accommodate the raised bridge of a 17” archtop.

People use jumbo flattop cases for 17” archtops all the time because the flattop has a much deeper body, making their cases have adequate depth for an archtop’s floating bridge.


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[Hammertone]

I contacted them about the right case for an L7 but they don’t really offer one. They do have one for a Jumbo flattop but that one won’t accommodate the raised bridge of a 17” archtop.

Incorrect.

People use jumbo flattop cases for 17” archtops all the time because the flattop has a much deeper body, making their cases have adequate depth for an archtop’s floating bridge.

Correct.

[bluenote61]

I'm also using the Hiscox Jumbo case for my archtops for longer travels. They are totally stable but not too heavy. A 17" fits best in the case, to accomodate also a 16" my wife made me a pillow to fill up the gap at the lower end of the guitar.

[ThatRhythmMan]

I'm also using the Hiscox Jumbo case for my archtops for longer travels. They are totally stable but not too heavy. A 17" fits best in the case, to accomodate also a 16" my wife made me a pillow to fill up the gap at the lower end of the guitar.

For reference, a J-185 case will generally fit a 16” archtop.


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[RJVB]

Does Slaman makes repairs and maintenance works?
If yes that would be a good adress.

I'm sure he wouldn't mind being asked to look at a vintage Gibson, and he's in (Zuid-)Holland as asked.

You could also contact TFOA (the 1st place I'd look if I were looking to buy this kind of instrument) but they're across the country in Overijssel.

[Oscar67]

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone! I’ve contacted several luthiers, some mentioned here, some others too. Either they don’t accept repair work at this moment or they’re booked solid until autumn. But the hunt is still on and I’m sure I’ll find someone!

[garybaldy]

You may have had all the answers you need but here's my Fenix FAE8 17" rather like an EER. I've had the Hiscox case from new with the guitar 1998. The lining has come a bit loose in places. It's a perfect fit and has a nice snug fit against the 4 'buffer' pads on the bouts. There is still a small paper sticker on the handle with the model code. Not sure if some has rubbed off but it reads 'PRO - GJ'.

[bluenote61]

GJ is the Hiscox model code for the Jumbo case which fits a 17" archtop.
PRO is the Code for the series from Hiscox.

[garybaldy]

GJ is the Hiscox model code for the Jumbo case which fits a 17" archtop.
PRO is the Code for the series from Hiscox.

Yes. I looked it up after I sent my post!

[Oscar67]

Glad to report that the old L7 is now perfectly set up and resting in a new case. The nut slots needed some work, which I normally do myself but this L7 still has what appears to be its original nut and I wanted someone with a ton of experience. The wooden bridge also needed some fine tuning. It was a half-hour job and (as always with a good setup) it makes a world of difference. It became an effortless player.

[laap45]

where did you end up going?

[Oscar67]

I took the L7 with me when I went to Dijkmans in Breda to shop for an alternative for my 335 (and I found one). They have a very skilled in-store luthier who can do anything, but does not necessarily have a lot of experience with vintage archtops. He set up one of my solidbodies once and did a great job. I showed him my L7 and he lit up like a Christmas tree. We talked a bit, he played it a bit, my gut told me he was up to it. Turned out great!