Gibson

First of all I have to tell you that this may be the finest and cleanest example of a late teens Gibson L-4 as we have ever seen.  It is almost a “time capsule” piece (frog not included).    The Gibson L-4 was the highest and best Gibson guitar offered in this time period, and also considered a very large bodied guitar in the period following Doublya Dobleya One.  This voluptuous and still vital vole measures 15 7/8” at the wider (lower) bout, 11 ½” at the upper bout and has a scale length of 24 ¾”.

The Gibson mandolin line of 1918 stepped off with the Style A- which, although the least expensive model until the even less fancy A-Jr. came out the following year, had many attractive appointments.   Even though this was the entry level model, it was classy, tasteful, elegant and beautifully crafted.   And, it sounds every bit as good as the highest-level Gibson A- mandolins of its time.

The Gibson Les Paul Custom was designed as the top-of-the-line in the Les Paul Series – and it is elegant, regal and stately beyond all expectations.  It has, for example, a crème bound ebony fingerboard that measures 1 11/16th” at the nut, and that fingerboard is inlaid with 10 large mother of pearl rectangles, or blocks.   All things considered, this guitar has survived the decades in rather nice condition, and it is, as expected, a player par excellence.

In all, this is an extremely fine rock ‘n’ roll performance tool, a sound machine with versatility and suitable for full stage domination.   You may recall that Pete Townshend of The Who used a Gibson SG Special as his primary instrument from 1968 to 1972.    Some memorable and even timeless music has been created using an electric guitar whose visage appears quite similar to this one.    This is an attainable alternative to the player on a budget who wants a USA-made Gibson for a price nearly anyone can afford.

This exceptionally fine sounding instrument has a second interior label that was signed, on August 23, 2007, by one David W. Harvey.  Few mandolins are as immediately attractive or handsome in a traditional American way than the Sam Bush model.  Sam has always favored a 1930s Gibson F-5, and perhaps he still does, and this mandolin embodies the design ideas of that favored period, with a few other niceties included as well.

This is the famous Gibson single cutaway, all laminated wood archtop that features maple top, back, sides; the back of the neck is mahogany and one-piece; the tuners are unsigned “Kluson Deluxe” style with large round grommets around its capstans, single ring and pearloid tulip-shaped buttons.  We are making the presumption that the tuners are original, but they could be replacements that occupy the same screw holes as the original ones.

This guitar is labelled "SECOND" on the back of the headstock under the serial number.  In addition it has a new pickguard (the remains of the old one are in the case).  It is shows light normal signs of use and wear including scratches, scuffs, dings, chips, indentations, etc. but nevertheless remains in excellent shape.  It has the square purple-black-white interior paper label and the volute, or hand stop, on the back of the neck. 

This iconic J-45 model is in near mint condition, has a vintage sunburst top, uniform brown sides, back, and neck and comes with a Gibson logo black exterior hard shell plush lined case.  This guitar is factory equipped by Gibson with the L. R. Baggs Element pickup system, including a volume control hidden in the soundhole.     There are few guitars that are as dear to our hearts as the Standard Gibson J-45.

A Gibson 1916 Style A-1 mandolin can, when it is in excellent and wholly original condition, sell for as much as $1995.  This one is not $1995, because of the issues raised above.   It is, instead, a handsome instrument producing fine sound, much volume and possesses look that only a 96-year-old Gibson mandolin can have, with original hard shell case, offered “as is,” as follows:

This is one of the most beautiful and specially hand-built Gibson Les Paul guitars as we have seen in many moons.   The top is made from highly figured maple finished in a color distinctly different than anything that has come before – suggesting a vortex of three-dimensional transcendence into another world entirely.  The gold plating on the pickups, tune-o-matic bridge, tuners and stop tailpiece is perfect – it has never seen the touch of a fuzzy fingered fretted instrument facilitator.

This mandolin’s tuning machines have temporarily been replaced with Stew-Mac replicas (engraved plate/grained ivoroid buttons, but the original somewhat yellowed grained ivoroid button 1920 tuners reside in the case and its next owner could, if he or she wished, reinstall them.  Top and back of the body are bound in ivoroid; the back binding has yellowed and even taken on a small amount of blue/green in three areas, leached from the case lining, while the top binding has remained white-ish.  

This extremely rare, extremely beautiful, natural top mandolin with the snaky style headstock, produces a sound that rings like the bells tolled by Quasimoto, the vertically challenged, hearing impaired, socially awkward quasi-musician who enjoyed a more or less permanent gig at the Notre Dame Cathedral.   It is, in every way, “one of the good ones” (our highest possible compliment).

The F-4 model is fancy and elegant, having ivoroidheadstock and neck binding, ivoroid binding on top and back, a large mother of pearl torch inlaid on the polished black (ebony) headplate under the inlaid “The Gibson” script pearl inlaid logo.   The F-4 has a fancy soundhole rosette comprised of rings of black and ivoroid, then a larger ribbon of black and ivoroid parallelograms in an oval, then another black purfling line and a very large crème celluloid swath, followed by the same motif as earlier stated.  The oval soundhole itself (partially covered by the fingerboard extension) is ivoroid celluloid bound.  Our Discount Price is $7,732.00 and Our Cash Discount Price is $7,500.00.

This is an extremely fine and also beautiful late example of this style, which model moniker was discontinued in 1943.   Being that is made later in the timeline it has some sophisticated features that the F-4s made in the teens and ‘20s don’t have.

Our 1940 Gibson F-4 mandolin sounds wonderful – it has that deep, throaty thing going strongly and vigorously.   It has the punch and presence that most associate with the F-5 model mandolin – a far different vocalize than one associates with the far more prolific F-4 mandolins of the teens.    It is an incredibly good deal, quality wise and price wise, at only . . .

This guitar, whose original cherry finish is unfaded and nearly unworn, is in amazingly clean condition -- a virtual time capsule. We have never before seen a Gibson Les Paul Junior original cherry double cutaway maintained at this remarkable level of preservation.  That's really saying something!   If you are seeking more excitement than many a body can stand, this is the guitar for you.    This WAS $8242 but it is NOW ON SALE . . . 

The Gibson L-4 dates back all the way to 1912 (gee, that’s a hundred years ago) when it was a 16” guitar with an oval shaped soundhole and had a “The Gibson” inlaid logo.   The logo became just plain “Gibson” in the middle of 1928 and in 1935 a bunch of exciting things happened to it.  First of all it got twin f-holes, it was decorated with a Fleur-de-Lis on the headstock .   The price is $3299 at our discount price, or $3200 at our Cash Discount Price.