Details
Great sounding early example of a tonebar-braced 17-inch L-5, and thanks to the floating Charlie Christian-style pickup it sounds equally exceptional when plugged in. Original sunburst finish, rosewood bridge, and Varitone tailpiece, the pickguard is a period-correct faux tortoiseshell replacement with tone and volume controls at the bottom edge. Gold Grover Imperial tuners are later but added long ago. Excellent recent refret. And note that this example has a slim neck. It shows the lacquer crazing, or checking, we usually see on Gibsons from this period but there are no cracks to the neck, back, or sides. The top has a couple of short compression fractures at the outer edge of the lower bout. Highly playable L-5 with the tone and volume that made L-5s a staple on so many stages during the big band era.
Specs
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Back sides
Carved Curly Maple Back
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Bracing
Tone Bars
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Bridge
Adjustable Compensated Ebony
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Electronics
Yes
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Fingerboard
Ebony
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Finish
Nitrocellulose Lacquer
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Frets to body
14
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Inlay
Pearl Blocks
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Neck material
Maple
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Nut width
1 19/32"
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Pickup type
Pete Biltoft Floating Charlie Christian
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Scale length
25 3/8"
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Top material
Carved Solid Spruce
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Total frets
20
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Tuners
Grover Imperial
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Year
1940
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Case type
Hardshell
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Serial number
FA5180
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SKU
GIBL5-FA5180
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UPC
120938
