1930 Gibson L-0

FON 9753. The most lightly and finely built Gibson acoustics are those from 1929 and 1930, and the tone produced by instruments from that short era is unlike anything that pre or post-dated them. Exceptionally thin braces and bridgeplates are characteristics of these very early L-body flat tops; with construction becoming more robust through the early 1930's. By the time the model line-up standardized in 1934, Gibson flat tops bore little resemblance to the instruments built four short years earlier.

Here's a beautiful 1930 model, crack-free, with very thin original finish in remarkably unworn condition. The guitar weighs in at 3 pounds, and certainly sounds as light as it is. Strung with 11-50 strings the guitar has a huge presence and rumble, but enjoys a lighter touch. It's certainly one of the warmer guitars you'll encounter; but, thanks to the all-mahogany construction, there is still great definition it its voice.

Round, very modern neck carve with a nut width of 1-3/4". The fingerboards on many Gibson flat-tops from this period (as with this one) are very thin, which adds to the compact feel of the neck. The frets are narrow and tall, and there are no side position dots.

A few braces have been very cleanly reglued in the guitar's past, and the saddle and pins have recently been replaced. One tuner button has been replaced with near-perfect period correct match. The instrument is set up for easy fingerstyle playing, and the bridge saddle is full height.

With newer hard shell case