1945 Gibson L-7

ARCHIVED • SOLD

1945 Gibson L-7

An incredible find, this mid 1940’s Gibson L-7 features a stunning factory-original black finish, wartime features, and solid tone-bar bracing. It’s fitted with a reproduction pickguard and floating hand-wound Kent Armstrong Humbucking pickup and comes with a second identical pickguard without electronics.

This guitar shipped from Kalamazoo to Volkwein Brothers’ Musical in Pittsburgh on August 6th, 1945 – a fitting ship-date for a black guitar. It appeared to have been hardly used between then and when we first found the guitar some 15 or so years back. At that time we installed the new pickguard and electronics and updated the frets and bone nut; the guitar is otherwise completely original.

17” body of carved spruce and maple with hand-fit tonebars that aren’t kerfed. Three-ply bindings with bold black purflings, bound fretboard, pearl script logo and inlays. 25.4” scale neck with a deep round carve, 1-3/4” nut width, and .886” depth at the 1st fret. Excellent neck angle affords plenty of action adjustment in either direction and the guitar currently is set up with Thomastic flatwound 12s for a wonderful plugged-in Jazz tone. The neck is equipped with a truss rod, which is a nice addition to any Banner-era Gibson.

The finish shows very little wear but you see evidence of a few factory-repaired (before finish) cracks in the top and sides that are showing through the old lacquer after nearly 80 years. There is a cleanly glued 6” section of center-seam at the bottom of the back.

A remarkably beautiful guitar that plays perfectly and offers up exquisite jazz tone with it’s warm, supportive bass and clear, dry trebles.

With similarly aged Epiphone hardshell case
1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7
  • 1945 Gibson L-7

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