1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty

ARCHIVED • SOLD

1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty

Introduced in 1948, the Gibson Finger-Rest pickup (AKA the McCarty pickup) was designed specifically for the company’s L-7 but could be installed on any archtop model.

The unit offered an easy no-modification installation and was complete with integrated volume and tone controls and under-mounted Amphenol jack. The pickup sounds similar to a P-90, but with a slight cut in the mids, thanks to its lower profile and pole piece magnets opposed to the P-90’s bar magnet.

We can’t be sure if this McCarty pickup was factory installed or purchased separately, but there is no evidence of another pickguard ever having been installed on this guitar, and the wear patterns in the guitar’s original hardshell case suggests the same. The guitar and pickup are in incredible condition and show little playtime.

The L-7N was, essentially, Gibson’s dressed-down version of their L-5 model and, as such, was a very popular acoustic archtop throughout its production run. Featuring the same carved 17” body, tone bar bracing, and long 25.4” scale as the L-5, the L-7 appealed to both professional and casual musicians alike and sold well.

This example remains in excellent condition and is 100% original. No cracks or repairs, little wear on its original frets, and excellent playability with Thomastic Jazz Swing 12s and a fresh set-up by our shop. The original truss rod cover was inlaid with a pearl diamond eons ago. It’s a nice touch.

Round neck with 1-11/16” nut width and 1st fret depth of .872”. Bound rosewood fretboard with parallelogram inlays, rosewood height adjustable bridge and Pat. Applied For Kluson tuners. Carved (not kerfed) tone bar bracing. Pickup DC value is 5.0k.

This L-7 was shipped to Turner Musical in Toronto on May 4th, 1949.

With original brown and pink Gibson case
1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty
  • 1949 Gibson L-7N McCarty

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