Gibson

Though introduced in 1932, the Gibson L-50 would go through a variety of design changes up until the early 1950s.  In its earliest incarnation, it would have featured a shorter, smaller body with a flat back and oval soundhole, though in their constant tinkering with the model some examples with F holes and even carved backs exist.  By the start of the next year it uniformly sported a flat back and L body style with a slightly tighter waist.  By 1935, the lower bout was increased to 16”, like their other arch top models of the time, and by year’s end the flat back would be changed to an arched (or sometimes carved) back and “f” holes became de rigueur. Minor specifications changed over the years until this prime example from 1956 came along. 

Tonally, this particular L-50 is very midrange forward with balanced lows and highs.  Perhaps best at home comping jazz chords, it also shines brightly playing leads.  In addition to its overall tonal balance, it is particularly evenly voiced across the fingerboard, with excellent note separation and volume balance such that the typically boomy bass never swallows the trebles.

A remarkably clean and fast playing piece, this instrument is an excellent opportunity for a player who wants to get in to the world of vintage Gibson, without having to worry about the price tag that normally goes along with it.

This L-50 has been especially well taken care of over its nearly 70 years of age, which is no surprise given its former owner was one of our repair technicians! Over his period of ownership, the guitar was kept in excellent working condition and in surprisingly clean condition for its age. As expected, there are some bits of cosmetic wear with the most notable being some minor finish cracks/settling on the back. The pickguard is cracked at the upper screw hole and, while a strap button has been installed, there is evidence of a previous install on the bass side of the heel. The endpin had been drilled out for a pickup jack but an oversized endpin has since been installed in its place. Of course, the guitar has picked up some minor dings and scratches over the last several decades but all of it falls into the category of what we call “honest wear.”

The previous owner recently took steps to improve its performance before opting to list it for sale. He refretted it with medium-jumbo Dunlop fret wire and installed a new bone nut in addition to performing all usual set up work. This is an old guitar that feels young. Overall, it is in a condition that belies its age and as such, we would consider this guitar to be in EXCELLENT condition.

• Arched Top Hollow Body
• Solid Carved Spruce Top
• Parallel Top Bracing
• Laminated Maple Back and Sides
• Sunburst Top / Walnut Back and Side Stain
• Gloss Nitrocellulose Body Finish
• Single-Ply Crème Top and Back Binding
• F-holes
• Mahogany Neck
• Bound Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
• Mother of Pearl Trapezoid Inlays
• “Gibson" Block Peghead Decal
• Deep C Neck Contour
• Single Line Kluson Deluxe Closed Gear Tuners With White Buttons
• Gloss Nitrocellulose Neck Finish
• Floating Adjustable Brazilian Rosewood Bridge
• Nickel Trapeze Tailpiece with Raised Diamond
• 4-Ply Black/White Raised Pickguard
• 1 11/16”