Guitar Wolf

This is a really nice 1953 Gibson L-4. It’s not perfect but its in very nice shape for a 57 year old. I would rate it as in EXC- condition. It looks like it has not been played that much during its lifetime and it even comes with the very cool original brown Gibson hard shell case. The case itself is worth about $350 these days. To start with it is in perfect playing order; the frets are still good, the neck is straight and at the right angle, the top has its full original arch and is not sinking at all, the finish is original and there are no cracks. At some point the center seam on the top was re glued in the area below the bridge and under the tailpiece and a new nut was fitted. I don’t know who did this but it was pro work and was done well. It also has a new tailpiece, a nice heavy nickel plated tailpiece that is a good match for this guitar tonally and aesthetically; it just needs a little age and tarnish now. The guitar plays great and sounds wonderful. It still has the original label inside and the serial number is A-14902 which is from 1953. The tuners are original and in very good condition.

This guitar has a 16-inch lower bout. To put this in perspective the 17 and 18 inch models were the most desirable during the big band days before electric guitars and guitar amplification came into vogue as they could cut through a large crowd and be heard with a jazz orchestra without amplification. However 16 inches is still larger than the 15-5/8 inch Martin D28 dreadnought and the same width as a Gibson J-45. Also, the Loar era L-5s have a 16-inch wide lower bout, the same size as this L-4 and they are worth about $30,000 now. I have some large bodied pre Gibson Epiphone arch tops and they sound great but I prefer the size of the L-4s and the Epiphone Blackstones as they are more comfortable and ergonomic and sound good.

This guitar has a beautiful, rich complex voice and a wonderful tone for jazz leads. It would make a great recording guitar as well as performance instrument. It is well balanced with a very warm and full bass and has enough volume to play with other acoustic instruments such as string basses, Martin and Gibson flat tops, banjos, etc…. One thing that I have noticed about these f-hole guitars is that they actually sound louder about 20 feet away than they do when you are standing 4 or 5 feet away, they really project well. I have made some sound recordings of this guitar and posted them at:

http://home.rr.com/mqf7

I’m not much of a guitar player but they should at least give you an idea of what it sounds like. You may have to click on the play list and scroll down to choose the L-4 files as there are also some mandolin sound files posted now.

This guitar is in very nice condition and has no issues in terms of needing repairs and playability and it sounds wonderful. When I first strung it up and put new strings on it I thought that it didn’t sound that great. Then I took it out of the case a few hours later and it had a beautiful warm sound; it just needed to come to life again. The carved top instruments fall asleep so it should sound better and better with playing as it has probably been played very little in the last few decades. It has some scratches and dings and places where the finish is starting to show its age. There are some scratches on the back of the neck and wear areas at the edge of the back but nothing very bad.  I put a few drops of amber lacquer from a Gibson touch-up pen in the neck scratches and the neck feels smooth when playing and still looks pretty good. Overall, the original finish still looks very nice; you get an idea looking at the headstock. I am always getting instruments that look like they may have served part time duty as battering rams so this is a pleasant change and the binding is original and still looks great; it is still in excellent condition. The case is still in very good condition too, everything works and it still looks good.

I have seen some of these old Gibsons, even years back selling at guitar shows and Guitar Center for more than this one and they all had issues such as repaired top cracks or sinking arches. This one checks out fine and is much nicer as there are no cracks and the top arch is still perfect so it’s a “good” one. The bridge is adjustable so you can set the action however you like to suit your playing style and there is room to lower it for a more electric guitar-like action if you wish. It is currently strung with 012-054 phosphor bronze strings.

I will guarantee that this guitar is as described. I will always take an instrument back if it is not as described and have never left anyone hanging.

For someone that wants to get a classy vintage arch top that is very musical and will add flavor to recordings but doesn’t want to shell out the money for an L-5, let alone a vintage Stromberg or D’Angelico this is a great way to go. Most decent hand made arch tops start at about 5K these days and any old Gibson is a cut or two above any modern factory made guitar and the 60 year old woods don't hurt either. Also you can put a contact pickup such as a Schatten on it without making any alterations to the guitar for playing gigs; I do that with all my acoustic instruments playing through a volume pedal amp/PA as well as using a microphone and cut through while still maintaining a nice acoustic sound.

I am willing to ship this one to European countries to buyers with good ratings and Paypal accounts but do not want to calculate postage every time. You can check postage rates at usps.com for international mail from the United States assuming the maximum size of 108 inches for length and twice the girth, using Priority Mail International  and assuming a weight in the range of 23 - 28 pounds when packed, probably about 25 pounds and it would be a good idea to have some insurance. I am open to setting up a buy-it-now auction, legitimately through ebay so long as the price is above the opening bid and that there are no prior bids at which point it can not be done - but have no plans for doing that now.

Buyer to pay actual shipping cost,  $40 -$55 for most of the US with insurance. I will pack it very carefully. It comes with its original brown hard shell case in very good condition and the case does have the original metal Gibson emblem/name tag below the handle so it is the original Gibson case. Payment by Paypal or conventional methods that we are no longer allowed to mention.