| Comments | Here is a very nice 1927 Gibson L-4 archtop guitar. Gibson introduced the L-series guitars around 1902 with the L-1, L-2, and L-3 and the L-4 first appeared in 1911 or 1912, and was produced with minor variations (for example, the soundhole ring changed periodically, using plain, diamond and checkerboard patterns) until 1956. This particular example has quite a history. When it lived in England, it was owned by Steve Phillips of Notting Hillbillies (another member was Mark Knopfler). Phillips shaved and refinished the neck to improve playability. Typical of these earlier archtops, and rarely seen now, this 1927 model has an oval soundhole rather than F-holes. In 1935, the L-4 shifted to having F-holes; in 1937 only, the round hole was available as an option, but otherwise F-holes became the standard. |
| Serial Number | 85119, built during 1927 at the Gibson plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan. |
| Pricing | $2850.00 CAD with original case. |
| Neck | Mahogany neck with bound ebony fingerboard. Mother of pearl dot position markers, mother of pearl ‘The Gibson’ script logo inlaid on bound headstock. The maple headplates would have originally been black but were left as natural during the refinish. Also, during the refinish process, the neck was shaved to a more comfortable 1950’s style profile. |
| Frets | Refretted long ago; the frets are in excellent condition. |
| Body | Carved spruce top, carved maple back, maple sides. Top and back bound with single layer creme binding. Oval soundhole. |
| Finish | Partially refinished – the original body finish is gloss nitrocellulose lacquer sunburst, oversprayed decades ago, by Steve Phillips. The neck was refinished following shaving, and unusually for such a refinish, he managed to retain much of the ‘Made in the USA’ stamp on the back of the headstock. |
| Hardware/electronics | Replacement Schatten bridge, with pickup lead going to endpin jack. The original bridge is included in the case. Tuners replaced with ivoroid-button, engraved Waverly replicas, tailpiece is re-plated. Delrin nut. |
| Playability/Action | Plays very well and lots of room to move the action around. |
| Case | Original case included. |
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