Gibson L7

The Gibson L-7 was the most popular 17’ guitar produced by the company and was partly designed to meet the increasing volume demands of players in the Big Band era of the 1930’s. Gibson also increased the body size of their professional guitars in 1934 from 16” to 17” in the lower bout. Of equal significance is the fact that these guitars also featured the X-braced support system for the first time in an archtop guitar, offering much improved sustain and bass response.

The L-7 featured the same size, scale length and materials as it’s cousin the L-5 and the Gibson factory used banjo inlays from the 1920’s to create the distinctive and ornate ‘picture-inlay’ fingerboard motifs.

1935 was the first year of manufacture of the 17” ‘Advanced Model’ L-7 and the guitar has a 20’s style trapeze tailpiece, small f-holes and a comfortable ‘C’ profile neck, making it a delight to play everything from intricate chord melodies through to Django style single note runs. The action is medium to low and the fingerboard is very easy to negotiate in all registers.

This guitar is astonishingly resonant to play and has a very warm deep and woody tone with plenty of volume available depending on your individual playing style. It excels when delivering these driving jazz rhythms whose big-chorded pulse soars over the big band to reach the audience.
The guitar just oozes quality in both tone, craftsmanship and playability and it would bring much pleasure to guitarists of all playing styles. The wood has aged beautifully to produce some of the best and most organic guitar tones we’ve yet heard from a Gibson of this era.

This is clearly a real instrument that has been played over the years and has some finish wear on the back of the fingerboard along with some marking on the top appropriate for an instrument of this age.

It’s not often we’d term a guitar as ‘outstanding’ but this wonderful guitar is just that. It’s a genuine piece of guitar history and you can just feel and hear the 78 years of music that this instrument has been a part of the second you pick it up.  It is an exceptional sounding and very easy to play guitar.   – See more at: https://www.justgreatguitars.com/product/Acoustic/Archtop/Gibson-L7-1935.aspx#sthash.2t3zbsym.dpuf