Description
Here we have a vintage 1931 Gibson L-5! This acoustic archtop guitar is in very good overall condition.
It is a 16” instrument with a hand carved spruce top, figured maple back, figured maple sides, figured maple neck, ebony fingerboard, ebony bridge, and trapeze tailpiece. It has carved braces, 19 frets, and a horizontal “The Gibson” logo. The factory order number is 9952 and the serial number is 87217.
The tuners have been changed to a Waverly open gear set with pearloid buttons. It appears the tuner holes were widened at some point, but doweled since. There was a strap button removed from the upper bout. There is an old style strap hook mounted to the back of the headstock, as well as an old Matt Umanov decal adhered. The guard is a replacement, done in the correct style with the correct material. The bridge base does not have a serial number on the foot and looks shaved lightly. The bridge saddle appears to be original and has the straight Hawaiian style carve on the underside. The tailpiece is original with the patent stamp.
There is a small hole drilled in the top under the bridge, we presume for a piezo saddle pickup wire. There is a crack repair on the back, on the bass side of the upper bout, with finish touchup. There is a crack repair on the top near the bass side F hole with finish touchup. The back of the neck is oversprayed.
This guitar weighs in right at 5lbs. The neck measures .860 to 1.000 at the 1st and 9th frets. It has an oval neck shape with a faint V at the apex. The guitar sounds wonderful, exactly what you’d hope to hear from this era of production. It has excellent acoustic volume and clarity, with nice warmth, overtones, and good natural reverb from deep within the body. While it shows some wear, and has seen maintenance over the decades, it’s still an excellent example that is closing in on its 100th birthday.
Ships in a 17” Lifton hardshell case.
Carved Top & Bracing
This L-5 features a hand-carved spruce top with solid carved braces. The bridge and base are ebony, while the saddle is reversible with a Hawaiian style underside. The trapeze tailpiece features the July 19, 1910 patent stamp.
Tapered Headstock Shape
The iconic tapered headstock is bound, and also features a flower pot inlay, as well as "The Gibson" logo inlaid horizontally across the face.
Figured Maple Body
The back is a nice mix of blistered and curly maple, which is nicely book-matched, hand carved, and married to figured maple sides. The figuring is quite strong from some angles, while more subdued from others.
Curly Maple Neck
A curly maple two-piece neck with walnut center strip is an unmistakable touch on these early L-5 models. It has a soft V neck profile and the finish has worn through in areas from years of careful playing.
