Gibson built just three hundred and fifty of their famous L-50 archtop in 1956 and we have no hesitation whatsoever in suggesting that this is the very finest currently available for sale, anywhere in the world. For an instrument built almost 60 years ago, this is as ridiculously close to museum quality as you’re ever going to see.
Gibson’s alltime most popular archtop
With its hand-carved Spruce top, Maple back and sides, (arched back), solid Mahogany neck and Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard and bridge, the L-50 was in production from 1932 to 1971 and was Gibson’s alltime most popular archtop model. (Though the L-50 remained largely unchanged during its four decade production run, an earlier L-50, from a Gibson catalogue, circa 1952, is shown in pic # 5, with slightly different cosmetic touches, chiefly trapezoid fingerboard inlays, plus bound board & pickguard.
Eric Clapton
True to the music of the time, Gibson considered the L-50 jazz boxes, but generation after generation of intuitive players has hailed them as one of the great blues guitars, with fantastic punch and clarity and none of the bottom end boominess that many archtops are cursed with. Eric Clapton included his beloved L-50 in the first Crossroads guitar auction, (it sold for $20,000). Clapton had bought the guitar, stating a desire to sound like New Orleans bluesman Snooks Eaglin. Ian, who records the majority of our soundfiles, picked this beauty up and pronounced it, “instant Robert Johnson!” Click the LISTEN button and prepare to be blown away.
The sound
As you can tell from the soundfile, the sound is just as stunning as the cosmetic condition; a sparkling top end, warm mids, and, as mentioned above, the bottom end – as well-defined as the mids and highs – imparts no sign of archtop ‘woofiness’ whatsoever.
Just pick it up and play
The action is perfect, (currently set medium-low), with room for adjustment either way at the bridge, the neck profile is very slightly rounder than the modern C-profile, and in combination with the same 24¾” scale as a Les Paul or other contemporary Gibson model, there’s no need to adapt to a different fingerboard length – just pick it up and play. And play and play and play… you’ll never want to put this awesome machine down!
Spectacular condition
With beautifully aged binding and some lovely, very fine checking in the nitrocellulose finish – which shows when you catch the light just right – the guitar is in spectacular, barely played condition* and even comes with its original alligator pattern case, (see pic # 8).
Free courier delivery
Call us crazy pricing such a fine instrument so low, but the US dealer we bought the guitar from looked after us on the price and we pass that consideration straight on to you. And as with all Just Guitars instruments, FREE COURIER DELIVERY is included to any Australian address. ($100 airfreight to New Zealand, $175 to the US, Canada, UK and mainstream European countries)
*The guitar is so incredibly shiny that there are numerous, unavoidable reflections in the photos
Just Guitars
