| Author |
Topic: My new best friend... 1921 Gibson L-1 archtop |
Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
|
|
|
 |
Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
|
Posted 5 May 2017 7:53 am |
|
Nice guitar and the playing isn't bad either.  |
|
|
|
Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
|
Posted 5 May 2017 8:27 am
|
|
Yes you played sweet.
_________________
Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
|
|
|
Mike Neer
From:
NJ
|
Posted 5 May 2017 8:38 am
|
|
Congrats on it!
I had a 1924 L-4 that still had the Virzi biscuit in it. It was a Lloyd Loar-era guitar, and it had bass unlike any other archtop I've ever owned. I really miss the guitar, but I don't really play guitar anymore, so I guess i don't miss it that much. 
This was it:
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
|
|
|
Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
|
|
|
|
Mike Neer
From:
NJ
|
Posted 5 May 2017 9:07 am
|
|
| Doug Beaumier wrote: |
| Cool, the Loar era was 1920-24, so my L-1 is from that era too. Mike, I can't believe you don't play guitar anymore! I'm sure you'll come back to it someday. |
I don't think so. I want to get good at this lap steel thing! Anyway, never say never.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
|
|
|
Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
|
Posted 6 May 2017 4:49 am
|
|
Gorgeous. I am so jealous!
_________________
Lee, from South Texas - Down On The Rio Grande
There are only two options as I see it.
Either I'm right, or there is a sinister conspiracy to conceal the fact that I'm right.
Williams Keyless S-10, BMI S-10, Evans FET-500LV, Fender Steel King, 2 Roland Cube 80XL's,
Sarno FreeLoader, Goodrich Passive Volume Pedals, Vintage ACE Pack-A-Seat |
|
|
|
Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
|
Posted 6 May 2017 4:56 am
|
|
I played that model 20 years ago in a Florida music store and still regret not buying it on the spot. Glad you didn't make the same error!
_________________
Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
|
|
|
Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
|
Posted 6 May 2017 6:01 am
|
|
One of the most beautiful guitar bodies, the color, the lower bout and shaping of the back, like a fine violin. Good find.
_________________
Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons |
|
|
|
Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
|
|
|
|
Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
|
Posted 6 May 2017 7:39 am
|
|
But I think in opposition to a violin where the top and back was chisseled from thick pieces of wood, the guitar's curves were achieved by soaking the wood in water, put in a mold and heated up. Correct?
_________________
Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
|
|
|
Jeff Garden
From:
Center Sandwich, New Hampshire, USA
|
Posted 6 May 2017 7:49 am
|
|
Sweet little guitar, Doug. It's great to see vintage instruments that have been well-cared for going to a good home to be played.  |
|
|
|
Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
|
Posted 6 May 2017 8:45 am
|
|
| Joachim Kettner wrote: |
| But I think in opposition to a violin where the top and back was chisseled from thick pieces of wood, the guitar's curves were achieved by soaking the wood in water, put in a mold and heated up. Correct? |
I'm pretty sure that's not correct. Gibson's main claim to fame back in their very early days was the fact that they carved the top and back like a violin. Here's a descriptoin of a 19-teens L-1 on archtop.com, which is pretty authoritative on these old archtops.
https://www.archtop.com/ac_18L3_3.html
They did re-introduce the L-1 as a flat top later. Think Robert Johnson.
I had an 19-teens L-1, oh about 20-25 years ago. It was definitely carved. Traded it for a later archtop with a bigger rhythm sound. I wanted the Freddie Green thing. But they're cool for what you're doing with it. I could probably appreciate one of them more now. |
|
|
|
Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
|
Posted 6 May 2017 8:57 am
|
|
I understood. Thank you Dave.
_________________
Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
|
|
|
Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
|
Posted 6 May 2017 10:37 am
|
|
Dave, I found an error in the info on that archtop web site. They're selling a 1917 L-1 and under the Setup description it says "truss rod tension and neck relief adjusted". Problem is... Gibson introduced truss rods in late 1922, according to George Gruhn's book. There were no truss rods in Gibsons in 1917. My 1921 has no truss rod. So either the guitar on that site is not a 1917 or the info included is a generic description of a Setup that was copied and pasted in.
_________________
My Site / My YouTube Channel
25 Songs C6 Lap Steel / 25 MORE Songs C6 Lap Steel / 16 Songs, C6, A6, B11 / 60 Popular Melodies E9 Pedal Steel |
|
|
|
Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
|
Posted 6 May 2017 11:55 am
|
|
So if that info was wrong they could have also been wrong about the carving. The back might have been molded as I said. The spruce top must have been carved though, because it would have broken if it had been bent.
_________________
Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
|
|
|
Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
|
Posted 6 May 2017 12:22 pm
|
|
Gibson carved the tops and backs of the pre-1925 L-series guitars - that was their hallmark in the early days. There are many references that discuss this, and it becomes clear if you look inside a number of examples with an inspection mirror. Pressed tops look very different inside.
I didn't look at setup section of that ad. My bet is that they copied/pasted a generic setup description. You can see from the photos that there's no truss rod cover. It looks almost exactly like the one I had, and the serial number does correspond to a 1917 date. |
|
|
|
Brooks Montgomery
From:
Idaho, USA
|
Posted 6 May 2017 1:54 pm
|
|
Doug, that's a beautiful Gibson! Lucky man.
_________________
A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first. |
|
|
|
Bud Angelotti
From:
Larryville, NJ, USA
|
Posted 9 May 2017 5:34 pm
|
|
Hey Doug -
_________________
Just 'cause I look stupid, don't mean I'm not. |
|
|
|
Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
|
|
|
|
Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
|
Posted 10 May 2017 4:02 am
|
|
I awoke wondering if the finish is the color of lacquer or patina over the years. Now I see it's both.
_________________
Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons |
|
|
|
Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
|
|
|
|
Barry Blackwood
|
Posted 10 May 2017 8:30 am
|
|
Except for the cutaway, I can see some L-1 inspiration for the design of the old Howard Roberts model Gibson from 1976..
 |
|
|
|
Bill Cunningham
From:
Atlanta, Ga. USA
|
Posted 10 May 2017 11:03 am
|
|
Barry Blackwood said "Except for the cutaway, I can see some L-1 inspiration for the design of the old Howard Roberts model Gibson from 1976"
That 70's Gibson was a second generation copy of the 1964-69 Epiphone, btw.
_________________
Bill Cunningham
Atlanta, GA |
|
|
|
Damir Besic
From:
Nashville,TN.
|
|
|
|
