1936 Gibson L-50 - Sunburst

By Gibson
£2,295.00

This product is unavailable
Ask a Question
Want to Part Exchange?
Superb Pre-War Gibson L-50 from 1936 in excellent condition with it’s original ‘Redline’ 514 Faultless Case. The L-50 was introduced in late 1932 and went through a variety of body styles, some with round holes and some with ‘f’ holes before settling on the 16” wide traditional archtop design is 1935. The L-50 was Gibson’s most popular archtop model at the time and was a true workhorse instrument being offered for $50 with an additional $12.50 with the upgraded Flannel lined 514 Faultless case in the 1937 Gibson Catalog.
Featuring a popular Grand Auditorium body size of 16” with a 24 3/4” scale length its compact proportions helped the L-50 remain in the catalog until 1971. This fine example FON dated to 1936 has a tight grained, carved, solid spruce top that is free from any cracks or repairs as are the maple back and rims, the mahogany neck has the quintessential mid 30’s Gibson neck profile measuring 1 inch deep at the first fret with a 1 11/16th inch nut width, the rosewood fingerboard is free from grooves or wear and the original frets still have plenty of life left and are easy to play. The individual Grover tuners are in great condition as is the raised diamond tailpiece and single ply un-bound pickguard. The finish is  excellent with very few marks for an instrument of this age, the tobacco sunburst subtly accentuates the tight grained spruce top and the transparent finish to the back and rims allows the maple grain to show through.
The guitar is set with medium strings with a good action and adjustment on the ebony bridge and saddle. Responsive, percussive and surprisingly warm, this L-50 has the typical 16” Gibson voice with more volume than earlier smaller bodied L-50s or the latter pressed backed examples. The guitar comes with its original flannel lined Faultless No. 514 ‘Redline’ case and represents a fantastic time capsule piece of the Pre-War Gibson instrument craft.