Gibson 1937 Vintage (not reissue) L-00

[rougvega]

I see quite a few different strings sets I would like to try on my vintage 1937 Gibson L-00, but afraid to. Of course, I use nothing heavier

than light strings (currently 153 lbs D'Dadario 80/20 coated) but would like to try heavier light set strings (160 lbs +), but not sure if an extra

7-10 pounds would be pushing it. Any rules of thumb i may have missed? thx

[jedzep]

Congratulations on owning that fine featherweight guitar. My '35 L00 performs beautifully with both Thomastic-Infeld Spectrum 13's and Dunlop 80/20 Bronze 13's (brighter), which may seem heavy for the build, but I keep them tuned down a whole step DGCFAD, and if I need standard pitch I capo. I find the heavier strings wake the top up to it's peak resonance, but it's vital that you seat the ball end properly against the bridge plate when you string it up. I don't finger pick at all so can't lend advice there, but it's wonderfully percussive when you want and delicately woody if you pick differently. These are the only two sets of strings I keep around for my small old guitar collection, and I keep them all tuned down to give me a wider vocal range, but I know (or hope) they could handle standard pitch as long as I have the strings seated correctly against the plate.

 

There probably isn't a string made that makes this guitar sound crappy, but you'll have to tune your ear to what you like and settle on a gauge.

[BluesKing777]

Need photos!

 

 

37 L-00s are rare in these parts!

 

 

(Elixir PB 12s on mine, on everything really).

 

 

BluesKing777.

[j45nick]

It depends on the condition of the guitar, which is now 80 years old. I would only consider putting heavier strings on after a thorough internal investigation of brace attachment, bridgeplate, etc.

 

I looked at vintage L-OO's for a long time before deciding to buy an L-OO Legend, which is an exact replica of a specific 1937 L-OO, with identical construction. Many of the older L-OO's I looked at had structural issues such as loose or cracked braces that needed attention before they were truly playable.

 

Even the L-OO Legend is a very lightly built, but I use the same DR Sunbeams RCA 12 Lights that I use on my other Gibson flat tops. I don't think I would go any heavier than that, even on the new version of the guitar. Those are round-core strings, so I believe they are slightly lower tension than comparable hex-core strings. The DR lights are also 12-54 rather than more typical 12-53 gauge. I don't know what the actual string tension is for the DR's, so can't really compare them with what you have.

[rougvega]

thanks, I fingerpick no nails so prefer higher tension in the strings. But, i'm going to keep that in mind and might try it tuned down. It really is amazing how feather light this guitar is and the sound... like you said sounds good no matter which string is put on it. I was getting string buzz on the g string and replaced the nut with black tusq and it made a difference i could hear. Before i pulled the nut off, i had assumed it was plastic but appears to be wood. i'll put up some photos later.

[j45nick]

thanks, I fingerpick no nails so prefer higher tension in the strings. But, i'm going to keep that in mind and might try it tuned down. It really is amazing how feather light this guitar is and the sound... like you said sounds good no matter which string is put on it. I was getting string buzz on the g string and replaced the nut with black tusq and it made a difference i could hear. Before i pulled the nut off, i had assumed it was plastic but appears to be wood. i'll put up some photos later.

 

Original nut might be ebony. If so, a harder material might perk things up. The nut on the Legend is black, and I assume it is tusq or something similar.

[rougvega]

i think you're right... probably ebony. i also had some spare african ivory pins from a guitar I sold and fitted those to the l-00 guitar but removed them and put the orignal plastic pins back on... the ivory made the guitar sound too bright and it lost some of its bass. This is the first guitar i could actually hear the difference when using different pins. Here are a couple pics;

[aliasphobias]

i think you're right... probably ebony. i also had some spare african ivory pins from a guitar I sold and fitted those to the l-00 guitar but removed them and put the orignal plastic pins back on... the ivory made the guitar sound too bright and it lost some of its bass. This is the first guitar i could actually hear the difference when using different pins. Here are a couple pics;

 

Great looking guitar! Funny it is how something as small as pins can change the sound. In theory they shouldn't but they do. I hear an obvious difference in pin material, ebony being my favorite in most guitars. Some hear it and some don't. Just like fretboard on tele can you hear the difference?

[rougvega]

What kind of sound do you find ebony pins give?

[zombywoof]

My very first Gibson was an L-00 back in the 1960s. I did not know a Gibson from a can of tuna but it was cheap and I liked the way it looked. I could not tell you what year it was built as those things were virtually impossible to figure out.

 

A 1937 L-00 would have a heavier build than those that came before. But I am not sure how that translates to handling string tension. I own a couple of guitars that are older than the OPs and which do not have any neck reinforcement. I stick with strings round on a round core. I prefer Newtones. I used the Heritage strings, which were not only light but equal tension, on a pre-War 12 string I recently sold. Unless things have change I recent months, it looks like Newtone is having U.S. distribution issues so it is starting to come down to ordering direct. Other than the Newtones you could go with the Mangan Traditional Lights, Pyramid and DR Sunbeams.

 

I also have a had a few guitars that still have an ebony not and pins. I do have a few extra sets of ebony pins laying around. I do routinely swap them out. Bone is pretty much the default nut material so I go with that. For pins, I like the Antique Acoustics Gibson had plastic pins.

[aliasphobias]

What kind of sound do you find ebony pins give?

 

I am terrible at describing tone but to me they take out some of the harsh treble overtones. They leave you with a nice fundamental note. I have tried bone and they sound a little to zingy/bright to me. As Mr. Woof I like the antique acoustic bridge pins as well. We have a long time member here that uses different material for different strings, a pin parade I think he terms it. I have no doubt that he gets the result he's looking for.

[zombywoof]

I am terrible at describing tone but to me they take out some of the harsh treble overtones. They leave you with a nice fundamental note. I have tried bone and they sound a little to zingy/bright to me. As Mr. Woof I like the antique acoustic bridge pins as well. We have a long time member here that uses different material for different strings, a pin parade I think he terms it. I have no doubt that he gets the result he's looking for.

 

 

When it comes to saddles I am pretty picky but not so with pins. I recently swapped out the wood saddle on my 1961 B45-12 for a bone one. But I am thinking of going back to the original next time I change strings (which I will put off as long as possible). I just liked the sound better. The wood saddle cuts down on the sustain and high end harmonics and just gives this guitar a more immediate and fundamental sound. The 12 string though, of course, has an ADJ saddle. When it comes to pin bridge guitars it seems I cannot get rid of the wood or bar fret saddle that many of my guitars came with quick enough. As far as pins, over the decades I have used those made of every material out there. I have never heard any appreciable difference. So for me it comes down to fit and aesthetics

[northcntryblues]

thanks, I fingerpick no nails so prefer higher tension in the strings. But, i'm going to keep that in mind and might try it tuned down. It really is amazing how feather light this guitar is and the sound... like you said sounds good no matter which string is put on it. I was getting string buzz on the g string and replaced the nut with black tusq and it made a difference i could hear. Before i pulled the nut off, i had assumed it was plastic but appears to be wood. i'll put up some photos later.

 

I use Elixir Custom Lights Nanoweb in .011-.052, and never use a pick - just bare fingers. I actually like the strings best when they are well-played in - they are too bright when new so I don't change them very often. Has anyone tried the 80/20 Polywebs? The Elixir website says that they are have a "played in" warm tone out of the box. I want to try them but my local shop doesn't stock them.

 

Also, I keep my guitar tuned down half a step and just capo up if necessary. This string/tuning combo as well as keeping an eye on humidity has worked well - guitar plays the same since I had it set up when I got in 2011.

[zombywoof]

So nobody else used nickel strings? I really love the way they feel although they do not bring out the best in all of the guitars laying round. I use Newtones or, if I forgot to order them, John Pearce.

 

As anybody tried hybrid strings? So far I am a big fan of these. I have used Newtones with are PB but with a nickel wrapped steel G. Makes for a nice transition from the wound to unwound strings. Somebody gave me a set of those Cleartone hybrids which use different metals for each string. I really wanted to like these but in the end my usual aversion to coated strings won out. But in all honesty I did not give them a fair try out as they were on the guitar less than two weeks before it went up to the shop.

 

On fingerpicks, I taught myself to play with my fingers some 55 years ago. Oddly, I use my thumb and primarily my middle finger. I never did get the hang of fingerpicks. Anyway a while back I managed to traumatize my hand. It was swollen up like a catchers mitt and the tops of my fingers felt like they were covered with paper cuts. So I went out and bought one of every kind of fingerpick I could find. The one that worked the best for me at the time was the Alaska over the finger, under the nail pick. After my hand heeled up I decided to give the picks another try. One of the picks I had bought was a Pro Pik Finger-Tone banjo pick. These picks have an exposed fingertip design so it feels lie you are playing with your fingers. They are, as of yet, as close as I have come to finding a fingerpick I can live with.

[jedzep]

Hey ZW. I know the TI's are pricey, but if you go to 'Gimme Some Strings' you can get sets of Spectrum or Plectrum 11's or 12's for 15 bucks a set with a coupon code free ship. If you buy 3 sets you won't need strings for a year and a half.

[zombywoof]

Hey ZW. I know the TI's are pricey, but if you go to 'Gimme Some Strings' you can get sets of Spectrum or Plectrum 11's or 12's for 15 bucks a set with a coupon code free ship. If you buy 3 sets you won't need strings for a year and a half.

 

Thanks for the tip. I really like TI strings but they are so darn pricey. Their violin string prices are downright scary. But I will give the seller a look. I think Newtone does not have a major U.S distributor at the moment making them fairly scarce. I know one guy who talked with them and I gather one of the problems is they do not give much of a discount for buying in bulk. Nobody in the States though carried the full line of their strings so often have to go direct to them anyway.