will97

If you typically attach a capo on the headstock for longer periods of time (even a few hours), the rubber from the capo can chemically react to the nitro and discolor it to this yellow stain. This is a very common issue with nitro finished guitars with capos/stands with rubber material in direct contact with the guitar. it can even burn/melt through the lacquer if left for too long, which happened to the back of my ES guitar when left on a non nitro safe hanger for a week.

I currently have a firestripe custom made from britton guitar works on my SJ that is much different than the firestripe produced by Holter. They wildly differ from each other despite both trying to replicate the original guards. The most accurate firestripe guards I have come across were from a site called firestripepickguards (the site still exists) a decade ago, unfortunately the owner no longer makes guards as the material can no longer be sourced.

Taylor does great work, I have a firestripe from him on my L-00 too! No better firestripe currently on the market as far as I know. One thing I would like to see him do is spray a burst on the guard like the vintage examples. I am currently in the process of getting a celluloid pickguard from him on my SJ. His celluloid material looks much more vintage correct than the firestripe material.

Here is a brief rundown of the two guitars I picked up last year I posted in another thread. The J-45 - I purchased it from the daughter of the previous owner in Niagara-on-the-lake who had previously gotten it at a hardware store in the early 50s. It was played hard into the 80s and set on display in a boating club for years until recently. It has 5-6 back cracks, and some loose braces. needs a neck reset, non-original tuners, and an adjustable bridge from a Japanese import in the 70s. It has one of the thinnest tops I have seen on a flat top and is lighter than my L-00 vintage. It is very raw sounding and has some weird natural reverb going on with it, quite surreal. The SJ - Purchased from someone who took it as commission for a landscaping job he did from the original owner. It is quite the ugly duckling and I am almost afraid to post pictures of its current state due to embarrassment. However, this guitar is crack free and has the beautiful belly down Brazilian SJ bridge and plays better than any modern Gibson I have owned. HOWEVER, it was completely stripped other than the headstock face and refinished in natural in the 70s. 2 Martin style pickguards were added and electronics similar to the J160E were also installed. The plan is to plug the 2 holes left by the electronics and to refinish the guitar back to a 40s sunburst to try to hide the witness lines from the Martin guards. The guitar sounds completely different than the J-45. It is an absolute cannon and is bright and refined, it sounds more like a vintage D-28 to me than a Gibson. I don't get these guitars back until probably the summer and I am excited to share the changes with you all.

Been loving the proceedings, as the 46 SJ and 46' J-45 are both mine. Will update when they are all finished!

Good eye, they are both from 1946 as they have no FON on the neck block. I picked these 2 up last year and sent them off in October for extensive repairs and restoration. The J-45 - I purchased it from the daughter of the previous owner in Niagara-on-the-lake who had previously gotten it at a hardware store in the early 50s. It was played hard into the 80s and set on display in a boating club for years until recently. It has 5-6 back cracks, and some loose braces. needs a neck reset, non-original tuners, and an adjustable bridge from a Japanese import in the 70s. It has one of the thinnest tops I have seen on a flat top and is lighter than my L-00 vintage. It is very raw sounding and has some weird natural reverb going on with it, quite surreal. The SJ - Purchased from someone who took it as commission for a landscaping job he did from the original owner. It is quite the ugly duckling and I am almost afraid to post pictures of its current state due to embarrassment. However, this guitar is crack free and has the beautiful belly down Brazilian SJ bridge and plays better than any modern Gibson I have owned. HOWEVER, it was completely stripped other than the headstock face and refinished in natural in the 70s. 2 Martin style pickguards were added and electronics similar to the J160E were also installed. The plan is to plug the 2 holes left by the electronics and to refinish the guitar back to a 40s sunburst to try to hide the witness lines from the Martin guards. The guitar sounds completely different than the J-45. It is an absolute cannon and is bright and refined, it sounds more like a vintage D-28 to me than a Gibson. I don't get these guitars back until probably the summer and I am excited to share the changes with you all.

Solid choice! They will be a direct drop in from the original Grover romantics. All your guitar tech needs to do is drill for the top hole for each tuner and you are set. Good luck!

I have strung mine up with Martin Retro Monels Custom Lights (11-52s). It seems like the custom lights is the sweet spot for many people who play L-00s. I love them as they bring out the warm and sweet overtones when picked, and last just as long as Elixirs. I use Elixirs from time to time but have often found they are too bright and the coating they use doesn't feel natural on my fingers.

The Holter is better than any Gibson guard I have owned. Consistent all the way through and perfectly beveled. You definitely get what you pay for! The material used for the fire/tiger stripes of the vintage Gibsons are much different to what can be sourced today, I have yet to find a pickguard that can replicate the older patterns accurately. As far as I know, Bozeman has never issued a guitar with a hand rubbed sunburst finish seen on the old 20s-early 30s style flattops. I am sure it is much beyond the scope of their manufacturing processes. They do claim that they hand rub the VOS treatment on their historic collection acoustics (same with these vintage models). Other manufactures have to tried to replicate the hand rubbed varnish such as Eastman and they do a decent job at it to. See their version of the 00:

Sorry for the late update: Here are some photos of my Holter firestripe for my L-00. Holter wasn't too happy with the finish on it as the firestripe material is his thinnest material and doesn't buff out well, and was happy to make me another one with a thicker celluloid, but I think it turned out amazing! You can tell it was carefully crafted and it fits the vibe of the L-00 perfectly. A lot different from the typical modern Gibson firestripes which I think is a nice change.

I've been in your predicament of wanting a change up from the stock grovers on GIbsons many many times. For the most part, the stock Grovers (kidney bean tuners and Gibson/Grover deluxe tulips/butterbeans) keep tune very well inherently due to the self centering mechanical advantage that the big hex-screw bushings provide over the smaller vintage style push-in bushings that rely on accurate fixing screw placement in order to center the tuning post within the bushing. There will inevitably be some 'backlash/slop' in the tuner action if you go the vintage route, which is all part of the vintage experience! Sometimes they can be solid and tune to perfection, but I found that they are not as consistent as modern tuners. If you want butterbean bean tuners without any conversion bushings and the exact footprint of the original stock grovers, you have 2 options: 1) Replace the tuning machines entirely: https://www.gibson.com/en-US/Product/PMMH-060/PMMH-060 are your best option by far. I don't believe there are a lot of options specifically for tuners with white butter beans that are not vintage spec. The gibson branded tuners will fit perfectly in the the original holes without any conversion posts. Keep in mind that when you switch to these style tuners, you have a top screw hole that should be drilled for each tuner as well. 2) Replace the buttons of your grovers (if you just want an aesthetic change) with hipshot replacements. You can easily unscrew the kidney bean buttons on your grovers with the washer from the side and replace them with hipshot buttons. I made the switch on my CJ-165 which has mini-grovers to hipshot tulips and they work great on regular grovers as well. The link to hipshot buttons https://hipshotproducts.com/products/guitar-tuner-buttons, you should be able to find white buttons somewhere if you search hard enough. Here is a picture of the tulip hipshots. If you are ultra picky like me and prefer a more historically accurate and vintage look to your headstocks, you will have to go another route that is a little more involved. Our kind friends previously suggested waverlys/GOLDEN AGE 3 on a plate or 3x3 tuners which are all great options. However, all of them will involve conversion bushings for most of these vintage style tuners as the hole will be a bit too large to fit these tuners. They are very easy to source and usually you will just need a 10.5mm to 10mm bushing. https://www.armstrongmusic.co.uk/hardware-parts-c1/tuning-machines-c28/parts-for-tuning-machines-c30/kluson-push-fit-tuning-machine-adapter-bushings-set-of-6-usa-size-p1977/s2659 Here are some pictures of a recent conversion from the modern Gibson deluxe (same as Grover) to vintage style klusons on a Les Paul. Before and After Note the smaller push-in bushings. This minor aesthetic is the primary reason why I switched from modern to vintage style tuners. I used the 10mm conversion bushing and it was a direct drop in. There will be imprints left from the larger washers that can be easily sanded and polished out. Dave F's L-00 example has some witness lines from the original grovers that could be polished out but he has so many other wonderful instruments I am sure this minor detail does not bother him!

Thanks all! Very interesting fabric side stays on your 2014, Dave. They changed the 2018 model to not include that spec as well as the fabric on the middle of the X-brace. I'll take some interior pictures this weekend. Will have a custom firestripe from Holter pickguards in 2-3 weeks to complete the aesthetic.

It has a ink stamp on the neck block but no fabric side stays.

Yes, the original fire stripe pickguard didn't adhere properly and wasn't kept which is unfortunate. The website states it is a Gibson 1932 L-00 Reissue which has the same specs as the Gibson L-00 Vintage. I've seen them used interchangeably for this specific model. For this 2018 model, it has a custom shop decal on the back of the headstock unlike years prior. Here are the specs: Gibson 1932 L-00 Reissue Body"Type: L-00Top: Thermally Aged Adirondack Red SpruceBack and Sides: MahoganyBinding: Single-ply Top, Traditional RosetteBracing: Gibson 1930's Period-correct X-Braced Top w/Hot Hide GlueNeckSpecies: MahoganyProfile: 1930's "V"Thickness: 1.750" at NutTruss Rod: Single ActionNeck FitJoint: Compound DovetailConstruction: Joint at 14th FretAdhesive: Hide GlueFingerboardSpecies: RosewoodScale Length: 25"Radius: 12"Fret Wire: Period Correct Standard Fret WireInlays: 1/4" Mother of Pearl DotsAdhesive: Wood GlueNutMaterial: Black GraphTechWidth: 1.750HeadstockType: Traditional AJAngle: 17 DegreesLogo: Gibson Silkscreen ScriptTruss Rod Cover: BlackTunersModel: 3-in-line Period Correct Cream ButtonTuning Ratio: 14:1BridgeType: Traditional Rectangle with Extended Slot Bone Saddle Material: RosewoodHardwarePickguard: Traditional L-00 Firestripe Pick GuardStrap Buttons: End PinStrings: Gibson Light Guage .012" - .053"FinishVintage SunburstLacquer: NitrocelluloseProcess: Hand SprayedCaseType: Pre-war Red Line CaseExterior: Black TolexInterior: Purple Fabric

After going down the rabbit hole of smaller body Gibsons, I finally landed myself a L-00! Ive owned multiple LGs and more recently a CJ-165 but never really considered a L-00 because I didn’t think it was very versatile - more of a fingerpickers guitar. I decided I would look at the L-00 when one appeared for a very reasonable price. First impressions the neck was a large V and felt almost like a classical guitar which wasn’t the most pleasant. However, when I played it, I was immediately impressed at the dry, woody tone and how loud of a voice it had especially when strummed! In fact, I would go as far to say I prefer the sound of it strummed than picked. Never had a guitar with such unique overtones and it filled a void for me sonically. The guitar didn’t come with the original fire stripe pickguard, but I am in the process of making one from Taylor at Holter. There isn’t a ton of information about these guitars, especially the 2018 version, albeit I believe they only made the 1932 L-00 vintage series for 4-5 years in limited quantities. Has anyone had experience with these reissues?