cwroyds

Thanks for the compliment. I appreciate it. I think the years of dust and grime protected the finish for the most part. The truth is that I think the quality of those first image hides its flaws. There is extensive but fine finish checking, and certainly play wear, like the occasional pick scratch. You can see in the closeup I post below what I am talking about. But that's OK. It is has been around a long time, and is deserving of some age marks. It does have a stunning color and sunburst finish. I am a sucker for that simple arch top design. No BS or bling, just mojo. I love the shape of the back too. I happen to love some good play wear on a vintage instrument. Shows it was loved and played. You should see my mandolin. 🙂

Hey Jim, Thank you so much for the input. I appreciate it I see you live in the Bay Area. This guitar lives in San Rafael. 🙂 Yeah, it was getting very frustrating trying to figure out. I have always thought it was a late 40s L-48, but Im not sure what I was basing that on. I figured it wasn't an L-50 because of the unbound fretboard, but then I started seeing L-50s with an unbound fretboard. I just started looking into it because I posted pictures of it elsewhere and it was suggested that it was 1930s, based on the logo, which I believe started mid 30s. If it was 1930s, it couldn't be an L-48. The FON is very very hard to read, so I could have the numbers totally off. The red 32 is the only clear number. The end of the fretboard is flush with the top, if that helps any. It is surprising how hard it is to figure out the age of Gibson instruments sometime. I do think it is a pretty thing. I love the shape and simplicity of it. It was a bit neglected when I got it, but I had fun cleaning it up. I was surprised at how good the condition really was under the grime. Here are a couple of extra shots for reference. The first shot is what it looked like when I got it. 🙂 Thanks again for your input. It is greatly appreciated.

I found a very faint FON number inside. It seems to be either 5544 32 or 5644 32. The 32 is in red. Im starting to thing it is a 1935 L-50... Before that date, they had a round sound hole. After that date the tailpiece has a raised diamond, which mine doesn’t have.

Hi All, I have what I thought was a 1940s Gibson L-48, but have had others question that based on the logo on the headstock. They suggested it might be an older L-50 from the late 1930s I thought the L-50 always had a bound fretboard, which is why I figured it was L-48. I have since found 1930s L-50s without fretboard binding, and the same logo that mine has. The logo is white in older script. Arched top and back, and Ebony nut No label or numbers anywhere, even inside up at the neck block. It has been hard to find good source of accurate info, so I am trying here. Any info is appreciated.