Bill Carnes Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 I own a Gibson L7 sn90478. It has a 16" neck with the inlays starting on the 3rd fret. On the head piece it reads "The Gibson". I have not been able to find out much about this guitar. Age, Mfg date etc. I have pictures of the inside identifing it as an L7 with the above sn. Can anyone shed some light on this guitar since everything I have found says L7 was originally made in 1933 but the sn pre dates that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zizala Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Hi Bill, Sounds like you may have an interesting early oddball! Perhaps one of the first of the L-7 models with its own unique features. My '33 L-7 is serial number 90760. Your 90478 would place your guitar in 1932 if one uses the Gruhn Guide as an absolute reference. But some of the serial number start and stop dates listed in that guide are approximate, so your guitar could very well be late '32 or early '33 allowing for some flexibility. Having "The Gibson" as the headstock inlay is unusual as by 1930 most used a simple "Gibson" . But then Gibson was known for variablity, and often would use up old inventory. My '33 L-7 has "Gibson" and a fleur-de-lis on the headstock and inlays that are identical to the kind used on on the Nick Lucas flat tops. Thats a pretty standard characteristic for 1933-34 L-7's. So what type of inlays does your guitar have on the headstock and fretboard? If you are able, please post some photos. If not, if you could email some photos to me, I'd love to see this! Send to: calosoma@hotmail.com Some of my favorite old Gibson archtops are from this period. Thanks, z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volhoo Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 Hi Bill, Sounds like you may have an interesting early oddball! Perhaps one of the first of the L-7 models with its own unique features. My '33 L-7 is serial number 90760. Your 90478 would place your guitar in 1932 if one uses the Gruhn Guide as an absolute reference. But some of the serial number start and stop dates listed in that guide are approximate, so your guitar could very well be late '32 or early '33 allowing for some flexibility. Having "The Gibson" as the headstock inlay is unusual as by 1930 most used a simple "Gibson" . But then Gibson was known for variablity, and often would use up old inventory. My '33 L-7 has "Gibson" and a fleur-de-lis on the headstock and inlays that are identical to the kind used on on the Nick Lucas flat tops. Thats a pretty standard characteristic for 1933-34 L-7's. So what type of inlays does your guitar have on the headstock and fretboard? If you are able, please post some photos. If not, if you could email some photos to me, I'd love to see this! Send to: calosoma@hotmail.com Some of my favorite old Gibson archtops are from this period. Thanks, z Here is my 1933 Gibson L-7 and some info/questions for you. My Dad has had this guitar all my life - and I actually learned how to play on this guitar. He gave me this guitar a few years back and I am finally getting around to fixing it up to bring it back to it's former glory. - - - - - - - As you can see it's a great guitar and all original. The pick guard is celluloid and is just crumbling apart - I am going to need a new (replacement) one and the hardware for it as well. It did have a little metal bracket that attached under it and then attached (screwed) into the bottom edge of the guitar (the screw hole is obviously still there), but that little bracket is missing. Also missing are some inserts around the tuners, but these tuners are pretty corroded and I'm assuming I'll need to replace them? The Tail piece is all there but the wire posts are broken, so I need advice here. The Bridge just floats on there (always has) so I'm assuming it's OK to just keep it as is - will need to determine the best spot for it. The bridge is in 2 pieces, the piece that lays against the guitar top and the actual bridge nut part that fits down over the 2 posts that come up form the first piece. The posts are threaded, but there are no cap nuts for it (or has there ever been - am I missing something here?). OK - that's it, thanks for any help and encouragement. Cheers... - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfox14 Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 I'm a bit confused. Is this the same L-7 from the other thread? If so, it does no say "The Gibson" on the peghead. I would not agree with your dating as an early 1932 or 1933 L-7 based on the serial #. Gruhn's Guide is off on their serial #s from the 20's & 30s. Joe Spann's new book places the serial # in 1934. The L-7 does not appear in any Gibson catalog or on any price list until 1934, so I would defintely date it as a 1934 guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 Here is my 1933 Gibson L-7 and some info/questions for you. My Dad has had this guitar all my life - and I actually learned how to play on this guitar. He gave me this guitar a few years back and I am finally getting around to fixing it up to bring it back to it's former glory. As you can see it's a great guitar and all original. The pick guard is celluloid and is just crumbling apart - I am going to need a new (replacement) one and the hardware for it as well. It did have a little metal bracket that attached under it and then attached (screwed) into the bottom edge of the guitar (the screw hole is obviously still there), but that little bracket is missing. Also missing are some inserts around the tuners, but these tuners are pretty corroded and I'm assuming I'll need to replace them? The Tail piece is all there but the wire posts are broken, so I need advice here. The Bridge just floats on there (always has) so I'm assuming it's OK to just keep it as is - will need to determine the best spot for it. The bridge is in 2 pieces, the piece that lays against the guitar top and the actual bridge nut part that fits down over the 2 posts that come up form the first piece. The posts are threaded, but there are no cap nuts for it (or has there ever been - am I missing something here?). OK - that's it, thanks for any help and encouragement. Cheers... - Congratulations. I recently acquired a somewhat later (1947) L-7, and have gone through some of the things you are now facing. The resident expert here on L-5 and L-7 guitars goes by "L-5 Larry". He has been extremely helpful to me, but he is very busy, and doesn't always have the time to reply immediately. I won't pretend to be that knowledgeable, but I own a number of vintage Gibsons, and can at least point you in the right direction in some cases. The first rule with a guitar like this is "do no harm". Resist the urge to change parts that don't need to be changed. Resist the urge to go overboard. Make no changes such as replacement parts that cannot be undone without damage or evidence of a change having been made. For example, you may use replacement parts now, but you may ultimately find "period-correct" parts that suit the guitar better. A very good source of replacement parts for these instruments is Gregg Rogers Guitars (GRguitars.com). From the photos, your guitar looks structurally sound, but cosmetically average. Many guitars of this age are coated with decades of grime, and can be improved dramatically cosmetically with a thorough cleaning. I use (and swear by) Virtuoso cleaner and Virtuoso polish. Buy this online from the manufacturer, and carefully read and watch the instructional material on the website before going after the guitar. Do not get either the cleaner or polish on the bare wood of the fingerboard. The only thing to use on that is a fretboard oil. I happen to use Planet Waves Hydrate, but there are plenty of others. The tuners look original. The can be cleaned up quite well with a polish such as Flitz metal polish, which is sold in stores such as West Marine. Most other general-purpose metal polishes I have bought from hardware stores are of marginal value by comparison. For detail cleaning work like this, I use old toothbrushes, paper towels, rags, Q-tips, and naptha (available it Home Depot or other big-box stores, as well as hardware stores). It is tedious work, and it should go without saying the the tuners must be removed from the guitar to do this. If you ulitimately decide to replace them, that's a topic for an entirely new discussion, as it involves some complex choices. Replacement tuner ferrules (post bushings) can be problematic. GR guitars carries several different styles, but you need to do some research here. The ferrule inside diameter needs to match the tuner post diameter, and the ferrule outside diameter needs to be the same as the hole diameter in the headstock. These ferrules have varied a lot over the years, and it would be good if one of the owners of a similar-vintage L-7 with the same tuners as these would chime in. You really need a digital micrometer to make the measurements accurately. The aren't expensive (about $30 for a decent cheap one), and they will prove valuable for a number of reasons over time. My L-7 had very thin-walled ferrules, so that the holes in the headstock were smaller than those required for modern tuner bushings of the correct post diameter. At the worst case, you may need to ream the holes in the headstock for new ferrules, which I would not recommend doing yourself unless you are very comfortable with detailed woodworking. GR guitars sells a replacement finger rest (pickguard) for the L-5 non-cutaway. The guard is the same general shape and size as your old one, and is a reasonable replacement, even though its binding is slightly fancier than your orginal (since it's for an L-5 rather than the plainer L-7), and it is very slightly larger. They also sell a replacement mounting bracket (two styles). My guitar still had an original cast bracket that is similar to, but not identical to, the ES 335 bracket that GR guitars sells. I have just measured the two brackets (my original, and the ES 335 bracket that GR sells), and the GR ES 335 bracket is a workable substitute that few will recognize as different from the original. Once again, someone with an L-7 from the period of yours needs to chime in, as it is possible that in your era, a different pick guard mounting bracket was used, and the other design from GR may be more suitable. Be sure to keep the finger rest spacer block at the neck end of the top. You will need to drill through the new guard to attach it here, and you will need to glue the plastic mounting block that comes with the new mounting bracket to the underside of the guard. This is picky work, but not overly complex, and the results will be worth it. Your fretboard looks to be generally good, although it is hard to judge the amount of fret wear and board wear. I suspect that it just needs a good cleanup, as the detail pictures seem to show modest fret wear. I use Planet Waves Hydrate (an oil) and bronze wool (available from West Marine). I do not recommend steel wool because of the minute particles left behind, which can rust over time. I also use Q-tip cotton swabs around the frets to remove grunge, and a variety of small scraping and sanding tools. Single-edge razor blades are very good for grunge-scraping in tight quarters. Others will need to weigh in on the details of your bridge and saddle. There should not be nuts on the stud posts, but there should be knurled adjustment wheels on the studs between the saddle (the top) and the bridge base. These allow you to raise and lower the saddle to achieve the proper string height. Once again, GR may have these. The fact that they are missing makes me a bit unesay, as they may have been removed to lower the saddle height. This sometimes happens if the neck needs a re-set. Before panicking, it may just be that the wheels got lost. The neck's truss rod may also need adjusting, which I do not recommend you do yourself if you have not done it before and do not fully appreciate the risks involved. Oh, yeah: the tailpiece. Yours is defferent from mine, and looks more typical of those on guitars such as the L-48 or L-50. It probably isn't practical to repair the broken wire. The GR TP412C may be a suitable replacement, or if you are really lucky, it might be possible to remove the wire from a new tailpiece and fit it into the old one. That would require an extraordinary amount of luck. Once again, others with more experience with L-7's of this vintage should chime in. Update: after looking at other L-7's from the 1930's, your tailpiece looks correct. As I say, I'm new to this particular guitar, but the things I've learned on other vintage Gibsons--often learning the hard way--may be of help to you. -J-45 Nick (and sometimes L-7 Nick, ES 335 Nick, etc.) and here's my 1947 L-7: update: I went on the archtop.com website, and they offer some alternative parts compared to those on GRguitars.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zizala Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 pfox...... This is a revived older thread that predates the new information that Joe Spann's book provided. Gruhn's Guide and serial number lists were widely used until recently. So yes.....many previously assumed 1932-33 L-7's subsequently proved to be 1934s.....I know mine did. z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottk1950 Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 First timer poster here. I saw this thread and had to register. Love those 16" Gibson archtops! My L-7's tailpiece broke a couple of years ago and I have had no luck finding the proper replacement. I replaced the broken string retainer with the modern raised diamond version until I can get an original. The picture was taken before the tailpiece broke. Best of luck getting it up and playing again. It's well worth it. Remember, you are now the care taker of that wonderful guitar. Here is a pic with my trio of 16" Gibson archtops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 First timer poster here. I saw this thread and had to register. Love those 16" Gibson archtops! My L-7's tailpiece broke a couple of years ago and I have had no luck finding the proper replacement. I replaced the broken string retainer with the modern raised diamond version until I can get an original. The picture was taken before the tailpiece broke. Best of luck getting it up and playing again. It's well worth it. Remember, you are now the care taker of that wonderful guitar. Here is a pic with my trio of 16" Gibson archtops. Scott, Your pictures didn't post. Go to the "Forum Feedback" sub-forum here. The first entry is on how to post photos using photobucket, which is what many of us use. Quick and free to set up an account. Welcome aboard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Scott, Your pictures didn't post. Go to the "Forum Feedback" sub-forum here. The first entry is on how to post photos using photobucket, which is what many of us use. Quick and free to set up an account. Welcome aboard! Maybe he edited his post (?), but his picture shows up fine for me. Scott, volhoo posted his own thread about his L7, which has had more activity. Go here: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/78787-1933-gibson-l-7/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Maybe he edited his post (?), but his picture shows up fine for me. Scott, volhoo posted his own thread about his L7, which has had more activity. Go here: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/78787-1933-gibson-l-7/ Picture shows up now. We've got too many L-7 threads going here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goaty76 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Hey ScottK, How do the other two 16 inch guitars compare to the L-5? Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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