1916 Gibson L-1 One of a Kind -CL

[Dave F]

Check it out

 

http://cincinnati.cr...5412055698.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

[j45nick]

Rarity and value are not necessarily the same thing. It has little in common with an L-1 of the period, so its collector value is probably not that high.

 

I would say rare and unusual, but not particularly valuable.

[RichG]

There's a joke in the collector car community (and probably many other collectible communities).

 

"it's like a two inch ******. Rare, but not desirable"

 

Rich

[slimt]

Not for me..

[62burst]

The listing might be of more interest than the guitar itself. The inclusion of the full letter from Joe Spann "My name is Joe Spann and I work for George Gruhn here at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville" is a testament to the legwork done at Gruhn's, and is also enough of a hook for a song. The letter's intro line is reminiscent of the intro to the hauntingly beautiful

by Mark Knopfler. Timing of the ad works for a bit, too. However, the "In my role as a Gibson scholar" smacks more of "As Mayor of the Munchkin City". 'Suppose it is a necessary addition to a formal appraisal, though.

 

Yes, considering the gutted genealogy of it's originality, it does seem to be quite optimistically priced. The L's of the 1920's in original condition would be happy to fetch that sum. Unfortunately, they're not exactly the most versatile instrument. Putting a value on something like this is always tough. It's situation is similar to a mystery guitar discussed here on the forum that VW1300 had found in a shop in Texas: Refinished old Gibson.

[Jayyj]

It's an interesting guitar. I'm particularly intrigued that they replaced the neck but retained the 13 fret neck join - surely a lot more work than fitting a standard 14 fret neck and moving the bridge.

 

Is very hard to put a value on something like this. For that money you could have a budget model Gibson archtop from the era in good original condition, or if a mini archtop is your thing you could pick up a perfect condition L-3 or even a couple of early L-1s for the same money. On the other hand, it's Gibson factory work and if you're a collector who fancies a mini guitar to hang next to your 20s L-5 where are you going to find another one? It only takes one person to love it.

 

Didn't they make one of these from scratch in the late 20s? I'm sure there's a photo of one in one of George Gruhn's books.