Dave F Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 I'm watching this old Gibson on a local auction. I'm guessing it's an L1 between 1902-1907. Any help will be appreciated. I cannot view it in person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 Boy, that's just sooo pretty. I can almost feel it in my arms. What does the auction reserve price look like, if there is one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted October 4, 2018 Author Share Posted October 4, 2018 Boy, that's just sooo pretty. I can almost feel it in my arms. What does the auction reserve price look like, if there is one? No reserve, 4 days to go, currently at $632 + 11% fee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 I agree it is an L-1 but I would guess a bit later probably dating to the 1910s up to around 1917 or so. I have played a bunch of these round soundhole Gibson archtops the last one being a brown L-1 but did not like them enough to buy one. Then again, if the price were right. But as with all auctions they tend to get up there just before the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 I agree it is an L-1 but I would guess a bit later probably dating to the 1910s up to around 1917 or so. I have played a bunch of these round soundhole Gibson archtops the last one being a brown L-1 but did not like them enough to buy one. Then again, if the price were right. But as with all auctions they tend to get up there just before the end. Agree with ZW on this. The two-ring rosette seems to be a bit later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 Curious- I have never seen the "The Gibson" logo on the headstock in such as fine script as that. Usually it looks a little more. . . uh, lumpy. Nice soundhole label, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 Hey ZW, did you not favor the ones you played partly because they were too 'quiet'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 Has the pin bridge been retrofitted? I have never seen an L-1 with a pin bridge. Here is a picture of a 1917 L-1 and the 1926 flat top version L-1. I always thought the pin bridge came with the flat top. Anyone know different? Best, -Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 Right, it does kinda look like a squared-off pyramid bridge. Who knows- it might sound good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 So is Dave actually looking at a flat top? I was wondering why it was called an archtop. Guess I see it in the photo now that I'm staring at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted October 5, 2018 Share Posted October 5, 2018 Has the pin bridge been retrofitted? I have never seen an L-1 with a pin bridge. Here is a picture of a 1917 L-1 and the 1926 flat top version L-1. I always thought the pin bridge came with the flat top. Anyone know different? Best, -Tom The pin bridge is almost certainly a replacement. It isn't even in a recognizable Gibson style. Inspecting the guitar would tell you in an instant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted October 5, 2018 Share Posted October 5, 2018 Nylon strings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted October 5, 2018 Author Share Posted October 5, 2018 Per guitarhq.com, the tailpiece did not show up until 1908 when it went to a 13 fret That's why I dated it earlier. Per hq, 1902 started with the rope pattern rosetta, 2 for the L1 and 3 for the L2. The end looks pretty clean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted October 5, 2018 Share Posted October 5, 2018 Per guitarhq.com, the tailpiece did not show up until 1908 when it went to a 13 fret That's why I dated it earlier. Per hq, 1902 started with the rope pattern rosetta, 2 for the L1 and 3 for the L2. The end looks pretty clean You could be right. Sources differ on these details, as not that many examples are seen today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted October 5, 2018 Share Posted October 5, 2018 Hey ZW, did you not favor the ones you played partly because they were too 'quiet'? I do still own one round soundhole archtop - a 1930s Kay Kraft. It is hard to put my finger on what it was that kept me from laying out my hard earned scratch on a Gibson. Nothing to do with volume as if anything I thought these put out a lot of sound considering their size. I think it was more of a balance thing. I felt they came off as a bit dry and thin, almost brittle sounding on the upper end. They did have some good punch in the mids though. The reason I kept looking at them was I think I liked the idea of an L-1 better than the guitar itself. Thing is most of the ones I was looking at were in the $1800 to $2K range which for me was a major purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted October 5, 2018 Share Posted October 5, 2018 Per guitarhq.com, the tailpiece did not show up until 1908 when it went to a 13 fret That's why I dated it earlier. Per hq, 1902 started with the rope pattern rosetta, 2 for the L1 and 3 for the L2. The end looks pretty clean That appears to be correct. Google shows you are right. Thanks for the education! Best, -Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted October 6, 2018 Author Share Posted October 6, 2018 Bidding going up so I'm abandoning it. Without getting to check it out and no returns and if in excellent shape the value is $2200, it's hitting the max I would go and still has about 3 days to go. https://auctionohio.com/lots/fb491f7a-c31e-11e8-b04a-279c75737030 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted October 6, 2018 Share Posted October 6, 2018 I remembered something that might be relevant. We have an early teens U-10 -- harp guitar. It has a trapeze bridge, but we have a friend who collects harp guitars. He has several including earlier versions with pin bridges. He said the pin bridges were problematic for some reason, and that is why they switched to the trapeze. Of course these are harp guitars, but maybe the issues were the same? Best, -Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted October 6, 2018 Share Posted October 6, 2018 The oval lyre label puts it in the 1903 to 1908 ballpark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted October 9, 2018 Author Share Posted October 9, 2018 Went for $4,525.00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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