CJB Posted July 2, 2021 Share Posted July 2, 2021 Hello everyone! I'm looking for info on early 30's L-0 all mahogany 12 fret guitars. A few questions: How many were made? How did the build details differ between each guitar? What's the bracing like? What $$ do they typically go for these days? Thanks! Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted July 2, 2021 Share Posted July 2, 2021 (edited) I always enjoyed the debate over what got called L0 and what was L00, so I looked at the lower sound hole and bridge placement as the notable difference on my '31 L0 and '35 L00. I don't think any mahogany top version was called L00, but spruce tops were called L0. It did cause different tone features, but then one was spruce and one hog, so how can it be compared. Body dimensions and top bracing on these two was identical. I found out later there were many incongruous labeling schemes in calling them 0 or 00. I also recall many of these debates/discussions here producing no conclusive rule of thumb. A clean original L0 from that period rolls up into the 3-5K range, from my casual window shopping. Not sure I'm happy about it, but I sold it to Steve Uhrik from Retrofret. Dave Edited July 2, 2021 by jedzep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJB Posted July 2, 2021 Author Share Posted July 2, 2021 Thanks Dave! It’s quite a learning experience sorting through all the variations of names and designations. That one was a beauty. What do you remember about it totally? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted July 2, 2021 Share Posted July 2, 2021 from http://www.guitarhq.com/gibson6.html The following table (based on E.Whitford's "Fabulous Flat-Top Guitars") shows an "easy" way to tell the difference between pre-war L-0, L-00 and L-1 flat top models (which are all very similar!) First start with the color on the left. Then move right to narrow down the features, which will identify the model and approximate year. Identifying pre-war Gibson L-0, L-00, L-1 guitars. Body Color Features Model Year Black white pickguard unbound back "the Gibson" logo 12 frets clear L-00 1932 Black no pickguard unbound back "the Gibson" logo 14 frets clear L-00 1932 Black white pickguard unbound back "Gibson" logo 14 frets clear L-00 1933-1936 Black L-0 reintroduced 1937 firestripe pickguard bound back 14 frets clear L-0 1937-1942 Black straight bridge saddle heavy top bracing firestripe pickguard bound back 12 frets clear HG-0 1937-1938 Amber Mahogany top 12 frets clear L-0 1930-1931 Amber Mahogany top 14 frets clear L-0 1932 Amber Mahogany top 14 frets clearL-0 discontinued 1933 L-0 1933 Sunburst white bridge pins no pickguard (or elevated PG) "small" sunburst bound back 12 frets clear L-1 1930-1931 Sunburst white bridge pins no pickguard "small" sunburst 14 frets clear L-1 1933-1936 Sunburst white bridge pins pickguard "small" sunburst bound back 14 frets clear L-1 1933-1936 Sunburst black bridge pins pickguard "small" sunburst unbound back 14 frets clear L-00 1933-1935 Sunburst black bridge pins pickguard "medium" sunburst bound or unbound back 14 frets clear L-00 1936 Sunburst black bridge pins pickguard "large" sunburst bound back 14 frets clear L-00 1937-1945 Sunburst straight bridge saddle heavy top bracing unbound back 12 frets clear HG-00 1937-1942 Body Color Features Model Year "small sunburst" has a yellow center about 6" in diameter. "medium sunburst" has a yellow center about 8" to 10" in diameter. "large sunburst" has a brown edge about 2" to 3" thick. "frets" means playable frets clear of the body (either 12 or 14, but 13 frets clear is sometimes seen). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 The early 12-fret, all-mahogany Ls were L-0s. As Dave has posted from the website that lifts without attribution from every known book on the subject, the features of the L-0s vs L-00s changed over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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