kapepper Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Gi guys i have officially joined the gibson club :) Picked up a 1956 L48. Fairly original except for the tailpiece, installed pick up and newer klusons. Came also in what i suppose is the original case, but again not sure of that. it is atleast stamped as gibson sounds beautifull and neck is supersweet has aged very nicely with only minor wear and tear also would it be worth the money to look for some period correct klusons and tailpiece? Thanks!! ps. i finally found a th SN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 . Welcome. Looks like a nice one. Congrats. May you have many more Gibson guitars. B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brundaddy Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 What a sweet guitar! If you ask me, if the hardware performs well then there's no need to change anything. But hey if it keeps you up at night then see what hardware you can get your hands on to restore it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Very nice! I had an L48 that was, if I remember correctly, a 1948 model. It had an all mahogany body with a solid arched top, but flat back & bracing like an acoustic! The specs on this model changed frequently over the years, some having spruce tops, laminated woods, etc. No harm at all in spending a little money to make it more period correct. That tailpiece doesn't look quite right & would be a simple replacement. The peghead holes may have been drilled out to accommodate the new tuners, which would be problematic. The original three-on-a-plate Klusons used a thin press fit sleeve to surround the post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamBooka Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 just looking at the tuners... are they sealed Schaller types with a nut instead of a gromet? If so a set of original Klusons might not fit well. For cosmetic stuff I REALLY have to hate the non-original hardware to replace it unless it is something like "I can get an original replacement for 50$ but the value of the guitar will go up 100$" That is rarely the case for me tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapepper Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share Posted July 10, 2011 thanks for the warm welcome and advice i think i will leave everything like it is I have looked a bit at the tailpiece and looks like it is on it for ages (based on the small parts of corrosion that are present) and the tuners, they are wroking very well... so I wont change the winning team any advice on strings? it is now fitted with 1Os... but I am mostly playing with atleast 11s or 12s... would it be harmfull for the guitar this age to put heavier strings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootbun Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I have a 1949 L-48 and I love it, solid spruce top and it has what has become my benchmark for the best neck carve of any guitar I own. Also light as a feather. Regarding strings, no need to baby it! Remember these things were built in the post-WWII era, just think of the kind of strings that were available and what the players of the day used. Heavy that is, for jazz. These acoustic archtops were designed to cut through a horn section without amps. That being said I string mine with a medium bronze D'Addario acoustic set and they work fine - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.