1933 Gibson L-7

[TM]

Thanks!

[brett777]

hi brett here i wanted to let you know i own a like brand new 1934 gibson l-7 and org case if anyone would like pics of what they looked like mine has flamed maple back and sides. i believe gibson was going to build a l-5 and switched it to l-7 who knows. have a great day.

[retrorod]

Quote

 

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.)

XXXXX NOTE XXXXX

 

(I cut and paste the above reply from earlier in the topic)

Thanks Nick for a very informative and detailed answer. Great information! Thanks for the Greg Rogers site link. Absolutely the most guitar-related parts on one site ever ! Pretty good pricing also.

I have not tried the Virtuoso products yet. I have used the Preservation Polish that Stew Mac sells with great results. It is a one part cleaner/ polish. Do you know if it is similar to the Virtuoso ?

One thing of note......I watched the video on the application of Virtuoso products. The example guitar used is a satin-finish Martin. I though it a bid odd, as the directions say that it is not to be used on satin or matte finishes..!? I think that a grungy nitro-gloss finish would have provided a better example of its results....eh?

[Elmer]

What a nice job. Fabulous guitar that is!

GRATZ!!

[volhoo]

Hi everyone, long time....

 

I have a set of vintage tuners that I am looking to sell.

 

They are 50’s – 60’s era set of 4 Grover Imperial Machine Head Tuners.

 

These are truly Vintage, and not new copies.

 

If you notice the Grover stamp on the back of these is stamped on a flat surface and not inside a surrounding shape like the new ones.

 

These are off a 1952 Martin 0-17T tenor guitar recently given to me by my uncle.

 

They are obviously not original equipment, so I have had them replaced.

 

Question for you guru's - how much should I be asking for these - and where do you think I should try to sell them?

 

Cheers - btw, the L7 is sweet/

 

 

 

 

Thanks much for any guidance...

 

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[jun3machina]

great thread!!

[volhoo]

I am considering selling the 1934 Gibson L-7.

 

Serious offers will be considered.

 

Cheers...

 

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