Date an old L4?

[Sunshy]

I have an old L4 I'm trying to date. Inside the F holes I see:

 

L-4

2609 5

 

I know serial numbers are kind of unreliable, but any help would be appreciated. It's not in the best condition, but would like to get an idea of how much it's worth. Here are pics of it:

 

http://img571.imageshack.us/slideshow/webplayer.php?id=p1030831w.jpg

[j45nick]

It's probably a 1949. The characteristics actually look more like an L-48 than an L-4 to me, but if it is stamped L-4, it's an L-4. Acoustic archtops like this one are not very popular right now, and rarely fetch much. If I were insuring it, I would insure it for about $1000, but at ebay auction, if it sells, the price is more likely to be around $500-$750.

 

The bridge looks like it is set up wrong to me, and I would venture to guess that the intonation is off. If you have someone local who is good at set-ups, you might consider investing the $75 or so if you want to play it.

[Sunshy]

Thank you for the response. While the serial # is very clear, the L-4 is very faint. I'll look again to see if it's an L-48. What are the differences? Yes, the intonation is off a bit, but since the bridge isn't attaches, probably an easy fix :)

[j45nick]

Here's a good resource for these kinds of things:

 

My link

[dchristo]

first off, welcome to the forum

 

with a little bit of setup, those guitars like yours can sound good a be really fun to play

[Sunshy]

Thank you! I love this guitar, but you know how it is...sometimes you collect too many (I live in a small space) and the little woman is having me make some space! :) I hope to get it to someone that play and appreciate her.

 

first off, welcome to the forum

 

with a little bit of setup, those guitars like yours can sound good a be really fun to play

[Moosemeat]

These old Loar style archtops are great value. Materials available then were of a higher quality than what would go into a thousand dollar Jazz guitar now. These were designed to have a rhythm impact without a lot of amplification so play it harder than you would a regular flat top. You could drop a small mic into the lower f-hole if you want and amp it up a little. If you keep feedback under control I find old archtops make a favorable impression when you bring one out in a performance. They have an interesting thump. Yeah it's an L-48 but you can play it and not sweat it. Fun?

 

My two cents ..

[tpbiii]

This is an L-4 (1937) -- I think they all (both round hole and f-hole) had these markings.

 

 

Best,

 

-Tom