tvguit Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I've been on a Nick Lucas Special kick lately. I have been looking for an old one for a long time. Since there were only about 57 originals made, I might just have to keep looking for a while. I wrote a couple of blog posts on some that I have come across. Neither were for sale. Show me your NLSs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Several members of the UMGF have been documenting Nick Lucas Specials. We have documented close to 200 Nick Lucas Specials of all variations. I believe there were close to 400 pre-war examples built, others estimate 300. Here is my brood. From the left: Black A braced with a circa 1950 Gibson neck. It does have a Gibson pickguard which is hard to see. No FON. Standard H braced Nick Lucas from 1928. Replacement bridge, replaced tuners. One of the earlist big bodies, by FON, I have on my list. Mahogany body. Another mahogany large body with changed bridge and many repairs. The best all around guitar I have played. If you are interested, the Nick Lucas 2nd from left is for sale. If you are interested send me a message and I will forward you details. It is not yet listed for sale and will be priced well below the current Nick Lucas for sale. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvguit Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 TM, that is QUITE a brood. I have only recently joined the UMGF but there seems to be some really great stuff over there. I'll have to dig up some threads on the subject. Do you have any ideas why there only 57 on the books but actually around 400 were produced? School me on that, if you don't mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I don't know where the 57 number you mention comes from. Several years ago I began keeping records of Nick Lucas serial numbers and FONs along with other late 20s Gibson flat top FONs. I got them from dealers list and many from ebay. A forum friend started collecting also along with Paul Fox. We put our stuff together, Paul had a data base and I combined my numbers with his. Most of the Nick Lucas I have on my list have pictures also. There are quite a few threads on the UMGF concerning the Nick Lucas and other Gibson flat tops of that era. With Joe Spann's book we are now able to date them by their FON instead of the serial numbers. The most common variant of the small body is the H braced seven pin model. They went to A bracing then X bracing before they switched to the large body, all of which I assume are X braced, both of my large bodies are X braced. The most common variant in the large body is the 12 fret mahogany as I have pictured. Then the few 13 fret floating bridge model in rosewood, like Dylan's guitar. Then fewer 14 fret pin bridge models in rosewood and mahogany, then finishing up with the 14 fret maple guitars. I have documented very few 14 fret in rosewood and mahogany. There were odd models here and there. While it was an expensive guitar when new it cost less than the L5 and L10. I doubt they were hanging in music stores. Like the L5 and L10 they were bought and used by working musicians. The small bodies do not get the respect their sound relates. They are wonderful guitars with a most unique tone. The large body guitars I feel are in a class by themselves. The have the headroom of a J sized guitar with the comfort of a small guitar. The necks are round and very modern feeling. The 13 and 14 fret guitars have the V shaped neck typical of the other small bodies. Gibson has produced several reissues of the Nick Lucas besides the standard maple most often seen. They did a small run of 12 fret mahogany. I haven't seen one for sale for several years. I tried to buy one, but they had sold out. I have played a couple of the maple guitars, but they were not that interesting to my ears. The originals are so lightly built you think they will explode as you tune them. There are many builders using the 12 fret template. There was a thread in the Critics corner on the builders. Some of them look great and people say they sound great. The originals don't show up, they are in "strong" hands. People don't let go of them because there is nothing quite like them. I am selling one of mine because I purchased another small body from a friend. It is quite a story that is still being written as more guitars surface. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvguit Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 I see now what happened. I was looking at the provide site and I see that it said that shipping totals indicate only 57 examples made after '36. I just didn't read it carefully. How do the H braced Nicks compare to the X braced examples? I would lean toward the Xs but I haven't played an H braced late 20s/early 30s Gibson before. I have a '33 L-00 but there is just no comparison to the deep body. The closest I can get currently is this little guy: It has a funky style of X bracing involving only one tone bar. It has 13 frets to the body and a big deep V shaped neck. The bridge is the same style seen on the late 20s/early 30s Epiphone Recording models. It is built VERY lightly and even though the top is Hog, it has great volume and bark when fingerpicked. This is my surrogate "Nick" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 This is my surrogate "Nick" That is a great looking surrogate! I bet it does have a "bark". Very cool! I have seen a couple of other deep body guitars the most common being the Kay Kraft "Nick Lucas clones" pictured here. This guitar has the original Spanish neck with a deep mahogany body. Most have a maple body with a square Hawaiian neck. They had a variety of headstocks and names, Recording King, Oahu. This is a great guitar, but not quite a Nick Lucas Special. I will have to upload the Kay Kraft picture I have never played an X braced small body. The black guitar has the A bracing. In comparison the A braced guitar has a bit more rounded tone. Both are extremely responsive, it takes very little effort to get them going. The H braced Nick Lucas is more rounded than the H braced L1 of the era. I do have a couple of X braced L1 also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-1854Me Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Here's mine; the one is an early Nick from 1928, FON 8989, and the other is a very late one, from 2012, built by Ren Ferguson: I'll let you figure out which one is which! Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I am the proud owner of the world's ugliest Nick Lucas. It's a 1929 model, the first year for the larger body, and sports what appears to be a shoe polish refinish that I know was aged for 7 decades, without a case, in a shed in Tasmania. Here it is in all of its glory: I'm the second owner. The original owner played it in a Hawaiian-themed band in Tasmanis" I highly recommend the finish treatment and Tasmanian aging process: the guitar sounds fantastic. I've tried to be true to the guitar's original Hawiaiin usage and have at times recruited such esteemed plays as Fred Shrimer to don a Hawaiian shirt for a jam session: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvguit Posted January 15, 2013 Author Share Posted January 15, 2013 They look wonderful, gents. This thread has lots of eye candy!! By the way JT, does Gibson still do a "Tasmanian Outback Shoepolish VOS" finish? Or even a "WWII European Trench Foot" finish? Perhaps we should talk to Ren about this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-1854Me Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 They look wonderful, gents. This thread has lots of eye candy!! By the way JT, does Gibson still do a "Tasmanian Outback Shoepolish VOS" finish? Or even a "WWII European Trench Foot" finish? Perhaps we should talk to Ren about this... I seriously love that old Nick! (I almost think I should have traded mine for John's.) Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Chance Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 27-30-36 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 27-30-36 ... a gorgeous trio! Thanks for sharing them with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 By the way JT, does Gibson still do a "Tasmanian Outback Shoepolish VOS" finish? Or even a "WWII European Trench Foot" finish? Perhaps we should talk to Ren about this... :) I seem to gravitate toward these ugly ducklings. I definitely need to take a portrait of the Tasmanian Nick and "Over There" SJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-1854Me Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 :) I seem to gravitate toward these ugly ducklings. I definitely need to take a portrait of the Tasmanian Nick and "Over There" SJ. I think there's a Looney Tunes cartoon in there somewhere..... Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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