Pickax Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 I recently picked up a 95 L-00 Blues King. This Guitar has a very deep body as it measures 5" in depth from the top to the back, next to the end jack. It's depth is 4 7/8" on the lower bout and 4 2/8" depth on the upper bout. I compared it to my also recently acquired J-45 RW and it measures less than 5" from the top to the bottom, next to the end jack. and less than 4 7/8" of depth on the lower bout. This little picker has a wide body. I was wondering if the L-00's being made today have a shallower depth compared to this 95? It has a great Bass end for a 00 and I suspect the depth of the body is a factor. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoss Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 ???? I have a vintage and new L00. the depth at the lower bout is @ 4 1/4". You might have a Nick Lucas--(I don't care what it says on the label.) How do you like it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 They made the L00/Blues King with a deep body for a short time. I never could figure out what year or why. Like Hoss says it has the Nick Lucas body depth, but they have the longer scale. I have always wanted to try one. I almost bid a couple on ebay through the years. TM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickax Posted December 9, 2008 Author Share Posted December 9, 2008 How do I like it? I love this little picker! Great tone, volume and playability. I bought it at Mass Street Music - here is what it looks like:http://www.massstreetmusic.com/store/show_item/3017-Gibson-Blues-King-L-00- It's definitely a wide body for a 00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 I had one of the Lucas-ized BKs for a spell. The extra depth did add some bass and general resonance, more so than a vintage L00 (scale a factor in that as well). At the end of the day, the tone was just too penetrating for me and not as dry I wanted to hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoss Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 They made the L00/Blues King with a deep body for a short time. I never could figure out what year or why. Just one reason why I love this guitar company. In this world dominated by technocrats, Gibson has retained a quirky sense of perspective. Now really, what does it sound like? And is it actually long scale? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickax Posted December 9, 2008 Author Share Posted December 9, 2008 Jim Baggett, owner of Mass Street Music, put a steel rule on the fretboard for a measurement and it read 25 3/8" That's in between a short and long scale. Mass Street is not a Gibson dealer. It came in on a trade and they all seemed to like this 00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modac Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 They were making the deep bodied one---with a long scale---and the shallow bodied one, then with a short scale, concurrently, for a while. I'm thinking this was after the retooling in 95. It got confusing, but I think I'm recalling the the details correctly. Pretty sure one of them had the short scale for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 They were making the deep bodied one---with a long scale---and the shallow bodied one' date=' then with a short scale, concurrently, for a while. [/quote'] Right, I think the deep body ones started showing up around 98-99, as Modac said, maybe "phase 2" of the retooling, after they dropped the early J45 and went electro-acoustic. Pretty sure they stuck with the long-scale on both versions (37 Legend excepted) up to 07, when they switched to s/s BKs w/ bubinga backs. Id had an itch for a L00 a few years ago and inquired about several that were advertised as s/s. They werent. Soundwise, I liked the DB one I had best for blues soloing (nice cut and sweet tone for that), slide (ditto, the top end); ok for folkie fingerpicking, less so for rags (not dry enough, too much resoanance), and least for strumming (penetrating trebles, controlled for single line work, burst out in jangly cacaphony!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 ONe thing I definitely don't like about the Blues King.....they charge a LOT of money for that guitar.....and then give you a cheap little gig bag for it. Come on....give a nice hard case for that guitar!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickax Posted December 10, 2008 Author Share Posted December 10, 2008 My deep body L-00 is a 95. I'd be curious to know when they started making these and when they ended production I also wonder why they decided to change the fundamental design. Mine also has an under saddle pickup but I've yet to test it. Not knowing much about Gibson history, retooling, etc. it's interesting that they would produce different versions of this particular Guitar, some with a deep body, some with a long scale (or almost) and some with a short scale. I know with a Martin Guitar, say a D-28, the basic formula pretty much stays the same with Guitars made from the past 20 years. It appears Gibson has made some significant changes to this L-00 in the past 13 or so years. Yes, I agree the L-00 being sold today should come with a HSC. I have a Brown HSC with a Pink lining. It says Gibson Montana on the case logo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eltonwce Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 My 94 Bues King is 4 5/8"at the lower bout measured at the strap pin to 3 3/4" where the neck attaches. When I bought it new in 97' I was under the impression the Blues King and L-00 shared the same body shape but that the Blues King had a deeper body . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 This all took place after the Fab Flattops book, so its up to someone with catalogs to ferret out the details .As for the BK moniker, its was/is also used for the J185ec. Ah consistency thy name is--well, its not Gibson! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickax Posted December 10, 2008 Author Share Posted December 10, 2008 My 94 Bues King is 4 5/8"at the lower bout measured at the strap pin to 3 3/4" where the neck attaches. When I bought it new in 97' I was under the impression the Blues King and L-00 shared the same body shape but that the Blues King had a deeper body . Using your points of measuring references, my 95 is 5" at the strap pin and 4" where the neck attaches. Ah consistency indeed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 ... 25 3/8" That's in between a short and long scale ... I'm responding kinda late, because I had to look up the exact numbers, but I thought this might be of some general interest. According to Dan Erlewine (in the StewMac catalog and on the Web site), Gibson's long scale (as determined by fret spacing -- the only sensible measure of scale length) is and always has been 25.300" (so 25-3/8" to the nearest 8th, but actually a tiny bit less) and has always been called 25-1/2". (Dan's "Common Scale Lengths" reference chart on the Web site says the Gibson long scale is a full 25.500", but I'm pretty sure that's a typo and 25.300" in the fret rule descriptions is correct.) Gibson's short scale. OTOH, is just what you'd expect from Gibson: it has always been called 24-3/4", but it has varied between the 24.562" (24-9/16") of 1954-59 and 1969-date in Kalamazoo and Nashville, the 24.625" (24-5/8") of 1959-69 and 1992-date in Bozeman, and the pre-'54 actual 24.750" (24-3/4"). (Pre-1992 Bozeman short scale doesn't seem to be indicated on the chart. Come to think of it, back in those wild and woolly days, scale length might have varied from one to the next.) BTW, Martin's so-called 25-1/2" -- also commonly referred to as 25.4" -- long scale is actually only 25.340" (so again 25-3/8" to the nearest 8th, but actually a tiny bit more), while their so-called 24.9" short scale is actually ... 24.900". So, anyway, the bottom line is that a guitar with a measured 25-3/8" scale length fully qualifies as long scale, not in-between scale. -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickax Posted December 11, 2008 Author Share Posted December 11, 2008 Bob- That's great information - thanks for weighing in here. The statement I made about 25 3/8" being in between a short and long scale was just a casual comment offered by Jim Baggett, of Mass Street Music. At the time I did not think too far on it as Jim knows quite a bit more about Guitars than I do While the scale length differences are interesting, I find the body depth differences even more interesting with regard to this 95 Blues King and the ones they are making today. It also interests me that Gibson made some significant design changes to this Guitar in the span of 13 years. Although, perhaps that is not seen as unusual by some of the more seasoned Gibsonites on this Forum. From my short time here, I'm getting the feeling that Gibson is known for inconsistencies. I'm really enjoying this L-00 Blues King! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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