Gibson L-1

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Gibson L-1
Gibson L1 cropped.jpg
A Gibson L-1 during an exhibition in 2012
General
Type Acoustic guitar
Manufacturer Gibson Guitar Corporation ; United States
production 1902-25; 1926-37; 1990-2018
Construction and materials
Scale length 24 ½ inches
Body American mahogany
neck American mahogany
Fingerboard Glued ebony neck , 19  frets
saddle Bone saddle
Mechanics 3 × left, 3 × right; open
Footbridge / bridge Fixed, bone bridge with individual saddles; on mahogany wood

The Gibson L-1 is from the early 20th century, originating acoustic guitar the Gibson Guitar Corporation . The L-1 model was first introduced in 1902 as an "archtop guitar" and re-released in 1926 as a so-called "flat-top guitar". The guitar is considered one of the most important instruments in the blues and blues rock scene and achieved great fame as the main guitar of the American blues musician Robert Johnson .

history

1902–1925: first row

The body of the first series was made from US mahogany wood, while the guitar neck was made from US ebony. The inlays (inlays on certain frets ) of the guitar neck were made point-like and white. At that time the guitar was only available in the Sunburst paintwork . In 1908 the guitar was equipped with a larger body (13 ½ inches), a trapezoidal bone bridge was built in, a dark red / brown pickguard was glued to the body of the guitar and the logo "The Gibson" was applied to the headstock of the neck. From 1912 to 1913 the pickguard was removed before being added again in 1914. In 1918 the guitar was offered in the dark brown and black finish "Sheraton Brown" until the model was discontinued in 1925 and re-released in 1926 as a "flat-top guitar". Gibson only built L-1 models with a spruce top as special models on customer request.

1926–1937: new edition

The new edition of the L-1 was available until mid-1937 and had a new price of 50.00 US dollars (today's value around 931.00 US dollars; as of February 2020). Gibson Guitar Corporation developed a two-piece top made from American spruce and mahogany from Central American Honduras . The back of the guitar body (also called "body back") and the body sides were still made of Honduran mahogany. Depending on the customer's wishes, the back of the body was made from one piece of wood or was made from several parts that were glued together. Decorations between the guitar neck and guitar body (also called "bindings") were made from ivory . In 1930 Gibson decided to make the body more angular. Before, the body had a more egg- shaped design, also called "egg-shaped" or "Robert Johnson style".

1990–2018: Tribute models

In 1990 the luthier brought out an L-1 again as a tribute model to the first series. These guitars were hand built in the Custom Shop in Montana, just like the first line of the guitar model. From 2003 to 2016, Gibson made another L-1 model. This was honored by the American blues musician Robert Johnson and was also known under the model name L-1R . The guitar was made again based on the example of the first model series. The guitar was only given the "Sunburst" paint, although Johnson himself played a single-colored L-1 in "Sheraton Brown". The new price of the instrument was 2,699.00 US dollars in 2016. In 2018 Gibson produced a limited edition (100 pieces) of the L-1 with an F-hole .

Picture gallery

  • (Left) an L-1 (1912) with a pickguard

  • A 1918 L-1 in "Sheraton Brown"

  • L-1 (1928) the second row in "Sunburst"

  • Robert Johnson L-1 from 2011

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 1917 Gibson L-1. In: archtop.com. Accessed February 2, 2020 .
  2. ^ Gibson History. In: chasingguitars.com. Accessed February 2, 2020 .
  3. ↑ 1926 Gibson L-1, Mahogany / Spruce. In: dreamguitars.com. Accessed February 2, 2020 .
  4. ↑ L-1 # 1547 circa 1918. In: vintage-guitar.de. Retrieved February 2, 2020 .
  5. ↑ a b Gibson L-00, L-0, L-1, L-2 Guitar Info. In: guitarhq.com. Accessed February 2, 2020 .
  6. ^ Gibson L-1 Robert Johnson 2003 - 2016. In: reverb.com. Accessed February 2, 2020 .
  7. ^ Gibson Robert Johnson L-1. In: parlor.guitars. Accessed February 2, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Gibson L-1 F-Hole 2018 VS. In: kirstein.de. Retrieved February 2, 2020 .