Serial Number: 87506
Year shipped: 1931
FON: 9965
Headstock: Horizontal ‘The Gibson’ logo. Truss rod cover engraved with the initials ‘R R’
Neck/fingerboard: 19 fret fingerboard with square end and wide block inlays from the first fret (see Notes below)
Body: Maple back and sides. Solid top braces
Hardware: Gold-plated metal parts including regular tailpiece and individual Waverly three-on-a-strip tuners with engraved base plate and pearl buttons, mounted so that the cog is positioned below the worm gear. Long bound pickguard
Notes: Some repaired back cracks, with the varnish finish expertly touched up by Frank Ford. Tony Marcus comments: “It was pointed out that #87990 on your site has a similar fingerboard with a block at the first fret. I have no idea if both of them were re-boarded at the factory or if they were built that way for some reason. If the board HAD been replaced, it’s also possible that it started out with a short pickguard”
Since the above photos were taken, L-5 serial number 87506 has been fitted with a new 20 fret fingerboard with a pointed end and dot inlays from the third fret. The new fingerboard was made and installed by a CA repair person Dimitri Tenev.
Owner Tony Marcus comments: “Although it had a block inlaid fingerboard, this was a replacement, so I went with dots to bring it back to what MIGHT have been originally. Of course, there’s no way of knowing for certain!”
Images courtesy of Tony Marcus