Serial Number: 87707
Year shipped: 1931
FON: Illegible
Headstock: Horizontal ‘Gibson’ script logo, pearloid truss rod cover (see Notes below)
Neck/fingerboard: 19 fret fingerboard with square end and wide block inlays from the third fret
Body: Maple back and sides. Solid top braces
Hardware: Gold-plated metal parts including regular tailpiece and individual open-back Grover 98G ‘Sta-tite’ tuners with butterbean keys
Notes. Has been refretted and fitted with a reproduction pickguard. This guitar is one serial number earlier than L-5 #87708, which has a pearloid fingerboard and headstock.
John Stewart comments: “The pearloid truss rod cover on this guitar looks original. Not only is it the same material as the truss rod cover on #87708 but it is unusually long with no evidence of ‘extra’ screw holes (see pictures). If it is not original, it replaced one of equal length.
“Besides having consecutive serial numbers, both of these guitars turned up in the Kansas City area at about the same time. I wonder if they had the same original owner?”
Images courtesy of John Stewart
