Serial Number: 93099

Year shipped: 1936

FON: 1335C

Headstock: Horizontal ‘Gibson’ script logo

Neck/fingerboard: 20 fret fingerboard with pointed end and custom block inlays from the first fret. These may be ‘picture frame’ inlays  – similar to those found on some Pre-War L-7s, L-10s and L-12s – but with a section of ebony replacing the central inlay.) Wide neck heel and 25 ½ inch scale length

Body: 17-inch body with maple back and sides, parallel braced top and large unbound f-holes. Both the body and neck appear to have been refinished at some point

Hardware: Gold-plated metal parts including hinged tailpiece with silver centre insert and three engraved diamonds (see Notes) and Kluson Sealfast tuners with Catalin buttons. Rosewood bridge. Replacement pickguard and pickguard bracket

Notes:

Has been re-fretted.

The guitar has an interesting modification to the tailpiece. This allows the tailpiece to be raised or lowered at the end-block, thus changing the break angle of the strings over the bridge. This modification was reportedly done by Jimmy D’Aquisto but there is no documentation to substantiate this claim. 

The guitar is listed in Gibson’s ledgers as an ‘L-5 Special’ (perhaps a reference to the custom fingerboard inlays?) The entry also says ‘exchange’ and is dated 1937

Dating

There are a number of problems in dating this guitar: It has a 25 ½-inch inch scale length*, parallel top bracing and Kluson Sealfast tuners – all features that we would not expect to find in an L-5 shipped in the mid 1930s. A typical Advanced L-5 of the era would have solid mother of pearl block inlays, a 24 ¾-inch inch scale and X-bracing – see Joe Spann’s comments below.

Gibson expert Joe Spann (author of Spann’s Guide to Gibson 1902-1941) comments: “The FON (with ‘C’ prefix) indicates production during 1937. However, the shipping ledgers show that this guitar was originally shipped on 13 April 1936 to Lenox Gordon at Volkwein Music of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. It was subsequently re-shipped back to Volkwein three times on 8 February, 22 Apr and 18 May 1937. I would suggest that while this instrument was originally built in 1936, by a year later in 1937 it had been so significantly re-built that Gibson production assigned it a whole new 1937 FON.”

*Beginning in 1936, a number of Advanced L-5s were listed as ‘Spl L-5’. The ‘Special’ appellation may have indicated the early use of the 25 ½ inch scale length that became a permanent feature of the L-5 in 1938 

This guitar is one of 152 Advanced L-5s shipped in 1936

Images courtesy of Chuck Nicholson at That Rhythm Man