Gibson L-50 1936 – DeArmond FHC

The L-50 has a solid hand carved, not to be confused with the later "pressed" tops, Spruce top and a Maple back (flatback) and sides. The Mahogany neck has a very comfortable V-neck profile with a Rosewood fingerboard.

This Gibson came to us in a bad condition. The top had two cracks, the backside had multiple cracks, the pickguard was missing and the frets were worn. Fortunately, the Gibson had never been worked on by "self-proclaimed" Luthiers. Despite the condition of the instrument, the Gibson had an insane appearance! We saw potential in it. It felt like our duty to breathe life back into this beauty!

We brought the instrument in to our regular luthier, Willem Oostendorp. And Willem did a wonderful job! Willem detached the backside to expertly repair the cracks using cleats. After regluing the backside, the cracks were touched up. Next, the Gibson received a refret, a new Ebony bridge (after the original) and a new bone nut was made for the L-50. The result? A structurally strong guitar with insane resonance.

Furthermore, I thought it would be a nice idea to incorporate a Lloyd Loar style L-5 Pickguard on the guitar. Accordingly, the Gibson features a handmade 3-ply Tortoise Pickguard.

The elevated fretboard made it possible to fit the Gibson with a floating pickup. We happened to have a completely original DeArmond FHC lying around. We mounted it on the Gibson and the combination, in terms of looks and sound, is more than successful!

So are you looking for a solid vintage Gibson L-50 from Gibson's better period? Then stop by soon (or have the Gibson shipped for free) and imagine yourself in a smoky French Jazz-Club with this aged player!

The Gibson comes with a modern case.