How’s about this awesome 1959 Gibson L7-C?

Introduced in 1935, the ‘Advanced’ L7 joined the Gibson family along with the ES300, with an increased 17” body and parallelogram inlays, retaining the maple back and sides and carved spruce top of its L5 sibling.

This is a superb example. The factory sunburst finish has a few marks, mainly along the sides but it really is quite something and has certainly not been abused. There are a few dings and scratches in a couple of places though none of this really detracts from the overall look of the instrument however under black light conditions you can see a repair by the neck heel, probably resulting from damage whilst it was being transported in its original Selmer case. This is veery old and rock solid.

The original pickguard had been modified for electronics so we decided to fit a Benedetto pickup to the guitar. It is otherwise in excellent shape.

The chunky C neck has a really nice feel with a bound fretboard and parallelogram mother of pearl inlays. The neck has a smooth finish and there are a few patches of wear though this isn’t extensive. The frets have plenty of life left in them. The headstock shows little signs of the passing of time. The tuners are good quality reproductions.

The rosewood bridge and nickel tailpiece are in good shape.  

The guitar comes with what we think is the original black Selmer hardshell case that like the guitar, is in excellent condition.

The L7’s reputation was built on being able to keep up with a horn section and this one is no exception. It has an authoritative voice acoustically that has a wonderful three dimensional quality that’s so evocative of the period.

The definitive archtop, this L7 would make stunning addition to anyone’s collection…