1933 Gibson L-00 Small Sunburst

We found this beautiful and completely original early 14 fret L-00 before anyone had ever messed with it. Our experience shows that after professional restoration and setup, these are the guitars that give the best results when it comes to sound and cosmetics.

This one didn’t need much work at all. David Hatchard has restored many different 1930’s Gibson guitars for us, and his work on this L-00 is truly some of his finest and cleanest. He performed a neck reset and glued one short crack on the back and a couple on the top. They are cleanly aligned and correctly repaired. The end of one loose brace needed to be reglued as well. You can be sure we addressed all structural issues.

The finish is worn from honest play and is completely original with the very small sunburst you see in 1933. The neck is a comfortable soft V carve. The original bridge still shows the factory lacquer. The original Waverly strip tuners with black buttons and ebony nut complete the package. It’s rare to find such an untouched guitar that has survived so long without modification.

Included are two photos of the interior that show the light build typical of Gibson’s work in 1933. Note the solid steam bent mahogany lining holding the back & sides together, instead of kerfed lining and the original small maple bridge plate with crystallized hide glue from Gibson’s Kalamazoo factory still visible around it. The thin X braces contribute to the open and powerful sound of this guitar.

Action is a proper 3/32″ on the E string and 2/32″ on the e string making playing up the neck effortless. The saddle height is correct with proper string break across the new bone saddle and the original frets amazingly required only minor dressing. The sound is amazing.

Truly an exceptional guitar from the absolute best period for the L-00, in original condition and wonderfully set up ready to play.

Enjoy the demo videos by Richard Bastar.