ca 1940 Gibson L00

Here we have a very unusual L00…. this guitar may appeal to collectors for its weirdness and rarity but it is certainly appealing to us for its sensational sound characteristics.

That;s because this Wartime Gibson oddity is actually factory ladder braced with an Adirondack top, mahogany back and maple sides. The top is bound as well as the back and it even has a rare stacked heel on a very comfortable mahogany neck with a slight v shape seen more often on the mid thirties examples.

This guitar does have a fully functional adjustable truss rod and also has the forties style beautifully striped Brazilian rosewood bridge and a 1 3/4″ nut and shows the normal sound hole rosette and nitrocellulose fire stripe pick guard with a mid thirties medium sunburst. Action at a bit shy of 4-3.

We consider this instrument an extremely rare example of Gibsons practice of using what parts were available during the sparse times of World War, totally original and honestly the only factory ladder braced L00 we know in existence.

Condition is crack free with no signs of any previous repairs. This beautiful old Gibson was long asleep with a family in the Mid-West before we found it and performed a neck set and set up and ouch! Does this guitar sing the blues with dare we say a bit more sophisticated bark than its Kalamazoo cousins.

What else can we say? Gibson did some rather strange stuff during the War years and here is a perfect example that we simply fell in love with and are happy to have found to share with you.

Enjoy Danielle and Davids videos.