Saved from the Dump! 1950 Gibson J-45 and 1907 Gibson L-1 in Colebrook, New Hampshire

Saved from the Dump! 1950 Gibson J-45 and 1907 Gibson L-1 in Colebrook, New Hampshire

A few weeks ago I was contacted on Reverb.com of all places by a woman looking to sell a vintage Gibson guitar near me. She said she had some old acoustic Gibsons in need of some heavy restoration, but she had heard they were still valuable. She was correct! I was happy to make her an offer, and make the 7 hour round trip drive to pick them up. I am always looking to buy Gibson guitars made in the 1930’s, 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s. If you have one you are looking to sell, or are just looking to find its value please contact me.

I was amazed when the seller told me the story behind her guitars. Her husband played guitar, so she knew that Gibson guitars can be valuable. One day she was talking to a friend of hers, who mentioned she had some old guitars she was about to throw away! Knowing that Gibson guitars should probably not be thrown away, she took them and contacted me instead. I was so glad we connected, and that these were saved from the dump

Judy and I after purchasing her 1907 Gibson L-1 and 1950 Gibson J-45

1907 Gibson L-1 

The L-1 is by far the oldest guitar I have ever owned. It is a super cool early example. The first L-1s were made in 1902. This one has the original bridge, this style is rare, soon after they switched to using a tailpiece. It needs some restoration work, but is super cool. It even has the original trap door case with the original owner’s name written on it. 

1950 Gibson J-45 

The Gibson J-45 is amazing. I was very happy when I took off the truss rod cover to find a truss rod that looked nearly NOS! Appeared to have never been tightened before, and turned like butter. A great example of the kind of vintage flat top I love to buy. It has never been worked on before, and after some light restoration work it will be an amazing player. The most notable flaw is the two large cracks on the back, but these should go back together nicely.

 

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