NO RESERVE. Gibson changed the L-4’s design from an oval soundhole to a round version typical of most flattop guitars in 1928, so this is possibly one of the last oval-hole L-4 archtops that Gibson made.Although the serial number on the interior label reads 1929, this lighter-shaded Cremona brown Gibson L-4 is actually from 1927, as it most likely remained in the company’s warehouse a couple of years before being sold and the 1929 serial number formally affixed to the instrument’s body. Celebrated jazz guitarist Eddie Lang played an L-4 similar to this one between 1927 and 1929, with Lang’s instrument showcasing a snakehead-shaped peghead instead of the wider headstock style seen on this example.

This guitar has considerable playing wear—the back is scratched, the finish is worn off the neck, and a few fingernail gouges are worn into the ebony fretboard—but that is to be expected for a well-loved and played guitar from this era. The archtop guitar finally started to gain rapid acceptance thanks to the pioneering recordings and performances made during the late 1920s by jazz guitarist Eddie Lang, who played an L-4 similar to this one between 1927 and 1929, but Lang’s guitar had a snakehead-shaped peghead instead of the wider headstock style seen on this example.

Serial number: 87626
Top: Spruce, sunburst finish
Back and sides: Mahogany
Neck: Mahogany
Fretboard: Ebony
Frets: 20
Bridge/tailpiece: Ebony, nickel-plated trapeze
Tuners: Open gear three-on-a-plate Waverly with engraved base plates and white plastic buttons