Introduced in 1935 with a dramatic black finish, the L-30 model is a unique and interesting archtop for the Gibson catalog. While the company was revolutionizing music with their EH-150 at the same time, these comfortable small bodied arch top guitars were likely singing the sadder songs of the era with a lower $30 price tag at the time (about $700 today!).

It is designed with a carved spruce top and solid maple back & sides - the lower bout measuring 14 3/4" across, the upper bout at 10 3/8". Internally, it has a simple ladder brace design on its back, with two long tone bars that run inside the f holes of the top. The top is bound with a simple cream binding. It has a hanger tailpiece (original as seen here), with a two piece, adjustable ebony bridge. A striking "fire stripe" pickguard looks amazing against the black finish. The neck is designed with a Gibson standard 24.75" scale length that joins the body at the 14th fret. The neck, again standard for the time, has a V profile to it - players will recognize that Gibson V profiles at this point are not particularly as sharp as other companies, making them very comfortable quite a few players. The fingerboard is made of Brazilian rosewood, with a nice MOP dot inlay. The peg head, also done in black lacquer, features the script Gibson logo silk screened. Open gear plate tuners round out these fine instruments.

This particular example has been well cared for with not much to say in regards to repair. The body shows some standard wear with nicks and dings present, as well as the finish being fairly exposed around its back edge simply from time (it's actually kind of neat to see the maples grain beginning to peer through those worn spots). Structurally it’s very sound, with the slightest bit of binding shrinkage near the tailpiece, but not to be worried about. There is an old crack in the back that appears sealed but with no cleat etc. Checking Is prevalent (see photos), the neck with its cowboy chord zone worn through down to its mahogany. Aesthetically, there are two circular little marks in the peg head overlay, which I am going to assume could have been old bedazzling, because it's fun to pretend. The cowboy chord zone appears to have an old repair that had filled in some deep grooves to the fingerboard. It's a nice repair, and not really noticeable. It has a well replaced nut.

Playing wise this guitar is a real dream. The neck is nice and straight with clean original frets, and easy action that measures only 4/64" in height at the twelfth fret. As someone who prefers a C profile, I really like this neck, the nut width is a standard 1 3/4", and it's a bit on the chunky side, measuring about .94" thick at the first position, tapering up to about 1.25" by the twelfth fret. The truss rod is just about maxed out, and the saddle is just about bottomed out, but I see no need in doing any further work to this one as it plays and sounds *really* good.

Includes a newer hardshell case!