Official Luthiers Forum!

Howdy guys and gals-

More than a few of us have shown interest in these models lately and I found this guitar for sale at Dream Guitars. It has a bunch of nice big pictures, a great sound file and plenty of measurement specs of the guitar. This isn't as good as a plan but the webpage has a lot of great info. Click here to see the guitar.

Does anyone know if there are any plans available for late 20's Gibson 12-fret L-00's? I would love to make a guitar that sounds like this little gem.

Thanks-

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John Lewis
Wannabe builder owned by 2 crazy dachshunds

I'm pretty sure MIMF has an L-00 plan but I think it's a 14 fretter.

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David White, Toronto

"All my favourite singers can't sing."

Thanks David and Hesh. I'll check out the MIMF plan.

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John Lewis
Wannabe builder owned by 2 crazy dachshunds

Cool guitar! Sure would like to have it, but at over 4K, I don't think so. I could BUILD one for that much!

Dealer says it has ebony bindings. Must be that oh-so-rare White Ebony--Afarensis Plasticus.

It has those sought-after Robert Johnson appointments, too, but they don't say what those are. Cigarette burns? Whiskey stains?

Hey Hesh, do you have any info on the L-0. I have a hand drawn full size set of plans for an L-0 but I don't know where I got it from. It sure looks like a cool little guitar that I've been thinking of building for myself.

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Great thread, thanks for the info John and Hesh. I have taken a real interest myself in the early Gibson guitars. The sound on this one was awesome. I guess I am off to the other Forum I rarely visit to buy me a set of L-OO plans. Thanks for sharing, great find.

Mike

Hey, congratulations Mr.3000

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Hesh, you say the L stands for learner,, well I've got to get me one of them.. So far nothing else has been able to help me learn to play.. Maybe thats what I have been missing, a guitar that knows what I don't know.
Mike

Nice little Gibson!
It sounds great !Thanks for posting it John!

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Hey watch it bro, that means i have a big yap too! Congrats Hesh!   

And thanks to John and you for the great input here, i'm planning on building an L-OO as well in the next months so it's very timely!

That's a pretty guitar, John and a great specimen of an early 12 fret L-00! Good specs, but they list it as having "ebony" binding, and no top trim even though there is plainly ivoroid binding on it.

You can see the main difference in the 12 and the 14 fret guitars. The soundhole is so low that it's almost centered between the waist, while on the 14 fretter it's moved up toward the fingerboard quite a bit. And of course the bracing on the top will follow that.
If you use a long 25.5 scale and 14 frets, that will help push the soundhole and top bracing/bridge position a little closer to the 12 fretter's position. That, along with a little more string tension, might bring out more of the sound that seems to go away when you move away from the 12 fret design.
But, that's just a speculation! The increased string tension and long scale takes away a lot of the feel of the old guitars!

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Mark Swanson
Swanson Guitars
http://www.MarkSwansonMusic.com

Interesting though, the few 12 fret L-00 guitars I have seen have 19 frets total while this one has 20, pushes the soundhole even further.

This is very similar to the Gibson Nick Lucas Special which is reissued periodically. I have one from 1992. The Nick's were made with a deeper lower bout. Bob Dylan played one on tour in 1965 which can be seen/heard in the documentary movie "Don't Look Back". Story has it that it was retopped with plain spruce after Dylan crushed the original burst top by closing the case with some harps inside. Gibson now makes a special model with plain top like Dylan's. Bridge and pickguard are different too.
Gibson also makes the Blues King which is the L-00 shape & size, and Epiphone has the EL-00. Another really great 00 guitar is the Epiphone BluesMaster which is played by Keb Mo.

CrowDuck

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Chris Nielsen
Soquel, CA.

Very cool little, guitar, gots mojo, no?

Thanks for the link, John!

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

L-00 is my best seller.