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1944 Gibson LG-2 Banner, All-Mahogany
Banner Gibson, anyone? We’ve got a lovely 1944 Gibson LG-2, all Mahogany, available now. Gorgeous burst, finish checking in true vintage style, and a thunderclap voice that’s two parts Mahogany crunch and two parts Mahogany rumble. Our repair shop has gone over it with their fine-tooth luthier’s comb and given it a clean bill of health after refretting the fretboard, and it’s got an L.R. Baggs Lyric pickup for onstage work, and a Calton case (plus padded case cover) for the road. The original tuners are included with the case, and there are fully functional replacements currently installed for convenient tuning.
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SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.875 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.15 in Woods Mahogany, Mahogany Add to Compare1938 Gibson L-Century, Maple/Spruce
What a gorgeous piece of Gibson history! We’ve had several L-Centuries come through the shop, but this one is in the best shape we’ve seen yet, and it’s got a killer woody voice to match. Maple back and sides and Spruce on top, crisp sunburst and tiger stripe pickguard, original bridge, bridge plate, and tuners—even the setup is perfect. Dialed in to the sweet spot that’s great for fingerpicking but with just enough string height for the occasional slide number to ring without the rumblestrip effect of bouncing across the frets.
Take this beauty in standard tuning, or down to Open D or Open G! The voice has split wide open and you’ll be surprised just how much volume this little L-Century from 1938 can churn out at will. We really can’t say enough about the tone: crisp and responsive, and so lively! It’s an instrument that’s incredibly fun to play. Gibson only made these mother-of-pearl(oid)-bedecked gems for a few years, and they’re each a collection-worthy find. This one happens to be both essentially all-original and in incredible playing shape.
Add to Compare1926 Gibson L-1, Mahogany/Spruce
Nothing beats holding a piece of history in your hands, especially when that piece of history sounds as good as this 1926 Gibson L-1. As you’d expect from a 90-year-old vintage box, the L-1 might be small but it packs a lot of voice in its little package! This was the year that Gibson would introduce the L-1 model (and it would enjoy but a brief 11-year lifespan before being discontinued in 1937) with Mahogany back and sides, Spruce top, and Ebony bridge and fingerboard. Some of America’s biggest music legends have played L-1s. Remember that photo of Robert Johnson in pinstripes and hat with Gibson in hand? Yup. Or Norman Blake, whose collection includes a 1930 L-1.
There are miles and miles of dry, woody tone waiting to be explored in this Gibson. Short scale and a wide fingerboard make for great fingerpicking times in open tunings; holds up loud and clear to flatpicking too. These early Gibson flattops have thinner tops and braces which make for great volume and a colorful response. A sweet piece of history indeed, with tone and character to spare.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.25 in Nut Width 1.875 in String Spacing 2.375 in Woods Spruce, Mahogany Add to Compare1942 Gibson J-45 Banner, All-Mahogany
You gotta love that vintage guitar smell–decades of good tunes under the hood mixed with a little blood, sweat, and tears. This 1942 Gibson Mahogany J-45 is a beast from yesterday! One of the loudest Banner J-45s we’ve had in the shop, this Gibson has the iconic Louisville Slugger neck and a killer woody tone that really speaks to its impressive age.
There’s more vintage mojo at work here than you can swing a baseball bat, or this Gibson Banner neck, at. By all appearances, the neck has never been reset, but there’s still lots of life left to the saddle height and it’s set up as a loud strummer right now. For such a big body, the weight is surprisingly light. The singer songwriter will love the volume and woody response, especially if you like to croon Townes Van Zandt or Steve Earl tunes. Outfitted with an L.R. Baggs Lyric pickup, this vintage Banner J works further miracles on stage, too!
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.75 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.125 in Woods Mahogany, Mahogany Add to Compare1933-1935 Gibson L-Century Maple/Adirondack (Red)
There aren’t too many Gibson L-Centuries lying around which sound this good or play this smoothly–the middle registers are warm and cozy, sandwiched between crisp bass notes and trebles with an extra helping of sustain. This Gibson has been played in nicely, and is still in wonderful shape. Wrapped up in a Calton flight case, you can be sure that no harm will ever come to this feat of Mother of Pearloid, Maple, and Adirondack Spruce.
Add to Compare1957 Gibson J-50 Mahogany/Spruce
1957 was a good year for the folks at Gibson–and this J-50 is here to prove it. We’re looking at a dynamite Dreadnought here, with more dry, hearty Mahogany punch than you can shake a fist full of picks at. With an excellently opened-up Spruce top for projection, and a smooth C profile neck, this is one J-50 fit to bring the house down! And speaking of houses, when it came in ours we were (happily) surprised to find that it has an excellent neck angle, mimimal fret wear, lots of saddle–and it doesn’t appear to have ever had a neck reset! Considering this instrument is just shy 50 years old, that isn’t something you see every day. Moreover, the previous owner had an L.R. Baggs Lyric microphone pickup installed, so you can take this vintage gem on the road and on the stage as easily as plugging in a 1/4″ cable.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.625 in Nut Width 1.69 in String Spacing 2.13 in Woods Spruce, Mahogany Add to Compare1947 Gibson J-50 Mahogany/Spruce
All the innovations of modern guitarbuilding can’t quite match the tone of a guitar which has seen decades and decades of play. Our J-50 from 1947, accordingly, makes new guitars sound like toys by comparison. Whoever was working on the line at Gibson when assembled the Mahogany-and-Spruce body had the magic touch–and whoever’s played it for the past 60 years has also had that magic touch. The trebles have that elusive bell-like quality, glassy and sweet, which you only find but rarely, and the low-end is warm, resounding, and broadcasts right into your face.
One strum, and you can tell that this is one guitar that’s been played for thousands and thousands of hours. As a result, the voice has enormous sustain, and a vigorous, ecstatic tonality. We’ve got some road rash here (but what vintage Gibson doesn’t?), but is in excellent playing condition, with lots of saddle to keep it that way for a long time to go, brand new frets, and a reslotted nut for perfect intonation. Complete with its vintage leather hardshell case, this guitar makes a statement with its looks alone, exuding confidence from decades of making music
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.75 in Nut Width 1.69 in String Spacing 2.13 in Woods Spruce, Mahogany Add to Compare1954 Gibson Southern Jumbo Mahogany/Spruce
Oh, the heyday of big-bodied, big-voiced Gibsons–it’s a blessing we still have some beautiful survivors singing in the aisles! We’ve got one of the flagships of the 1950s in the store today, looking great and still churning out great music. This 1954 Gibson Southern Jumbo may have some finish crazing (but what 60-year-old guitar doesn’t?), but it’s in great playable condition, capable of howling runs on the treble strings that hang in the air.
The bass is a complete package: boom-chuck, rattle-n-roll–perfect for thumbpicks and flatpicks both. The balance is superb! We wish more contemporary guitars sounded as rich and opened-up as this one. Mahogany back and sides and a Spruce top do this 1954 SJ justice; she’s got a big heart that’s still beating with vigor.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.75 in Nut Width 1.69 in String Spacing 2.13 in Woods Spruce, Mahogany Add to Compare1957 Gibson Country Western Mahogany/Spruce
Would that Mississippi John Hurt were still alive–the tunes he’d croon with this baby tucked under his arms! We’re looking at the real deal here, folks: true vintage: a 1957 Gibson Country Western. Mahogany back and sides, Spruce top, Ivoroid bindings, upside down Rosewood bridge. Fingerpicking blues or country tunes, and you’ll get a feeling for what they sounded like 60 years ago, when they were being written! The bass is huge and fat and balanced with trebles that are clear–the perfect combination for Travis-style picking. You’ll find this Country Western has that classic Mahogany bark in spades, coupled with a great, warm sustain that hangs in the air like smoke in a raucous barroom. This Gibson has been well taken care of all these years: after our very own Ken Jones reset the neck and refretted the Rosewood fingerboard, it’s as though we just picked it up off the rack in 1957–and it’s ready to make tunes for another 30 years, no problem. You’ll be very hard-pressed to find many other vintage Gibsons that are in as good of shape as this here Country Western!
SOLD Sale! Read moreScale Length 24.88 in Nut Width 1.69 in String Spacing 2.19 in Woods Spruce, Mahogany Add to Compare1950 Gibson J-45 Mahogany/Spruce
Perhaps Gibson’s most iconic acoustic guitar, the J-45 has a long and immensely celebrated career, and we see many of these “workhorses” come through the shop. Some are beautiful and pristine, some road-weary with scratches but tonally sublime. Occasionally, we get a J-45 which combines the two, and is as beautiful to behold as it is to play–and this 1950 J-45 is just such an instrument. Gibson’s practically trademark tone–rich, fat, loud–comes pouring out of the soundhole from the first chord to the final note. The trebles are sweet and bright as candy canes, and the bass is well-defined and present. Clearly, this Dreadnought has been lovingly played for the past six decades, and it’s soaked up years and years of music between its birth in 1950 and its golden age today of 66. The Mahogany back and sides combine with the Spruce top in a voice which sings as though from another era, a happier and brighter place. The craftsman who carved this neck was brilliant: the profile is perfectly rounded and easy on the hands, which is perhaps why Chet Atkins himself signed the top–a sign of respect for the instrument’s capabilities. Safely protected in a new Guardian hardshell case, this J-45 is ready for another 60 years of great tunes.
Watch these videos below to see Cliff Eberhardt singing with this very same J-45:
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.75 in Nut Width 1.69 in String Spacing 2.13 in Woods Spruce, Mahogany Add to Compare1956 Gibson J-50 Mahogany/Spruce
Gibson has made many, many spectacular guitars in its lengthy career, and continues to do so today. But rewind the clocks back to 1956, and you find yourself in the company of a legendary model of this monolithic company: the J-50. The J-50 is considered by many to be Gibson’s most popular acoustic guitar of all time, and it’s obvious why–the J-50 is the perfect size guitar for pretty much any application, and it has a voice which is instantly recognizable for its strength and projection. Everyone at Dream Guitars is always excited when we get one in the shop, but this 1956 J-50 in Mahogany and Spruce has far exceeded our already high expectations. This particular J-50 is explosive! The vigorous, charged voice has an energetic warmth, and the middle register in particular pops off the strings. The completely opened up Spruce top gives the guitar a monstrous projection and responsiveness, and you can thank the decades of players who have lovingly strummed this guitar to help achieve that opened up sound. Of course, this J-50 has some play wear befitting its almost six decades of life, but the guitar is still in prime playing condition, and has a very confident vintage look to it. The neck has been reset, and the original adjustable bridge has been replaced with a fixed bridge, which means that this particular J-50 is in perfect fighting shape and should continue to play amazingly for many more decades to come! When we say this guitar is perfect for pretty much anything, we mean it: this J-50 glows when flatpicking American Traditional or even Irish music, but also has the balanced tone and string to string articulation that fingerstylists pine after. For any guitarist seeking an instrument which will shine in a variety of applications, this is the J-50 for you.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.625 in Nut Width 1.63 in String Spacing 2.13 in Woods Spruce, Mahogany Add to Compare1956 Gibson Country Western SJ Mahogany/Spruce
Here we a have a killer Gibson Country Western in Sitka Spruce and Mahogany. As the name implies, the Country Western model is perfect for heartfelt songs of love and loss, or conversely fast and loud songs of life on the open range. Tonally, this guitar keeps with the best Gibson has to offer, great warmth and punch that comforts the soul and harkens back to years gone by. For its age, this Country Western is in great shape, and has perfect playability. This thing is ready for years more song writing and soul searching.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.125 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.2 in Woods Spruce, Mahogany Add to Compare1934 Gibson Roy Smeck Stage Deluxe Mahogany/Spruce
This vintage 1934 Gibson Roy Smeck begs to be played, and you can hear the decades of blues underneath your fingertips. In a word, it’s raucous. The neck is sturdy and warm to the touch, with a low action that’s sweet on the fingers and easy on the ears, and it’s got plenty of woody bark as a strummer thanks to the remarkably lightweight combination of Spruce top and Mahogany back and sides. The body has been refinished and has some scratching, and the tuners have been replaced, but this Gibson looks so confident and well-seasoned, you know it’ll be a fun ride each time you sit down to play. This guitar is unstoppable, like an old Ford truck on its second coat of paint.
Check out Toby Walker’s lesson on “The Money Chord” here: www.youtube.com/watch
Check out Toby Walker’s lesson for the “Shakin’ Her Bacon” chord progression here: www.youtube.com/watch
Check out Toby Walker’s performance of “Shakin’ Her Bacon” here: www.youtube.com/watch
Check out Toby Walker’s lesson about “Highway 61” here: www.youtube.com/watch
SOLD Sale! Read moreScale Length 25.125 in Nut Width 1.69 in String Spacing 2.31 in Woods Spruce, Mahogany Add to Compare1946 Gibson J-45 Mahogany/Sitka
There really is nothing quite like that vintage Gibson tone and this 1946 J-45 is a prime representation of what all the commotion is about. Strong, woody basses and crisp, cutting trebles combine with bold, bawdy mids for that quintessential Gibson sound. It is impossible not to have your heart melted by this one. Something about the classic combination of Mahogany and Spruce just feels warm and invigorating as you sit down and play. Blues and bluegrass tunes are equally at home with this one and it has plenty of projection and volume to ensure that everyone in the crowd hears you. These are fewer and farther between these days, so be sure and try it out before it’s too late!
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.81 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.13 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Mahogany Add to Compare1943 Gibson J-45 Banner Mahogany/Adirondack (Red)
There is something truly magical about playing a great old Gibson, this 1943 J-45 is like a time machine. It takes you on a trip with every one of its dings and scuffs, a dark bar in New York with this ding perhaps? or a lush medow with this one? who knows how many heartbreaks and happy moments this guitar has seen. The war time Gibson tone is in full standing here, deep dark woody basses align with quick and snappy trebles. This guitar has had a life and it really shows up in the wonderfully mature voice, what a fantastic instrument.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.6 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.06 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Mahogany