A Near Mint 1962 Gibson L-4CN with a Bartolini 'Floating' Pickup

1962 Gibson L-4CN

This near mint 16 1/4-inch-wide, 3 3/8 inch deep, single Florentine (pointed) cutaway acoustic archtop guitar weighs just 5.10 lbs. Two-piece carved spruce top, three-ply laminated maple back and sides, triple-bound on the top and single-bound on the back. Honduras mahogany neck with a nut width of 1 11/16 inches and a super fast medium-to-thin neck profile. Headstock with inlaid pearl "Gibson" logo and pearl crown inlay. Individual 'single-line' Kluson Deluxe tuners with double-ring tulip-shaped Keystone plastic buttons, each stamped on the underside "D-169400 / Patent No." Two layer (black on white) plastic bell-shaped truss-rod cover with two screws. Brazilian rosewood fretboard with 20 original jumbo frets and inlaid pearl split-parallelogram markers. Bartolini Jazz Humbucker floating pickup with an output of 2.69k attached to neck. Custom made rosewood pickguard (same specs as original) with two controls (one volume + one tone (original five-ply black over white plastic pickguard in case pocket). Pre-compensated, height-adjustable rosewood bridge on rosewood base. Nickel-plated trapeze tailpiece with pointed ends and three small raised parallelograms. Gibson Kalamazoo oval orange label inside bass 'f' hole with Style: "L-4CN" written in black ink and serial number "87948" stamped in black. The serial number is also stamped in blind on the back of the headstock. There are a few very small and insignificant surface marks but overall this incredible fifty-year old example is in (9.25) near mint condition. Housed in a seventies Gibson four-latch shaped, black hardshell case with burgundy plush lining (9.00). The Bartolini conversion was apparently done in 1993. The jack input for the pickup is at the end of the tailpiece where the strap button should be. The pickup and pickguard can easily be removed and the original pickguard re-fitted. The only leftover sign would be the three tiny screw holes on the end of the neck. One of just 19 L-4CN's shipped in 1962.

"Designed for easy playing… the compact size, medium scale length, and Florentine cutaway permit faster action throughout the entire range. Top quality materials, expert workmanship, and rich resonant tone. Features: Hand-graduated carved top of selected spruce, arched maple back with matching rims, attractive white-black-white ivoroid binding. Slim, fast, low-action neck - one-piece mahogany with adjustable truss rod. Rosewood fingerboard with inlay design. Rosewood adjustable bridge. Nickel-plated metal parts, and enclosed individual machine heads with deluxe buttons. L-4C Sunburst finish $225.00; 514 Faultless, flannel lined case $42.00" (1960 Gibson catalog).

In 1949, only two guitars in the Gibson range had a pointed (Florentine) cutaway. One was the ES-175, the other was the acoustic L-4C. So closely did this instrument resemble the ES-175 that it could well have been the same guitar without "electrics." In fact, the only difference in construction was that the L-4C had a two-piece carved spruce top rather than a laminated maple top. Otherwise the L-4C's laminated back and sides, hardware, ornamentation, dimensions, and finish were exactly the same as the ES-175.