Vintage small body Gibsons--pre-war or post-war?

[eljay]

hello, everyone. i now suffer the vintage guitar flu, but no complaints.

i'm thinking that a smaller gibbie might be a good armchair player. i'm planning a trip to Gary's Vintage, and perhaps Jim's, to sample the wares after my summer school classes are done.

it appears that pre-war L-0 types command no price premium over their immediate post-war counterparts; pricing is all about the individual instrument.

and, of course, it will come down to individual instruments . . . but, in the meantime, is there a compelling reason to favor pre- over post-, or vice-versa?

i appreciate your guidance!

[Toby Walker]

Hi Eljay,

One major difference between the two would be the 'possible' need of adjustment and repair needed in an older model. However, if you're working with a reputable dealer as you mentioned then usually they've taken the necessary steps to make sure that the vintage instrument is in excellent playing condition. I've owned a number of vintage Gibsons and never had a single problem with any of them. My '35 L-00, purchased from Gruhn guitars, was and still is in excellent condition.

As far as the sound goes, and this is my own subjective opinion, there's simply no comparison when judging between say a Collings X-braced Waterloo and an L-00 from the thirties, or any other new vs older guitar. Although both are excellent choices, no one has yet replicated the distinct tone that old wood brings to the ear. This is generally agreed upon by most in the acoustic guitar community when it comes to just about any model, including the one you're looking at.

[Truckjohn]

I think my only hesitation would be that sometime in that pre-war era they were sorting out their flat top bracing patterns as they transitioned from primarily archtops to flat tops.

I am not real sure that an H-braced L-0 is what I really want. Seems like the big divide in Gibson is the pre/post Norlin era. That's when you see screw on plastic bridges, massively heavy construction, and 3 pound adjustable bridges mounted on acoustics.

It seems like pre vs post WWII makes more of a difference with many of the smaller manufacturers like Regal, Galiano, Bruno, Tonk, and Oscar Schmidt.... As they were basically wiped out by the war and their post war incarnation is in only as a bottom end brand name made by a huge manufacturer like Kay or Harmony.

Thanks