1935 Gibson Super L-5
1935 Gibson Deluxe L-5
1935 Gibson Super 400
As you might have figured from the confusing heading, I’m not sure what to call this guitar. Gibson built and entered it in the company ledgers in April, 1935 and it sure looks like a fine example of the early Super 400. But if you look at the label inside the guitar, it’s dubbed Deluxe L-5. Meanwhile, the truss rod cover calls it a Super L-5 while the engraved heel cap boldly states the guitar is a Super 400. All we can say for sure is that is the earliest known example of the Super 400 to have surfaced and the guys at Gibson were probably still figuring out what to call the dang thing when they sent it out the door. This guitar is in wonderful condition and I know it sounds very good because I heard Martin Taylor play it with David Grisman on Tone Poems II. This guitar is currently keeping its secrets at Elderly Instruments but if you send them $35,000 they would be happy to send it and its mystery to you.
In every issue of The Fretboard Journal, we feature some of the most beautiful fretted instruments known to humanity. Sadly, most of the time they belong to someone else and aren’t for sale. With our new Catch of the Day column, we scour the web looking for world-class instruments that you can actually buy for yourself, right now.
