Gibson / LG-2 Banner / 1943 / Sunburst / Guitar
Gibson LG-2 Model Acoustic Guitar (1943), made in Kalamazoo, Michigan, serial # 2164-13 (FON), sunburst top, dark back and sides finish, mahogany back, sides and neck, spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, black hard shell case.
Here is a very attractive example of the celebrated "Banner" Gibson LG-2, so-called for its headstock decoration reading "Only A Gibson is Good Enough". This model represents a very early appearance of the long-lived "LG" series of small-bodied Gibson flattops, which replaced the earlier L-00 style instruments during the war. WWII-era LG-2's are known for their chunky neck profiles; like many this example was built with only a maple neck re-inforcement instead of a standard truss rod due to wartime restrictions on metal use. This guitar is unusual in having 5-ply top binding, 3-ply back binding and a 7-ply soundhole ring, all much fancier than most LG's and another example of the virtually unlimited variations found on Gibson "Banner" flat top guitars. The tuners are the original wartime strip Klusons in excellent condition, and indeed the guitar overall appears to have been used well but not abused over the last 70 years.
Overall length is 39 5/8 in. (100.6 cm.), 14 1/8 in. (35.9 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.). Very clean overall and all original, with some fairly heavy checking but not a lot of play wear. There is some scuffing and small chips to the finish (mostly on the back and headstock edges) and a decent of fading to the top. The bridge appears original style but looks to be a high grade repro. A really nice playing and sounding example of Gibson's smaller WWII-era flat-top model. Excellent Condition.
Item # 6786