Gibson L-48
Overview
Brand name:
Product:
- acoustic guitars
Series name:
Dates of manufacture:
1946 to 1970
GIBSON made the L-48 archtop acoustic between 1946 and 1970. It was a lower end instrument with a pressed rather than carved non-cutaway arched top. The Gibson L-48 had a mahogany top except for some early ones with spruce tops and during the period from 1952 to 1957 when they had spruce tops, maple backs and mahogany sides. The fingerboard dot inlays are an easy way to tell the L-48 apart from the similar looking L-50 (although not foolproof as some early L-48s had trapezoid inlays).
Specifications (23)
Body
| Body back material | mahogany body back, maple body back |
| Body shape features | archtop |
| Body sides material | mahogany body sides |
| Body style | archtop |
| Body top material | mahogany body top, spruce body top |
| Body width | 16 inches wide body |
| Pickguard shape | raised pickguard |
| Soundhole | 2 f-holes |
Neck
| Body fret | Neck joins body at 14th fret |
| Neck width | 1.69 inches wide at nut |
| Number of frets | 19 fret |
| Peghead (headstock) | black face headstock |
| Tuner layout | three-each-side |
Hardware
| Bridge | adjustable rosewood bridge |
| Tailpiece | trapeze tailpiece |
Fretboard
| Fingerboard inlay material | pearl fingerboard inlay material |
| Fingerboard material | rosewood fingerboard |
| Fingerboard position markers | dot fingerboard position markers |
General
| Finish colors | brown finish |
| Finish effects | sunburst finish |
| Made in | USA |
| Number of strings | 6 strings |
| Scale length | 24.75 inches scale-length |
Prices (3)
| Date | Price | Condition | Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | $1000 | good | ||
| 2018 | $1085 | good | ||
| 1949 | $1500 | good | Steve | I genuinely enjoy my 1949 L48. I fingerpick mostly. It plays beautifully, the sound has a fine old character, and with flat wound strings there is a mellow quality I'd compare with a bowed instrument played w/fingers. |
