1937 Gibson L-5 Blonde

This 1937 Gibson L-5 is an incredible instrument and a true piece of guitar history! This guitar started out as a custom ordered instrument by a Canadian guitar player living in England named George Panton and has a factory inscribed personalized tailpiece. The instrument features the small "made in USA" stamp given to instruments destined for the export market. Panton was a regular player in the Jazz clubs of London in the 30's prior to the outbreak of World War II, at which point he returned to Canada with this L-5. It wound up in the collection of a Gibson employee who was able to track down the serial number in the original shipping ledger, a copy of which is included. Unique to this guitar for a 1937 aside from being an early example of the "Blonde" finish are the smaller, unbound "F holes", suggesting this might have been built in 35-36 prior to being exported. Two small cracks have been professionally repaired and this guitar remains in stellar condition. It features a gorgeous and highly figured flamed maple back and sides, "tortoise shell" style pickguard, script Gibson logo, block inlays and "Flower Pot" headstock inlay. This instrument delivers the dry projection and rich tone that make these the gold standard of acoustic archtops. Rarely does such an amazing example with such a rich and fully documented history appear for sale.