Gibson L-4 CES (after 1980s)
Gibson L-4 (c. 1927)

Gibson L-4 refers to several archtop guitars produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation.

The L-4 was first introduced in 1911 as an acoustic rhythm guitar with an oval sound hole and 12 frets to the neck;[1] it was used by Eddie Lang, who also played an L-5.

In 1928, Gibson redesigned the guitar, swapping out the oval soundhole for a round one, extending the neck to 14 frets and cantilevering the end of the fretboard over the top, just as they did on the L-5. These changes greatly improved the sound of new L-4, which now had more volume, a brighter, clearer tone while still maintaining its warmth. In 1935 Gibson redesigned the guitar yet again, this time dropping the round soundhole in favor of f-holes.[2]

In 1949, Gibson released the ES-175, which was essentially an electric version of the L-4 with a laminated (as opposed to carved) top and a florentine cutaway.

Electric versions of the L-4 (known as L-4 CES) with a carved top and a florentine cutaway, were released in limited runs throughout the 1950s.

In the late 1980s, Gibson reintroduced the L-4 CES, which has been in production ever since.

The current version features two humbucking pickups, a solid carved spruce top, and solid mahogany back and sides.[3] Other differences with the ES-175 include gold hardware, a fancier tailpiece, a different pickguard, and the rhythm pickup mounted closer to the neck.

References

  1. ^ Wheeler, Tom (1992). American Guitars: an illustrated history. New York: HarperCollins. p. 107. ISBN 978-0062731548.
  2. ^ Simmons, Michael John (May 2014). "1935 Gibson L-4". Fretboard Journal.
  3. ^ "L-4 CES Mahogany". Gibson.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2010. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
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