1963 Gibson L-7C Vintage Archtop Electric Guitar Sunburst w/ Pat # Pickups, Case

Up for sale, a 1963 Gibson L-7C archtop, outfitted with a full complement of era-correct Gibson electronics. While sold new in '63 as an acoustic archtop, this L-7 was ostensibly modified to its current electrified form very soon after production, boasting early patent sticker Gibson humbuckers, a quartet of properly placed reflector cap knobs, and a genuine vintage Gibson wide bevel five-ply pickguard that accommodates the pickup placement.As Gibson's most popular professional-sized archtop, the L-7C is identical in construction to the venerable L-5, with only minor cosmetic differences and the same legendary Gibson Jazz Box tone. With its generous 17" lower bout, hand-carved spruce top, and hand-carved figured maple back and sides, this all solid wood vintage archtop has a richness and detail to the tone that is unparalleled. Sure to satisfy the needs of serious players, this Gibson delivers a bold, woody acoustic voice with a detailed percussive chop and rich bass register warmth. Via the patent sticker pickup pair, the treble response sparkles with a roundness and punch commensurate with the impressive size of the instrument, and the wound strings are focused and clear, with a great bloom that stays present without being boomy. Weighing 6lbs 2oz, this L-7C has been professionally setup here at Mike and Mike’s with 11-49 roundwound strings, accurate intonation, and comfortable action.The heavily figured three-piece curly maple neck has a slender and fast-feeling C-shaped profile carve with slight shoulders, measuring .805” at the 1st fret and .885” at the 9th. There is palm wear through the gloss on the majority of the profile, down to the silky smooth bare maple. The dark Brazilian rosewood fretboard features pearloid split-parallelogram inlays, refretted with medium jumbo fretwire that has ample meat and crown, showing no wear and playing cleanly in every register. The scale length is a full 25 1/2", and the original nut measures 1 11/16" in width. The bound headstock features the inlaid Gibson logo and "Custom" truss rod cover, and the guitar has been fitted with a modern set of Kluson Deluxe single line tuning machines that features transparent sharp-edged keystone buttons.On the body, the electronics include a pair of '60s Gibson patent sticker humbuckers coupled to a traditional Gibson control array, topped with a vintage set of ambered reflector cap knobs. Both pickups feature vintage chrome-plated Gibson covers with touched-up solder, metering at 7.7k ohms in the bridge position and 8.05k at the neck. The original carved and compensated Brazilian rosewood floating bridge and nickel trapeze tailpiece with raised parallelogram crossbar round out the hardware. The oval Gibson label with hand-written model info and stamped serial is visible through the F hole.The original nitro lacquer Sunburst finish is intact and 100% original save for very minor black lacquer overspray on the back of the headstock and at the heel, presumably to mask tuner mounting holes and any hint of a professional neck reset (there are zero structural issues or repairs at the headstock or heel). The Sunburst is framed by ambered multi-ply binding, with broad curly flame maple figuring across the Walnut-finished carved two-piece back which shows only light finish checking and a few minor scuffs. There are two repaired cracks on the treble side top edge extending from the edge of the F hole and from the bridge Tone pot route, with various dings and scuffs across the top consistent with honest use. Two additional long repaired cracks are present on the treble side in the maple extending from the input jack.This L-7C is an extremely soulful, dynamically responsive, and versatile archtop, offering the sonic palette of an L-5CES and boasting vintage Gibson pickups and plastics.A hardshell case is included.