The Gibson L-7 Archtop Guitar appeared in 1934 as a plainer, “workingman’s” version of the L-5, Gibson’s very popular archtop used by many artists including Maybelle Carter. Its first appearance in catalogs and price lists was during 1934. In 1928, the L-5 sold for around $275, which translates to around $4000 in current prices, so these were serious investments during the Depression years. This motivated Gibson to produce lower priced models like the L-7.
Instruments
Here is a lovely Deering Calico Blonde 5-String banjo, built in Lemon Grove California, just before Deering Moved to Spring Valley. Deering started business as a banjo company in 1974, working from a shop in Lemon Grove, California. By 2001, the business had grown and new premises were opened just a few miles east in Spring Valley.
The Fender Jazz Bass V, as an American Standard version, was built from 1998 to 2000, then from 2008 to 2016. The American Standard name was dropped in 2017 to be replaced by the American Professional line. Despite being listed in catalogs as the “Jazz Bass V”, the “V” does not appear on the headstock logo of this instrument. The five-string bass seems to have appeared in 1965 as the short-lived Fender Bass V.
Here we have a Schecter C1 Apocalypse hardtail model sporting a Rust Grey finish on a carved top Swamp Ash body. The neck is Maple with Padauk layers plus carbon fiber inserts, and an Ebony fingerboard with 24 Stainless Steel frets! Built in Incheon, South Korea during 2017, this Schecter C1 Apocalypse is a very solid and versatile guitar, oriented towards a heavier sound. As a hard tail, it’s built for stability. The body is Swamp Ash with a carved top, and the neck uses three sections of Maple with two layers of Padauk.
This Stelling Golden Cross Open Back banjo was originally a resonator model but was converted to open-back by Geoff Stelling. As with other Golden Cross banjos, the neck and rim are Maple, with Ebony for the fingerboard; inlays and the truss rod cover are Mother of Pearl. This is a very attractive instrument!
Now discontinued but based on the classic 14-fret OO sized body, the Larrivee OO-05 pairs a Sitka Spruce top with tropical Mahogany for the sides, back and neck, with Ebony for the fingerboard and bridge. This fine example dates to December 13, 1993 and was built in Victoria, British Columbia.